Meet the board
In this interview, RedLocker’s CEO Liza Eriksson sits down with Lena to talk about what she saw early, why boardrooms still need to catch up, and what it takes to make an issue once seen as “too small” impossible to ignore.
Lena Apler is Chair of RedLocker, founder of Collector Bank, angel investor and one of Sweden’s most influential voices in business. After founding Collector Bank in 1999, she built one of Sweden’s best-known niche banks in an industry long dominated by men. Since then, she has backed founders, served on boards across fintech and real estate, and championed women’s economic independence through Hand in Hand Sweden.
Lena first came into contact with RedLocker in 2021 on Dragons’ Den, when founders Liza Eriksson and Clara Lidman pitched their idea for menstrual infrastructure in workplaces and schools. Lena chose to invest, and later joined the board. At the time, menstrual products were still rarely discussed. Today, that conversation is changing fast. Menstrual health is moving from the margins of equality work onto the leadership agenda.
Liza: You first became part of RedLocker’s journey in 2021 and have been an important person to us ever since. What did you see in RedLocker from the beginning?
Lena: My first and maybe most important impression was that you, Liza and Clara, were a young team with true passion for a subject that had been neglected for decades. I was reminded of my own experiences from years ago and realised that nothing had developed when it came to girls’ and women’s menstrual cycles. I saw the possibility to change the mindset, from something embarrassing to something as natural as soap and water.
Liza: You built Collector Bank in a sector that wasn’t designed for women. What did that teach you about the cost of environments that are not built for everyone?
Lena: I realised that the only way to change environments is to keep moving forward, not giving too much attention to all doubts and concerns you meet. It’s important to realise that the doubts are built on lack of understanding and competence and have no ground in real facts.
Liza: You’ve sat in boardrooms for three decades, and menstrual infrastructure is still framed as a “benefit” in many of them. What is the strongest argument for treating it as a baseline?
Lena: The strongest barriers to tear down are that menstrual infrastructure is something unnatural, unnecessary or embarrassing not to be mentioned or addressed. In reality it is something which could facilitate the daily life of half the population and avoid unnecessary absence from school or workplaces.
Liza: You’ve built things the market wasn’t ready for before. What told you menstrual health was about to shift, and what’s still standing in the way, from your point of view?
Lena: In reality I was really surprised that nothing had happened during all these years. With a strong interest for health and wellbeing and a more open attitude and insight on women taking on more and more positions in working life and society it is unbelievable that menstrual health has been neglected for so long. But attitudes are inherited and long-lasting, and must be actively fought.
Liza: Menstrual health, menopause and other issues affecting women’s health are still too often treated as private or uncomfortable topics. What do workplaces lose when these conversations stay silent?
Lena: First and foremost they trap women in an old-fashioned behaviour of trying to hide and avoiding bringing up the subject. That leads to unnecessary absences and loss of working hours.
Liza: What would you say to a CEO who still thinks this is too small an issue to prioritise?
Lena: Do you consider it normal that half of the workforce every month have to think about how to avoid a sudden lack of menstrual products? Suppose that you require soap and toilet paper always available, why not menstrual products? Call RedLocker.
Liza: How do you see RedLocker evolving over the next few years?
Lena: RedLocker’s mission is not only to distribute dispensers and products but to form the opinion that menstrual health is a necessity to improve quality of life for girls and women and thereby improve productivity in all areas of female participation. This is a global mission which could be accomplished by growing the community and creating joint forces all over the world.
