“Culture is our compass.

“We don’t have all the answers, especially as the world becomes more digital and complex, but culture is what keeps us grounded.”

Those are the words of Ulrika Biesèrt, Chief People & Culture Officer, Ingka Group, IKEA.

In the 2024 financial year, the retail giant saw €41.8 billion in revenue, 729 global store visits across its 574 locations in 31 countries, as well as 3.1 billion online visits.

At UNLEASH World 2025, Biesèrt will be taking to the Main Stage to share why culture is a strategic imperative at IKEA.

Ahead of the Paris show, UNLEASH sat down with Biesèrt to find out more about IKEA’s culture, particularly in this AI-powered world of work.

IKEA on culture as a superpower

When UNLEASH asked what makes IKEA standout as a great place to work for its 160,000 workers globally, Biesèrt is clear that the answer is the retail giant’s culture and values.

IKEA is grounded in eight values, including togetherness, simplicity, caring for people and the planet, cost-consciousness, renew and improve, different with a meaning, give and take responsibility, and lead by example.

“Culture is what keeps us together and helps us move with speed and empathy, without losing who we are,” Biesèrt adds.

IKEA values “guide us in how we lead, make decisions, and show up for each other and our customers.”

They also provide “stability, resilience and direction”, which is particularly important when things are uncertain.

We lead through uncertainty by staying close to our co-workers and customers. We listen deeply through dialogue forums, surveys and everybody conversations, to stay grounded in what people need”.

For instance, IKEA data shows that 78% of co-workers agreed that IKEA lives its values, 84% felt they could be themselves at work, and the company’s engagement index score was 77%.

Ulrika Biesèrt, Chief People & Culture Officer, Ingka Group, IKEA.

Biesèrt tells UNLEASH: “We often say: ‘Love the past, create the future’.”

“That means holding onto what matters while daring to test and try new things. We don’t always get it right, but we learn and improve together.

“Whether it’s working with AI, lowering prices to stay affordable, making our offer more accessible, or becoming more sustainable, we lead through our values, and we do it together”, she continues.

The retail giant reinvests 85% of its net income back into the business, and the remaining 15% is allocated to the IKEA Foundation.

Plus, in 2024, IKEA invested €2.1 billion to lower the prices of products, introduced a 50% discount on its restaurants one day a week, recycled 77.7% of all operational waste, and got 96.6% of its operational electricity from renewable sources.

‘We see AI as an opportunity to enhance our work’, but ‘we don’t have all the answers’

AI is the HR topic of the moment. UNLEASH was keen to find out how IKEA is thinking about this disruptive technology across its retail workforce.

We see AI as an opportunity to enhance our work, but this is also a journey where we’re still learning every day” – “we don’t have all the answers”, Biesèrt shares.

A top priority for IKEA is to “make sure our co-workers feel curious and supported as they try new tools”.

Biesèrt adds: “We have taken a human approach to AI – our actions so far have focused on upskilling, reskilling and learning by doing”.

To date, 4,000 workers have participated in AI training, and IKEA’s AI literacy awareness resources have been viewed 54,000 times. Plus, IKEA has trained nearly 650 senior leaders on AI to “help them discuss the technology with their teams”.

IKEA’s employees are “encouraged to use AI to explore, simplify and create”.

They have access to tools like BILLY, a digital assistant to help workers find answers quickly and improve their workflows, and Hej Copilot, an internal generative AI product to help workers with everyday tasks.

For Biesèrt, these AI tools “aren’t just practical aids, they’re a reminder that people remain at the heart of IKEA”.

Her advice to HR peers who may be struggling to keep people and culture top of mind in this AI-powered world of work is to “be humble”.

“AI is a huge change, and there are still so many questions”. Invite those questions from your employees; “learn by doing it together”.

IKEA, Ulrika Biesèrt and UNLEASH World

Biesèrt will sharing more about why culture is a superpower at IKEA during a Main Stage Panel at UNLEASH World 2025. She will be joined by CPOs from Lloyds Banking Group and McDonald’s, as well as Lighthouse Advisory’s George Rogers.

Speaking about her excitement for the Paris show, Biesèrt  shares: “I’m looking forward to meeting peers form other companies and exchanging ideas.

“The pace of change we are seeing with AI means none of us can do it alone – we need to stay curious and learn from each other.

“Events like UNLEASH World are a great reminder that, whatever technology, people need to remain at the heart of everything.”

It’s not too late to join us Paris for UNLEASH World 2025, 20 to 22 October – you can grab a pass here.