For Henrik Axelsson Lilja, one theme has been constant throughout his career: building.
Building companies, building teams, and building opportunities for people. From blue-chip boardrooms across Europe to rural villages in East Africa, Henrik has leaned into challenges where fresh ideas and execution excellence unlock both competitive advantage and meaningful impact.
“As an engineer, problem-solving and innovation are at the core of transforming systems,” Henrik reflects. “But what truly motivates me is when those solutions lead to impact, for people and for our planet.”
From boardroom access to energy access
Before relocating to East Africa, Henrik spent nearly a decade with Accenture’s Management Consulting practice in Europe, advising global companies on large-scale, strategic programmes across industries including telecom, high tech, automotive, security, and aerospace.
It was during this time that an assignment in Sub-Saharan Africa exposed him to the rapidly emerging access-to-energy sector, where advances in solar technology, mobile money, and innovative financing models held the potential to reach millions, but had yet to fully scale.
“Seeing the difference these services made in people’s lives changed my perspective,” Henrik recalls. “It became clear that I could maximize my impact working in the sector.”
Motivated by that experience, Henrik moved to East Africa. Since then, he has held senior executive roles with leading pay-as-you-go solar companies, helping grow early-stage ventures into established, impactful businesses.
Asked what he considers most critical in leadership, Henrik doesn’t hesitate: “In any venture, it’s not only about the product or the business model: it’s about the people who make it real.”
Driving strategic initiatives at Odyssey
Today, Henrik serves as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Odyssey Energy Solutions. His role combines building the systems and processes needed for scale, ensuring operations are client-centric, efficient, and growth-ready, with shaping new products and programmes from concept through market launch.
One initiative he is especially proud of is the Tower Solarisation programme with IHS Nigeria, which pioneers a first-of-its-kind model connecting telecom towers to nearby mini-grids through Odyssey’s platform. By replacing diesel with clean solar energy, the programme reduces costs and emissions, strengthens reliability for critical telecom infrastructure, and enables mini-grid developers to expand their markets by serving both households and commercial clients.
What excites Henrik further is how these mini-grids are enabled by Odyssey’s procurement and supply chain services, enabling developers to access high-quality equipment at competitive prices with minimal upfront capital, repaying only once projects begin generating revenue.
“These solutions show what’s possible when you bring global supply chains, local developers, and financing partners onto a single platform,” Henrik explains. “It allows developers to focus on development and execution, while we ensure the backbone of procurement and capital is in place.”
Looking ahead
Henrik’s journey reflects a clear through-line: bringing structure, capital, and technology together to turn complex ideas into scalable solutions.
“I’m excited to be part of this journey with Odyssey,” Henrik shares. “Collectively, we’re tackling some of the toughest challenges in distributed energy, working alongside amazing people across the sector. What excites me most is when we take a complex idea and turn it into something real, something that works at scale, makes business sense, and improves lives. That’s the kind of building I always want to be part of.”
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