Meet David Balsam

After growing up in suburban Stockholm and finishing school, David Balsam did his military service in Uppsala, an hour north of Stockholm. When he finished his nine months, he got out and began his career as a sales representative. "I've worked as a salesman for 12 years," says Balsam, who is 32. He worked at Eniro, the telephone and address web search engine, and then the free daily Metro before starting at Dagens Nyheter. "It was a wonderful day in October 2006," he says. "I remember it as if it was yesterday."

A finalist for Sales Representative of the Year in the Bonnier Sales Awards, Balsam is stimulated by the challenges of his daily work. "The best is seeing a carefully planned scheme fall in place and how my knowledge can be used to turn it into reality," he says. He appreciates feedback from his clients and likes working together to get the best result for the customer - and for Dagens Nyheter.

"Just after the Olympics, it feels like I'm standing on the winner's stand there," Balsam says about his nomination. "You feel like a real winner, who has worked and trained hard to make it to the top."