Article
Women of Visma: Vibeke Müller
10/3/2025
min read
Life at Visma

Vibeke Müller has been a valued member of Visma for over 13 years. She began her journey with us as a Trainee and quickly became a vital part of Visma Group, taking on various HR roles before being appointed Chief People Officer in 2025. Along the way, she led our Group People team and served as People Lead for the Medium Business segment, making invaluable contributions through her fair, empathetic, and forward-thinking leadership style.
Vibeke has played a huge part in shaping Visma’s company culture and people strategy. Her commitment to building a diverse, inclusive, and empowering workplace continues to drive our D&I efforts forward. So, we sat down with Vibeke to talk about her open mindset, approach to taking care of people at Visma, and perspective on building a genuinely supportive and diverse culture.
As Visma’s new Chief People Officer, how would you describe our current efforts to be the most inspiring, engaging, and inclusive workplace? And what are your current top priorities?
We have many ongoing initiatives to maintain our strong company culture as we continue to grow. To check the pulse on our culture and how our people are doing, we send out monthly anonymous surveys to gather real-time feedback from all employees. This allows us to not only track employee engagement but also assess the impact of Visma’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts – and adjust our approach accordingly to make meaningful improvements.
Developing strong leaders is also top-of-mind. Inclusive leaders are a key driver for employee engagement, and ensure that our talents want to stay with us in the long run. People tend to follow leaders they genuinely like and respect, so we invest a lot of time in equipping our leaders with the necessary skills to succeed and thrive in their roles. We also continuously measure the effects of these initiatives. Topics we discuss in our internal training sessions include how to minimise unconscious bias, ensure inclusivity, and build trust.
“We’re always working on new learning initiatives and networking opportunities to connect colleagues across all of Visma. Expanding our networks allows us to learn from one another, share successes and failures, and find inspiration in each other’s experiences, cultures, and perspectives.”
18Visma’s company culture is based on experimentation and innovation, and making mistakes along the way is perfectly normal. Openness about the hurdles we face helps everyone grow and learn, and it also supports an environment where anyone can feel comfortable speaking up – especially when their view differs from the majority.
Lastly, we’re committed to accommodating and supporting the unique differences of all Visma companies. With M&A as our biggest recruitment source, we can maintain a continuous flow of fresh perspectives and innovation. At the same time, it’s crucial that Visma’s core values resonate across our entire portfolio of companies. As long as we’re aligned on fundamental values, we know that our unique differences and willingness to be challenged help us learn, grow, and progress.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is ‘Accelerate Action’. What do you think are the biggest barriers preventing progress in achieving gender equality?
When looking at the tech industry, in particular, there’s still a clear gender imbalance starting at the university level. Women founders in tech make up about 15% of the total – at most – which is a stark contrast to their male counterparts.
“A common misunderstanding is that, when prioritising DEI efforts, diversity overpowers competence in recruitment. That is far from the truth. We always aim to find the best fit for any job, but the point is to ensure a balanced pipeline going into the initial stages of recruitment processes. That’s how companies achieve the best talent pool to work with, without missing out on strong candidates.”
Building a balanced talent pipeline takes time and demands a high level of awareness from decision-makers and hiring managers. Unconscious bias keeps us from making rational decisions more often than one might think. Not to mention that outside of the tech industry, as well, we’re currently witnessing some very unfortunate developments in the world of DEI, causing many people to feel unsafe. But one thing is certain: We will not diminish the importance of DEI at Visma, nor let any outside noise stop our progress.
Individuality is key to developing diverse software products that meet the needs of a diverse customer base. So, when setbacks occur, we remind ourselves why DEI is so important – not just for our business but for the people we support. Last year, women in leadership roles at Visma increased from 35% to 36.8%, and the D&I Index Score from our monthly internal surveys rose from 64 to 66, keeping Visma in the top 5% of the tech industry. This progress is a testament to our unwavering commitment to DEI, and why it remains a top priority.
→ Learn more about Visma’s progress in the past year
What role do you think leadership plays in accelerating gender equality?
Leaders are role models: They are key to shaping company cultures and values. People will look to them to understand the unwritten rules in the workplace, and their actions remain highly visible – even in flat hierarchies like ours. Leaders are also usually the decision-makers in recruitment processes, promotions, salary negotiations, and so on – playing an absolutely essential role and carrying an important responsibility in accelerating equality.

How can companies ensure that DEI efforts don’t lose traction over time, or become limited to specific initiatives like IWD, but rather remain a priority all year round?
Make DEI an integral part of everyday activities and embed it into the core business strategy – not just as a side task. Map out the initial steps needed to ensure a balanced pipeline in every recruitment process, and use a structured approach, apply objective selection methods, and provide unconscious bias training for hiring managers. The same principles should be applied to promotion processes and salary negotiations. Also, be mindful of what leadership styles you put on a pedestal – featuring the right role models is absolutely essential.
I recommend measuring progress and ensuring that DEI is linked to other key value drivers. Remember that DEI goes beyond gender – it’s about recognising and valuing the unique qualities each of us brings, with diverse perspectives, opinions, and ideas. The more we complement each others’ strengths and weaknesses, the more innovative and versatile we’ll be at work.
What personal traits do you think have helped you succeed in working with diverse people and teams?
I am genuinely curious about, and interested in, people. And I appreciate opinions that differ from my own. Those are the instances where the most interesting discussions happen, and the best solutions are found. I also pride myself on being a good listener, which helps me understand and connect with different people on a deeper level. It’s incredibly important to recognise that everyone has different needs and preferences, and successful interactions require investing time and effort to truly understand each person and adjust accordingly.
“Not everyone wants to be treated the same way you’d want to be treated, because we’re all unique.”
What advice would you give to someone who wants to make a meaningful impact individually, and contribute to DEI in the workplace?
Contributing to real impact starts with self-awareness and assessing your own biases, privileges, and perspectives – and how they shape your behaviour. It’s also important to stay open-minded and curious; educate yourself on the unknown and make an effort to understand cultures, religions, family orientations, life situations – the list goes on – that differ from your own.
“Speak up when something doesn’t feel right. Much of the discrimination in workplaces today doesn’t happen because of bad intentions but rather a lack of awareness. I’ve received feedback on things I could’ve said or done differently, and that has always helped me evolve. Whether in a leadership role or not, most of us want to grow and progress – so please, don’t ever hesitate to speak up.”
What’s been the most significant lesson of your career, as someone working with people, so far?
The most important lesson I’ve learned is that fairness isn’t necessarily about treating everyone the same. In fact, it can be the complete opposite. By taking the time to actually listen and understand what motivates each person you’re dealing with, and using that insight to adjust and interact more effectively, we not only improve our work relationships but also positively impact the business as a whole, ultimately driving better results.
Learn more about how we take care of our people
Voice of Visma
We're sitting down with leaders and colleagues from around Visma to share their stories, industry knowledge, and valuable career lessons. With the Voice of Visma podcast, we’re bringing our people and culture closer to you. Welcome!