Journalist with experience of crises new head of Ministry for Foreign Affairs Press Service

Anders Jörle has written a book about submarines and another about the Estonia disaster. He was also in Phuket during the aftermath of the devastating tsunami over Christmas 2004.
"I have somehow managed to get caught up in most of the major crises that have affected Sweden over the last 30 years," says the new head of the MFA Press Service.

Anders Jörle is 55 years old and new head of the MFA Press Service. How does it feel?
- It feels really exciting! I realise it's a huge task.
I have had lots of new impressions during my first two days. I think this is a well-organised organisation, and really on the ball.

A search for your name on the Internet comes up with hits about nuclear power, disasters and submarines. What have you done previously?
- When I was young my dream was to be a journalist, and I started working for a daily newspaper when I was still at upper secondary school. During the 1980s I was a reporter at TT with a focus on defence and security policy, and I became involved in the submarine issue that was getting a lot of attention. In the end, that resulted in a book. When the Estonia disaster occurred in 1994, I reported on it for Göteborgsposten and that work also ended up as a book. My latest job was Director of the Department of Communication at the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate.

How was working at the Nuclear Power Inspectorate different from being a journalist?
- It's very different to work on "the other side" when you've been a journalist before. But the nuclear power issue is always topical and it affects so many people all the time, so I never felt that I was losing contact with society. On the contrary, I often felt like I was the journalists' extended arm reaching into the Inspectorate. And then of course the job also involved a lot of work on preparedness and security issues, which I found exciting.

How did you end up applying for the job as head of the MFA Press Service?
- I thought that the job description suited me very well - "experience of media and crisis management, leadership qualities", etc. And I do like to work on management issues and organisational development.

Have you had any previous contact with the MFA?
- Ten days after the tsunami hit in December 2004, I travelled over to Thailand with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency to help out with the work there. I worked very closely with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs then. In my view, Sweden rapidly got a large-scale crisis management response underway, and I was very impressed by the MFA's work in that crisis situation, despite a few initial mistakes. Unfortunately, mistakes always occur in crisis situations, and it is of course understandable that the people affected can feel enormously let down.

What will the job as head of the MFA Press Service involve?
- Part of the job is to assist the media by providing them with the facts and information they require. A majority of the calls we get are to do with consular issues - Swedes who are experiencing difficulties abroad. Another part of the job - and something that is new ground for me - is to take on an official role and inform the Swedish people and other countries about the activities of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and about the Government's foreign policy.

The MFA is an organisation that is expected to be capable of dealing with crisis situations - what kind of demands does this place on you as department head?
- I would put it like this: What kinds of demands does it place on an organisation? First and foremost, you must have confidence in your colleagues. I also believe in a non-hierarchical attitude, and in a head's ability to delegate tasks and be flexible. And to be fast. In a crisis you've got to quickly establish yourself as a source of information and be a channel to the public via the media.

What do you do on a normal day at work when it's not all chaos and confusion?
- Then I sit in meetings. No, joking aside, I have to follow developments within the Ministry and keep up-to-date on what's going on in the world. As well as communicate with my colleagues, of course.

What makes a good press service at a foreign ministry?
- Speed. Being well informed and knowing enough to make correct assessments. It's also important that the organisation has confidence in the Press Service's ability to also deal with delicate issues.

What are you most proud of when you look back on your career so far?
- I don't know, but I can say that I'm very happy to have always looked forward to going to work. That's a wonderful gift.