International advisory board

The international advisory board provides strategic advice to the centre in our efforts to have global impact within science, business, policy and practice

The composition and membership for this advisory board is formally decided by the SRC director. Members are invited based on their expertise, experience, influence and commitment to global sustainability and science. The board meets once a year. Current members are:

Jim Balsillie

CIGI AND CO-FOUNDER BLACKBERRY (FORMER)

Jim Balsillie (B.Comm. Toronto, FCA Toronto, MBA Harvard) is a former Chairman and co-CEO of Research In Motion (BlackBerry), a Canadian company he scaled from an idea to $20 billion in sales globally. He is a co-founder of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) based in New York City and Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) based in Toronto. He currently chairs the Board of Directors of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) and CCI. He is also the founder of the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Balsillie School of International Affairs and Arctic Research Foundation. Mr. Balsillie was the only Canadian ever appointed to US Business Council and the sole private sector representative on the UN Secretary General’s High Panel for Sustainability. He is the only Canadian member of the US Council on Competitiveness, an internationally renowned voice on innovation strategy, competitiveness and international economic policy. His professional degrees are: B.Comm. Toronto, FCA Toronto, MBA Harvard. His awards include: several honorary degrees, Mobile World Congress Lifetime Achievement Award, India’s Priyadarshni Academy Global Award, Time Magazine World’s 100 Most Influential People, three times Barron’s list of "World’s Top CEOs".

Jan Eliasson

FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL UNITED NATIONS

Jan Eliasson is a well-known Swedish and international diplomat. He was the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1 July 2012 to 31 December 2016. He was elected President of the UN General Assembly, for its sixtieth session 2005-2006. Eliasson served as Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 2000 and as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2006. In the UN he has been mediator in the Iran/Iraq conflict, in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in Darfur Sudan, and active for the UN in countries such as Somalia, Mozambique and the Balkans. He has a profound interest in water issues, in particular for the developing world, and was the first chairman of Water Aid, Sweden.The Swedish Government has appointed ambassador Jan Eliasson from June 2017 as the new Chairman of the SIPRI Governing Board. Eliasson was born and raised in Gothenburg. He is married to Kerstin, former State Secretary for Higher Education and Research. They have three grown children and eight grand children.

Jerker Johansson

EXECUTIVE CHAIR, BLUE WATER ENERGY

Jerker Johansson co-founded Blue Water Energy in 2011. As Executive Chairman, he works alongside the other co-founding partners to drive the continued growth of the firm and the value creation across the funds BWE manage. Johansson was previously the Global Head of Institutional Equities at Morgan Stanley and then CEO of UBS Investment Bank. Jerker holds an MSc degree in Economics from Stockholm School of Economics and an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a member of The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Johansson serves on the boards of GPS Group, Influit, Stena International S.A., Stena Fastigheter and FAM AB – part of The Wallenberg Foundations. He also chairs Blue water Energy’s charitable giving committee as well as JFF (Johansson Family Foundation) and is a Trustee of The Morgan Library and Museum. “

Johan Rockström (Chair)

CHAIR, RESEARCHER STOCKHOLM RESILIENCE CENTRE & DIRECTOR POTSDAM INSTITUTE FOR CLIMATE IMPACT RESEARCH

Johan Rockström is the co-director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. He is is an internationally recognized scientist for his work on global sustainability issues. He helped lead the internationally renowned team of scientists that presented the planetary boundaries framework, first published in 2009, with an update in 2015. The nine planetary boundaries presented in the framework are argued to be fundamental in maintaining a “safe operating space for humanity.” This framework has been embraced as an approach to sustainable development, and has been used to help guide governments, international organizations, NGOs, and companies considering sustainable development. Aside from his research helping to guide policy, Rockström acts as an advisor to several governments and business networks. He also acts as an advisor for sustainable development issues at noteworthy international meetings, such as the United Nations General Assemblies, World Economic Forums, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences. Rockström acts as chair of the advisory board for the EAT Foundation, a network that integrates knowledge on food, health, and sustainability to work towards providing environmental limits for healthy diets of the growing global population. Rockström has published over 100 research articles, including articles in Science and Nature, as well as 20 book chapters and four books.

Gunhild Stordalen

CHAIR, STORDALEN FOUNDATION

Gunhild A. Stordalen, MD/PhD, a (Norwegian-born) medical doctor with a PhD in pathology/orthopedic surgery from the University of Oslo, is the co-founder & chair of the Stordalen Foundation, and the founder & president of the EAT Foundation. She serves on several executive and advisory boards, such as the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement lead group, CSR board of BT Group, the Advisory Board of Project Drawdown, in addition to the executive board of Nordic Choice Hotel Group. She is a renowned speaker, debater and published scientist. She was named ”Woman of the Year 2013” for her environmental work by the Norwegian magazine KK. In 2014, she was ranked among the 100 most influential Norwegian Women by the financial magazine Kapital and was selected as one of 40 people under 40 years to join the "Recharge 4040" initiative, bringing gtogether the world´s foremost young energy pioneers. She was appointed Environmental Hero of the Year by WWF Sweden in 2014, and Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum in 2015. In 2016, she gave a talk on the importance of healing the food systems at the TEDMED conference in Palm Springs.

Jacob Wallenberg

NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIR, INVESTOR AB

Jacob Wallenberg is the non-Executive Chair of the Board of Investor AB, an anchor lead shareholder of Nordic-based international companies. He is Vice Chairman of ABB Ltd, Ericsson AB, SAS AB/Scandinavian Airlines, FAM AB and Patricia Industries. He also serves on the Boards of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, The Stockholm School of Economics. Mr. Wallenberg is Honorary Chairman of IBLAC, the Mayor of Shanghai’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council, Vice-Chairman of SACC-US, the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce US. He is also member of the steering committee of ERT, the European Round Table of Industrialists as well as the International Advisory Board of the Atlantic Council, Washington DC and the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is also a member of the Trilateral Commission as well as the Advisory Board of Tsinghua University.

Niklas Zennström

CHAIR, ATOMICO & ZENNSTRÖM PHILANTHROPIES

Niklas Zennström is CEO and Founding Partner at Atomico. He is an experienced technology investor and entrepreneur, having previously co-founded and managed globally successful technology companies including Skype, Kazaa and Joltid. In 2006, Zennström founded the venture capital firm, Atomico, to help entrepreneurs, primarily from Europe, to scale their businesses globally. Atomico has partnered with and supported a growing number of highly successful technology companies, including Supercell, Klarna, Rovio, ofo and many more. It raised its fourth fund in 2016, which was the largest independent venture capital fund ever raised in Europe. In addition to overseeing Atomico’s strategy, he works closely with a number of founders of portfolio companies and sits on the boards of Rovio, Mapillary, Pipedrive, Truecaller and Farmdrop. Niklas is most excited about founders that are solving major world problems using digital technology. Niklas Zennström helps support the European tech ecosystem as President of the European Tech Alliance (EUTA), a group of fast-growing tech companies that have all been built in Europe. In 2007, he co-founded Zennström Philanthropies with his wife, Catherine. They invest strategically in two areas: human rights and the environment. Niklas focuses primarily on sustainability projects, supporting organisations that are tackling issues such as climate change and the state of the oceans. The foundation is also funding a professorship at Uppsala University to establish an academic environment focused on climate change leadership. Zennström also founded the Race for the Baltic, a foundation for a well-managed and sustainable Baltic Sea, one of the most threatened major bodies of water in the world. He is also a keen yachtsman, and has won four World Championships with his yacht racing team, Rán. Zennström holds dual degrees in Business and MSc Engineering Physics/Computer Science from Uppsala University in Sweden, and he spent his final year at the University of Michigan.

Sara Öhrvall

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AXEL JOHNSON

Sara Öhrvall is the Chair of the Pontus Schultz Foundation, supporting business initiatives for improved sustainability, diversity and equality. She currently works COO for Axel Johnson and is also a Board Director of Investor AB, SEB, Vinnova, the Swedish government innovation agency, the Nobel Museum and Umeå University. Her previous experiences include Bonnier, the leading Nordic media group of 175 companies in 15 countries where she was part of the Executive Management as Senior Vice President, Research & Development, leading the digital transformation of the media group. During two years, she was based in San Francisco, starting up Bonnier’s R&D-initiative in the US. Sara was Product Development Director at Volvo Cars, where she was responsible for the development of jeep hybrids, sports and sustainability focused car concepts.
Sara has previously co-founded and managed two successful consulting firms. She was the CEO and partner of the management consulting firm Differ and founder of the innovation-focused consulting firm Ninety. Sara has worked in Tokyo, London, Singapore and Brussels. Sara writes columns about technology trends in Dagens Industri, the leading financial daily newspaper in Sweden. In 2017 she was included in the top 50 most inspiring female influencers in Europe, by Inspiring Fifty. She has previously been selected as one of 10 Change-Makers in Media by MIN USA and Europe’s 100 Future Business Leaders by Wall Street Journal. Sara has a Master Degree from Umeå Business School in Sweden and also studied the Executive Leadership Program at Duke University and architecture and design at Parsons School of Design in New York.

Previous members

Carl Bildt

FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND FOREIGN MINISTER OF SWEDEN

Carl Bildt has served as both Prime Minister (1991-1994) and Foreign Minister (2006-2014) of Sweden. During the first period his government initiated major liberal economic reforms, as well as negotiated and signed membership agreement with the European Union. The reform period in the early and mid-1990's is generally seen as having pave the way for the successful growth decades that followed. Subsequently he served in international functions with the EU and UN, primarily related to the conflicts in the Balkans. He was Co-Chairman of the Dayton peace talks on Bosnia and become the first High Representative in the country. Later, he was the Special Envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the region. Carl Bildt was an early advocate of the new ICT technologies. An 1994 email exchange between him and President Clinton was the first between heads of state/governments. After stepping down as leader of the Moderate Party of Sweden in 1999 and leaving Parliament in 2000 he was also engaged in corporate boards in Sweden and the US as well as different international think-tanks. Returning as Foreign Minister of Sweden in 2006, he come to be seen as one of the most prominent and vocal of European foreign ministers during those years. He was one of the initiators of EU:s Eastern Partnership, and pushed the EU forward also on issues of the Middle East. Currently he is Co-Chair of the European Council on Foreign Relations, contributing columnist to Washington Post as well as monthly columnist for Project Syndicate. He recently chaired the Global Commission on Internet Governance. He serves as one of the Senior Advisors to the Wallenberg Foundations in Sweden and is on the Board of Trustees of the RAND Corporation in the US. @carlbildt has continued to push the use of social media also in international diplomacy.

Johan Eliasch

CHAIR & CEO, HEAD

Born in Sweden in 1962, Johan Eliasch is the former Special Representative of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is the Chairman of Equity Partners, Aman Resorts and London Films. Board of directors of the Foundation for Renewable Energy and Environment, Longleat and Acasta Enterprises. He is an Advisory board member of Brasilinvest, Societe du Louvre, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Capstar, Centre for Social Justice. He is a member of the Mayors of Jerusalem and Rome's International Business Advisory Councils. He is the first President of the Global Strategy Forum, a trustee of Cool Earth and a patron of Stockholm University. He served on the boards of IMG (2006 - 2013) and the British Paralympics Association, the advisory board of Shimon Peres Peace Centre, World Peace Foundation and British Olympic Association. Non-executive chairman of Starr Managing Agents 2008-2015, Investcorp Europe 2010-2014 and a trustee of the Kew Foundation 2010-2016. Eliasch chaired the Food, Energy and Water security program at RUSI 2010-2016. He is a member of the Mayor of London’s (Boris Johnson) International Business Advisory Council 2008-2016. He holds a Bachelor of Economics (Stockholm University) and Master of Science (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm). Eliasch is a Swedish and British citizen.

Hans Enocson

FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO GE NORDIC (2007-2017)

Born in Sweden in 1950, Hans Enocson was President & CEO of GE for the Nordic and Baltic Region (Estonia and Latvia) between 2007-2017 and is currently Senior Advisor. He was primarily responsible for GE’s overall growth in the region and acted as the key interface to GE for governmental and corporate relations. He is based in Stockholm, Sweden. Hans has more than 30 years of industrial experience and have served internationally in global responsibilities, working abroad in France and many years in the US. He served 10 years with LKB / Pharmacia – today an important part of GE Healthcare LifeScience in Uppsala, Sweden. Previously he was partner and CEO of leading Swedish management consultancy and responsible for GE Information Services in the Nordic Region. He served on many Nordic GE boards, AmCham Sweden, SAAC NY, Uppsala Innovation Center and served as honorary chairman of the Foreign Investment Council in Latvia (FICIL). From academic perspective he is vice chairman of Örebro University and holds various advisory roles to the University of Uppsala. He is a frequent speaker on topics such as Sustainability, Corporate Governance and Innovation. Hans holds a BA from the University of Stockholm and Program for Executive Development (PED) from IMD Lausanne, Switzerland.

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson

FORMER PRESIDENT OF ICELAND

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson was the President of Iceland for twenty years, 1996-2016; elected five times in nationwide elections. He now serves as the Chairman of the Arctic Circle, which he founded in 2013 with various Arctic partners. The Arctic Circle Assembly held in Iceland every October has become the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic. Prior to becoming President, Grímsson served as Minister of Finance, Member of Parliament, and was the first Professor of Political Science at the University of Iceland. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he was the President of Parliamentarians for Global Action. For decades, Grímsson has been an active participant in the global climate dialogue and during his Presidency initiated and promoted clean energy projects in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the United States and the Americas; especially using Icelandic achievements and technologies as a model. He has also worked closely with Abu Dhabi in its clean energy program and serves as Chairman of the Jury of the Zayed Future Energy Prize. Grímsson serves on the Advisory Board of Sustainable Energy for All, created by the United Nations and the World Bank. In addition to devoting his post-presidential efforts to the three areas of climate, the Arctic and clean energy, Grímsson is also involved in international cooperation on the oceans and the sustainable use of marine resources. He has received many international awards, including the Nehru Award for International Understanding, presented by the President of India; and has lectured at universities in many countries.

Olof Persson

FORMER PRESIDENT & CEO VOLVO GROUP (2011-2015)

Born in Sweden in 1964, Olof Persson was the president and CEO of the Volvo Group between 2011 and 2015. He has also been a member of the board since 2011 and a member of the Volvo Group executive team since 2006. Between 2013-17 he was also Chairman of the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce. During 2014-15 Persson was Vice Chairman of UN High Level Advisory Board for Sustainable Transportation reporting to the Secretary General. In 2015-16, Persson was Advisory Board member to the Swedish Minister of Enterprise and Innovation´s group to promote Sweden as an attractive environment for advanced industrial operations. Olof Persson began his career at ABB in 1988 and, among other assignments, held a number of executive positions at AdTranz and Daimler-Chrysler. In 2004, he was appointed the president of the mainline and metros division of Bombardier Inc., where he remained until 2006, when he was offered the job as president and CEO of Volvo Aero. In 2008, Persson was made the president and CEO of Volvo Construction Equipment in Brussels, until his appointment as president of the entire group. Today he is Chairman of New Wave Group, a listed company with an annual turnover of 4.200 MSEK. He is steering committee chair for the program “Innovation in Forest Industry” at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Olof Persson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the Karlstad University.

 

Kevin Rudd

PRESIDENT, ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE, (AU), 26th PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA

The Honorable Kevin Rudd is President of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). He served as Australia’s 26th Prime Minister (2007–2010, 2013) and as Foreign Minister (2010–2012). He led Australia’s response during the Global Financial Crisis, reviewed by the IMF as the most effective stimulus strategy of all member states. Mr. Rudd helped found the G20 to drive the global response to the crisis. Mr. Rudd joined ASPI as its inaugural President in January 2015. ASPI is a “think-do tank” dedicated to using second-track diplomacy to assist governments and businesses in resolving policy challenges within Asia, and between Asia and the West. He served as Chair of the Independent Commission on Multilateralism, a two-year review of the United Nations system, releasing his Chair’s Report in August 2016. In 2014, Mr. Rudd was a Senior Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is Chair of Sanitation and Water for All, a Distinguished Fellow at Chatham House in London, a Distinguished Statesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Paulson Institute in Chicago. Mr. Rudd is a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization’s Group of Eminent Persons. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese and serves as a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. In his private capacity, Mr. Rudd established the Australian National Apology Foundation to continue to promote reconciliation and closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. He has also established the Asia Pacific Community Foundation to promote the cause of regional economic, security, and environmental collaboration across the region.

News & events