08.The important mentors who made my Epileptic Journey possible. (Article 5 of the history of my epilepsy.)

The Publisher Albert Bonnier, Jr.

I start from the end. When The Publisher turned 75 in 1982, I was managing director of Yngve Ek, AB, Höör, which he by some "international development and strategic reasons" kept an eye on. With the help of the company's designer, we sewed a black tracksuit with blue fleece lining. Black as the AIK (his favorite soccer team) club shirt and blue as his eyes. He sent a personal handwritten letter and thanked, in particular, for the considerations to match his eyes with a blue lining, and he was happy to start using it. From 1977 when I started on Regment until September 1982 when I got fired from Yngve Ek and Frosta Fritid, I was privileged to work in the Bonnier organization where The Publisher Abbe Bonnier then was the obvious leader figure. 

The atmosphere in the Bonnier Group was sophisticated, and you were allowed to be different and make mistakes as long as you tried to create something new and had the courage to test. I found myself in my two attempts of the Bonnier Group in unprofitable divisions, which both had the future behind them, but Abbe Bonnier, The Publisher, I was privileged to meet a number of occasions and feel uplifted by. He could show interest and give help and support which to an immense degree have enabled my epileptic and therapeutic experiments.

Olof Stenhammar

Olof was during my last two years in the Bonnier Group my boss. He was the division manager of Frosta Fritid, where I started as an investigating consultant and by way of financial director of Frosta Fritid, I became CEO at Yngve Ek in Höör. Olof is one of the genuinely nicest people I've ever worked for in a neurotic world. In contrast to myself, I had no feeling that Olaf had a double agenda. It felt as easy and spontaneous to be engaged by him as it felt two years later to be fired.

He was a child of nature and spoke to me as a fellow human being. He had brightness, humor, and despite his burdensome ancestry, he was liberating prestige free. Those for sure empathically said jokes that he had to endure on his fortieth anniversary May 2, 1981, how he failed in both the pool business and in the Hutton brokerage firm (in U.S.), he enjoyed with the same great feeling as all others in his generous festive occasion. There are few others, of those I have had the opportunity to meet and who held prestigious positions, who could have matched this. To deepen my picture of Olof and simultaneously provide two examples of how Olof and Bonnier Group created a different approach in my ‘Lutheran’ world of work and seriousness:

1. We were a few members from Alga, which was the toys and games business included in the leisure division Frosta Fritid, who were named to Bonnier head office for an impromptu board meeting. This happened in 1981 and I was still investigating consultant. A number of points on the day's agenda were preceded by quickly and the Publisher took the floor and looked like he was a little worried. He thought it was exciting and rejoiced in the fact that Alga had got the agency for very well known Japanese computer games, but "we have been informed that Alga has signed a guarantee for 80 million SKr in that context, is that true, Olof?" "Sure Mr Publisher, it is true! But it's only money!", was Olofs spontaneous answer. There was an exchange of glances between The Publisher and the finance guys on Bofö but no further comments. When we came back later to Vittsjö, Olof offered me to become financial director of Frosta Fritid.

2.Once again, we were in the head office for a board meeting, when Olof, for some reason, before the meeting wanted to hoist the mood a little. When The Publisher swept past and saluted and wondered how it was, Olof said suddenly: Thanks, all is fine but my grandmother is worried! Why Olof, is something wrong? No, but she says business is certainly bad for Bonnier because they do not run up the flag any longer! It did not take many minutes so the flag was hoisted!

The joy I, and probably many others, felt when Olof got his pyramidal success as an entrepreneur with OM 1984 and later OMX, Stockholm Stock Exchange, it felt authentic and was a shining proof of the value of being capable of transmitting unconditional positive vibrations and distribute welfare (and in OM's case prosperity) to others. He was, and I assume continues to be a joy spreader as long as his nature will prevail.