For almost five decades, Caroline Farberger had to pretend every day.
In her professional life she was known as Carl Farberger, a dynamic executive who climbed to the position of CEO in the Swedish insurance company ICA. “I had a high socioeconomic status, a big house, a family, three children,” Farberger, 54, told CNBC. “The whole package”.
But from the age of 8, she felt like she was playing a role in a play. “Being a boy was my role,” she says, as she first hid her feminine side at school and then at work and at home, fearing she would never be accepted.
In 2017, with the support of her husband, Farberger gained the courage to take the big step. As she walked the streets of Stockholm dressed in women’s clothing, she immediately realized that being a woman was her true identity.
“Finally, at the age of 49, I felt authentic. “But later, when I thought about it, there was this scary feeling, because I realized there was no going back.”
So, on Thursday, September 13, 2018, Farberger informed its 120 employees: It was her last day as Carl. From the next day, it would be Caroline. “I wanted to do it from day to day, just to show that the only thing that changes is the appearance, I am still the same person,” he explains.
Of course, the process was stressful. “I had a lot to lose,” he admits.
Today, Farberger considers her transition a success. She became the first Swedish CEO to publicly declare trans and recently became a partner and president of the Swedish investment company Wellstreet.
“I did not think I would succeed. But I’m as happy as I could be. I did not lose anything. I have my place in the business world. “I have my wife, I have my children and I have my house,” he says.
As for the hardest part of her transition, she admits it was to admit it to herself. “The biggest transphobia was mine. “I really thought I would be a failure if I failed in the masculine character I played,” he says.
But the people around her took it very well. Her children, who were 12 and 7 years old at the time, had no problem having this conversation with her husband. “We had a ‘big talk’ and I told them I was going to live as a woman and change my name from Carl to Caroline. They said ‘ok’. And I looked at my wife, and we looked at each other as we thought, ‘Is it really that easy?’
Farberger acknowledges, of course, that the positive reception she received in her professional life is not self-evident for all trans people. “I am in a privileged position because I am the CEO. “I did not have a single uncomfortable situation at work, which is a huge mystery to me,” he admits.
He acknowledges, however, that trans people in lower positions face difficulties. “I am not a warehouse worker. I work with office workers, who are educated and very politically correct. There may be people who have issues with my appearance, but they probably think before they act on those views. “If I were a warehouse clerk, I might have difficulties,” notes Farberger.
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