At its core
And that is correct. How we work and run our organizations is based on assumptions from the 18th century. We know better now. And we can do better now.
The inspiration
stolt. is the Norwegian word for proud. The satisfaction of looking at what you’ve built, today and over time, and feeling genuinely good about it.
Inspired by its Scandinavian roots and values, stolt. is for people who want to do work that matters.
Why it matters
Lack of alignment leads to loss of opportunity.
On average, we work 80,000 hours in our lives. But only 20% of us are actually engaged with our work. The rest aren't, which means that 4 out of 5 people don't really enjoy what they do.
At the same time, we have a range of global problems that need to be solved. From technological disruption, the climate crisis, social injustice, to political instability. These problems are an invitation to do work that can be meaningful to us. And to do it in ways that are fun, playful, and collaborative. Giving people meaningful careers, and building organizations and business models that are resilient and future-proof.
Some organizations already understand the importance of this and start doing their work differently. Those that align a genuine purpose with their core operations report 25% higher revenue and 22% higher pre-tax profit. Because most employees feel motivated by meaningful work. And when the whole organization is aligned, doing the right thing becomes easier, and starts showing results.
We at stolt. want to spend our 80.000 hours in ways that matter. Doing work we can look back on and be proud of.
Sources: Gallup, State of the Global Workplace (2026); CECP, Giving in Numbers (2025); BetterUp, Meaning and Purpose at Work (2018, US professionals). Engagement figures reflect 2025 data.
Our thinking
Most of us already know something needs to change. We feel the gap between what our organization says it stands for and how it actually works. It's not our motivation that is usually missing; it’s a clear understanding of where the blockers are and what to do about them.
Building work you can be proud of requires three things, simultaneously and consistently — whether you’re leading an organization or navigating one:
A north star that goes beyond a career goal. Something that guides you when the pressure is on, that connects what you do every day to what you actually care about, so that you can take decisions and actions towards what you can be proud of.
The systems around you - how your organization is owned, rewarded, and governed - determine what’s actually possible inside of it. Understanding those structures is the first step to working with them, around them, or toward changing them.
The world keeps changing, and so do you. Staying true to what matters while continuing to grow, building the skills, the relationships, and the judgment to navigate complexity, is the work that will allow you to stay resilient, joyful, and proud of yourself.
Our ambition
Imagine a world where all of us do work that matters. Where organizations create real value for generations to come. Where how we work is motivating, not soul crushing. We already have the knowledge, we already have the tools. We just have to be willing to do things differently.
It's not about making work "easy", it's about doing work that we can be proud of.
The founder
Tilmann has spent the last decade at the intersection of organizational design, innovation, and systems change. For more than four years he was CEO of Future Leaders, whose leadership programs have reached over 3,500 people worldwide.
Before that, he built partnerships and programs that enabled companies to work with exponential technologies. From AI to biotech, this work taught him that technology is a fantastic tool, but one that needs to be contextualized within the systems we're part of.
He has also served on several boards, including beVisioneers, a global fellowship funded by Mercedes-Benz for young planet-positive innovators, and MadeToGrow.
The question he keeps coming back to is: how do we do work that matters, for us as individuals and the world around us? stolt. is his open invitation to explore this question together.
We’re here to make you proud.
hello@stolt.work