Karl Kajbjer joins NoA as partner and Chief Strategy Officer at NoA Connect Sweden

The former Publicis Chief Strategy Officer joins NoA as partner and takes on the role of Chief Strategy Officer at NoA Connect Sweden. He will play a central role in shaping NoA Connect’s full-funnel media offering and strengthening the collaboration between NoA Connect, NoA Elevate and NoA | Åkestam Holst.

Today, Karl Kajbjer joins NoA as partner and Chief Strategy Officer at NoA Connect Sweden, with a broader mandate to help establish and shape NoA’s media offering in Sweden.

Kajbjer joins after most recently serving as Chief Strategy Officer at Publicis, following senior roles at Carat, dentsu, and Husqvarna. He brings 15 years of experience in brand, marketing and communications strategy to his new role at NoA Connect.

His appointment is another major step in NoA Connect’s ambition to build a technology- and data-driven full-funnel media challenger – combining senior strategic advisory, media, data and technology with creative excellence across NoA, focused on measurable business outcomes.

Strengthening the strategic core

Earlier this year, Magnus Dahlquist became CEO of NoA Connect Sweden as performance agency Bluebird was fully integrated into the company. Kajbjer will work closely with Dahlquist to develop a more channel-agnostic approach to media investment and strengthen strategy at the centre of NoA Connect’s offering.

"For us, this is about impact, not activity. We want to combine senior strategic advice with deep media expertise, data and technology – and connect that much more closely to the creative strength we have across NoA. Karl is a key piece in making that happen. He has the experience, reputation, and strategic perspective to challenge both us and our clients, and to help us build a stronger point of view on how media investments should drive business outcomes," says Magnus Dahlquist, CEO of NoA Connect Sweden.

Bringing media and creativity closer together

A central part of Kajbjer’s role will be to strengthen the connection between NoA Connect’s media capabilities and expertise across NoA. In Sweden, this includes closer collaboration between NoA Connect, NoA Elevate and NoA | Åkestam Holst, bringing together complementary capabilities across strategy, media, data, technology and creativity.

“I have admired NoA, its agencies and its people for a long time, so the opportunity to join as a partner and help shape where the media offering goes from here was an important part of why I chose to make the move. There is a strong foundation in NoA Connect and a real opportunity to bring a broader, channel-agnostic and transparent perspective to media investment. I’m particularly excited about what we can create by connecting the expertise in NoA Connect, NoA Elevate and NoA | Åkestam Holst – and turning insight, creativity, data and technology into strategies that drive measurable growth for our clients,” says Karl Kajbjer.

The closer connection between media and creative strategy will also see Kajbjer work closely with Jerker Winther, Chief Strategy Officer at NoA | Åkestam Holst.

“Karl and I share a strong belief that media strategy and creative strategy become more powerful when they inform each other earlier. The opportunity now is to connect those perspectives much more closely – turning insight into creative and media choices that reinforce each other and ultimately create greater effect for our clients,” says Jerker Winther, Chief Strategy Officer at NoA | Åkestam Holst.

For NoA Connect, Kajbjer’s appointment marks another step in extending its strong digital and performance heritage into strategic media advisory, brand-focused media strategy and channel-agnostic media investment.

A Nordic full-funnel ambition

More broadly, the move strengthens NoA Connect’s Nordic ambition. Across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, NoA Connect is developing its position as a modern full-funnel media partner, spanning strategic advisory, media planning, buying and execution across the marketing funnel.

About Karl Kajbjer

Karl Kajbjer is one of Sweden’s most experienced brand, marketing and communications strategists. Over the past 15 years, he has advised some of Sweden’s and the Nordics’ largest advertisers on their marketing and communications investments, including IKEA, Telia, Elgiganten, P&G, Arla, Mondelez, If, and Polestar.

He has previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at Carat, Dentsu and Publicis, as well as Global Brand Director at Husqvarna. His focus is on increasing the impact of marketing and communications investments by translating evidence-based research and insights into human behaviour into strategies that drive profitable growth.