Frederik HjelmqwistGet in touch

Turning real product value into clear experiences, strong brands, and scalable growth

I work where product, brand, and commercial ambition need to move together. Together with teams, I help identify what creates real value for users and turn it into clear direction, better decisions, and intuitive experiences.

Epidemic SoundAnyfinTele2AftonbladetVolvo Cars

What I do

Three practices, one system

  • Product value

    Finding what creates real value for users, and where that value is strong enough to drive adoption, conversion, and retention. Turning that into clear direction teams can actually build on.

  • Brand direction

    Understanding where a company can be meaningfully different. I connect product value, customer insight, competitive landscape, and business ambition into a clear direction that makes positioning and execution more effective.

  • Leadership & alignment

    Creating the conditions for high-performing teams to do their best work: clarity, trust, psychological safety, and momentum. That means setting direction, principles, and decision-making environments that help people and leaders align around what matters and move forward together.

CASE NOTES

Selected work

Some of the work is confidential, but these examples show the kind of problems I tend to work on and how I approach them.

  1. 01

    Epidemic Sound — Freemium & Product-Led Growth

    2023

    Head of Customer Insights

    Helped reshape the subscription portfolio as the company moved towards freemium and PLG.

    I was part of leading a cross-functional team across research, service design, UX, tech, sales, and commercial stakeholders, supported by extensive customer insight and external benchmarks. We worked with partners including BCG and McKinsey, and aligned with the board to make sure the new model supported the Epidemic Sound's broader business strategy.

    The result was a clearer portfolio built around customer segments and growth paths, allowing users to experience value early while creating natural incentives to upgrade over time.

  2. 02

    Tele2 — Digital Experience Transformation

    2019

    Head of Customer Experience

    Led the work to define and drive a company-wide shift in how we approached digital customer experience.

    Built a research-driven framework that reframed the journey from acquisition to lifecycle thinking, with clear experience principles and key customer moments guiding product, marketing, service, and sales channels.

    The work laid the foundation for a new roadmap across Tele2's digital initiatives and helped shape a broader channel strategy across e-commerce, stores, third-party retail, customer support, and in-store digital touchpoints.

  3. 03

    Aftonbladet — Digital Product & Storytelling Systems

    2014

    UX Lead

    Led product and UX work as Aftonbladet shifted from print-first to digital-first storytelling.

    Created modular design systems across mobile, tablet, and web, and helped launch one of the first iPad experiences in Swedish media.

    I was also selected to contribute to Aftonbladetrapporten, an internal transformation report that helped challenge assumptions and align editorial, product, business, and tech around the digital shift.

Reflection

A pattern I've noticed

The industries have varied, but the challenges have often been surprisingly similar.

Looking back, I've found myself repeatedly drawn to situations where there is uncertainty around what creates value, where value exists, or how to realise it. Sometimes the value is already there but difficult to see. Sometimes it is fragmented across products, teams, or customer journeys. Sometimes it is changing, and needs to be redefined for a new market, business model, or stage of growth.

Those situations rarely have a single answer. They usually require different perspectives to come together around a shared understanding of what matters, why it matters, and what to do next.

Whether the challenge has involved product strategy, customer experience, brand, portfolio development, or organisational change, the underlying pattern has often been the same: creating clarity around where value exists, then helping people align around it and move forward together.

How I work

In practice

I work from clear principles, not heavy process. I often notice where product, brand, customer experience, teams, and commercial direction need to connect, then help create the clarity to move forward.

The focus is on aligning people around what matters and turning direction into execution.

Real user value
Identify where the real value sits, how it differs from the market, and what is strong enough to build on. Then create a shared understanding of that value across teams, so it can guide product direction, positioning, and growth decisions.
Clear priorities
Reduce complexity into a few decisions that matter, so teams know what to focus on, what to ignore, and what needs to happen next.
Better decisions across functions
Bring product, design, marketing, tech, and commercial perspectives together early, so ideas become sharper before they become expensive.
Enabling performance
Create environments with trust and psychological safety, where people feel seen, contribute beyond their role, challenge ideas, and learn from each other. I care about building a generous culture where different perspectives come together across disciplines and levels of seniority. Part of that is helping people see how their work connects to the bigger picture, grow beyond their own discipline, and use curiosity and inspiration to find better solutions. My way of giving ownership is to give people real responsibility, along with the mandate, clarity, and support they need to succeed.
Contact

Product, brand, and experience need to move together?

I’m open to senior roles and selected advisory conversations where real value needs to be clarified, aligned around, and translated into stronger outcomes, long-term growth, and lasting impact.