Executive Outlook: A shared vision for Sweden’s future in a fragmented world
Amid growing geopolitical fragmentation, rapid technological acceleration and increasing societal polarisation, the question of how Sweden sustains long-term prosperity, resilience and competitiveness has never been more pressing.
At this exclusive dinner for C-suite leaders in the life science sector in Skåne, Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), will share strategic perspectives on Sweden’s future direction.
Drawing on her extensive experience at the intersection of policy, innovation and international collaboration, Sylvia will explore why Sweden needs a clear, forward-looking common direction – and how business, academia and the public sector must work together to navigate structural transformation while safeguarding democracy, sustainability and economic strength.
Three takeaways
- Why a long-term, shared direction is critical for Sweden’s competitiveness, resilience and societal cohesion
- How innovation, sustainability, equality and prosperity are fundamentally interdependent – and the risks of weakening any one of them
- What this means for leaders in knowledge-intensive sectors, including life science, operating in an increasingly complex global landscape
Registration
Please note that the number of seats is limited, and attendance is by personal invitation only. If you are an executive leader and interested in joining the seminar, please reach out to Sarah Lidé, Deputy CEO at Medicon Village Innovation (sarah.lide@mediconvillage.se).
Program
16:30-17:00 Registration, drinks, and networking
17:00-17:05 Welcome and introduction
Petter Hartman, CEO, Medicon Village Innovation.
17:05-17:50 A shared vision for Sweden in a fragmented world
Presentation by Sylvia Schwaag Serger, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). Followed by Q&A and discussion moderated by Sarah Lidé, Deputy CEO, Medicon Village Innovation.
17:50-19:30 Dinner and networking
Speaker
Sylvia Schwaag Serger is the tenth president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). Founded in 1919, IVA is an independent academy that brings together expertise and experience from around 1,300 fellows and 250 companies with a mission to promote engineering and economic sciences and the advancement of business and industry for the benefit of society.
Sylvia is chair of Formas’ research council, a member of the Swedish AI Commission and a member of the expert group for the mid-term evaluation of Horizon Europe, the EU’s framework programme for research and innovation.
She was Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Lund University from 2018 to 2021 and was previously Head of International Collaboration at Vinnova. She has been engaged as a China and innovation expert by the European Commission, the OECD and the World Bank, and has been a member of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s National Innovation Council, as well as in the research committee. She has broad international work experience and has, among other things, been a technical and scientific adviser at the embassy in Beijing.