Speakers

General Program
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General Program/Monday & Tuesday

Annette Gustafsson Guenther
Owner of A.E Gustafsson Law Offices
Annette Gustafsson Guenther is the founder and owner of Law Offices A.E. Gustafsson. She has nearly 20 years of experience in the legal field in the U.S. and Sweden.

By knowing the differences between Swedish and U.S. law the firm is able to guide their clients through the complex legal network in the U.S. Approximately 70% is Swedish related companies and individuals. "We emphasize the cultural differences in doing business in the U.S. vs. other countries", she says.

Arne Stegvik
President ABA of America
Arne Stegvik was transferred by ABA Sweden to the U.S., to serve as President of the newly formed ABA of America in 1992.
Having previously worked in the U.S. with freight forwarding for the Swedish Trade Commission in the late 1980's, Stegvik was familiar with the U.S. business culture and has since lead ABA of America in steady growth. "The strength of ABA of America lies in its logistics capabilities and efficiency", he notes.

Stegvik served on the Board of SACC-Chicago from 1996-2001 and currently spends much of his time with TEC. The Executive Committee, an international organization for CEOs and Presidents of companies.

Benson K. Whitney
Ambassador of the U.S to Norway
Ambassador Whitney's career has included extensive experience in business, law, and community affairs. He received his BA magna cum laude from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York and earned his JD from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, graduating as an editor of the Law Review, Order of the Coif, magna cum laude, and winner of the Amos Deinard Award for Scholarship. Ambassador Whitney has been a trustee, director, chairman or advisor of a number of non-profits including the Guthrie Theater, Wilderness Inquiry, Persephone Fund, Headwaters Fund, Minnesotans for Term Limits, and the Minneapolis Academy. He is a member of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis where he has served as a liturgical minister.

Britt-Marie Bäcke
Owner of Wine Entertainment
Britt-Marie Bäcke is the CEO of Wine Entertainment LLC, situated in Moorpark, CA/USA. She is also CEO of Somja' lär AB situated in Stockholm, Sweden. Somja´lär AB arranges tasting classes and courses for products such as wine, beer and spirits. They also arrange chocolate and cigar tasting.

Britt-Mari Bäcke, a certified somalier, has held executive positions at several wellknown Swedish restaurants and hotels.

Dale A. Wahlstrom
Chair of The BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
In various roles within Litton and Medtronic, Dale has had extensive experience in global operations. He has been responsible for leading investments in several countries and states. Through this activity, he has experienced how different governments, educational institutions and businesses support investment and growth of industry in their communities.
As a result of this experience, he has developed a strong personal commitment to the growth of biosciences within the state of Minnesota.

Wahlstrom was recently appointed to the position of Vice President, Cardiac Rhythm Management Ventures. In this position he is responsible for development of new businesses to help attain the growth commitments of the company. Prior to this recent appointment, he served as Vice President and General Manager of The Cardiac Rhythm Management Therapy Delivery business.

Finn Persson
CEO of Emano
Emano AB is a venture capital company investing in early-stage companies based on leading edge innovations from North Sweden. Emano is focused on three areas where there is world-class competence in North Sweden: information and communications technology, industrial high-tech applications and biotechnology.

Before Finn Persson joined Emano he was a partner with McKinsey & Company and the leader of McKinsey's Telecommunications, IT and Technology sector in Scandinavia. Prior to his business career he worked as a ski guide in Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France. Finn Persson has an MSc in Engineering Physics from the Lund Institute of Technology.

Gordon D. Goranson
President of LMC
Mr. Goranson was born in Chicago, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana with a degree in Economics. He then graduated from Northwestern University's Kellogg School with his MBA degree. He received the rank of Captain in the Army Branch of the US Military.
Mr. Goranson has been Vice President of Commercial Banking with the LaSalle/ABN Bank in Chicago; President of WICO Corporation (an international manufacturing and distribution company); and President of AKH Inc (a national manufacturer of press systems and fasteners for that industry). He has been on numerous Boards of Directors. Mr. Goranson is currently on the Board of Directors of SACC USA and SACC Chicago. He has previously served as both President and Chairman of SACC Chicago and Vice Chairman of SACC USA.

Gordon Goranson joined LMC, Inc., DeKalb, IL in 1998 as President and Chief Operation Officer. LMC is the world's foremost authority for "adiabatic processing" to the metalworking industry. This patented high velocity impact technology has been commercialized by LMC for the cutting, blanking, net shape forming and powder compaction with virtually any metal.

Gunnar Lund
Ambassador of Sweden to the U.S
Gunnar Lund was trained in economics, political science and Russian
at the universities of Uppsala and Stockholm. He holds a Master's degree in Economics and International Law from the Columbia University in New York.
In the seventies and eighties, he pursued a career as a civil servant in the Swedish Ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs, and served for several years as the Finance ministry's representative to the OECD in Paris. In 1988, Gunnar Lund was given his first political assignment when he was appointed Deputy Finance Minister (State Secretary).
In 1991 Gunnar Lund worked in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as Ambassador and negotiator on issues of defense and armaments as well as on Russian affairs.
After the election in 1994, Gunnar Lund was appointed Deputy Foreign Minister (State Secretary) for European Affairs. In that capacity, he helped design Sweden's policy during its first years in the European Union and served as his country's chief negotiator for the Amsterdam and Nice treaties. I
n 1999, Gunnar Lund was named Sweden's Ambassador to the European Union. He returned to Sweden in 2002 when he was appointed Minister and Member of the Swedish Cabinet with responsibility for international economic and financial affairs as well as for public administration.

Harriet Hentges
Senior Director, Stakeholder Engagement for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Harriet Hentges has extensive international and senior management experience in the private, public and non-profit sectors. She has been chief operating officer in four organizations including, most recently, the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent federal agency specializing in international conflict resolution where she created the post-conflict stabilization programs in the Balkans, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq. She was vice president for planning and business development for Sears World Trade, the international trading company subsidiary of Sears Roebuck & Co, a co-founder of an international investment bank specializing in the retail and real estate industries, a chief operating officer of a financial services firm and is a partner in an agribusiness operation and an investor in a venture capital fund.

In addition, she was COO for the national, grass roots organization, the League of Women Voters of the U.S and has worked with non-profit organizations all over the world. Her government service includes the U.S. Office of the Special Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Ms. Hentges brings over two decades of experience of problem-solving across sectors and borders to the challenges and opportunities of globalization and sustainable development.

James P. Cain
Ambassador of the U.S to Denmark
Ambassador James P. Cain was nominated by President Bush as U.S. Ambassador to Denmark on June 30, 2005, and took office in August 2005.Ambassador Cain is a native North Carolinian. He did his undergraduate work and earned a law degree from Wake Forest University. He was with the international law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton for twenty years, co-founding the firm's Research Triangle office in 1985. Ambassador Cain took a leave of absence from Kilpatrick Stockton from January 2000 to November 2002 to serve as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Hockey League Carolina Hurricanes and their parent company, Gale Force Holdings. He stepped down after the Team went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.

Jan H. Lindelow
Chairman of the Board of SACC-USA
Jan Lindelow is an active board member of several promising enterprises, primarily in the high technology industry. Recently retired from IBM, Lindelow has extensive experience managing global multi-billion dollar businesses as well as smaller, entrepreneurial companies. Lindelow joined IBM/Tivoli in June 1997 and served as Chairman and CEO of Tivoli Systems Inc. until Spring of 2001. He then became Vice President, Emerging Business Development for IBM Corporation. Prior to joining IBM/Tivoli, he was President and COO of Symbol Technologies. He also served in several senior executive positions with Asea Brown Boveri (ABB). At Unisys/Sperry Computer Systems, Lindelow was President of Worldwide Sales and Services. Lindelow has an MS in engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Janyce Fadden
President of Rockford Area Economic Development Council
Fadden, who earned her MBA at NIU in 1984, has been a longtime leader in the Rockford business community, serving at various times as president, vice president and general manager for firms such as Honeywell, General Signal, Applied Power, Pacific Scientific, and Danaher.
She assumed her current post, leading the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, in June of 2004, directing the organizations efforts aimed at business retention, expansion and recruitment.

Joran Hagglund
State Secretary to the Minister for Enterprise and Energy
Joran Hagglund is secretary of Sweden's Minister of Enterprise and Energy. He is also secretary-General for the centre-party since 2001; CEO and Member of the Board of Randello Invest AB.
Hagglund has studied Political Science. He is married and has three children.

Katarina Bonde
President Kubi Corp.
Katarina G. Bonde is Managing Director at Kubi LLC, which engages in technology investments and international board consulting focused on US and Scandinavian companies.
Ms. Bonde was most recently CEO of UniSite Software Inc., maker of internet and wireless software, which she financed through venture capital and sold in 2003.

Before this she was with Captura Software Inc, as Executive VP and CEO of Captura International, Ltd. She built up the company in the US, Europe and Australia and helped raise over $100 M before merging with publicly traded Concur Technologies (CNQR).
She was an executive at Timeline Software, Bellevue WA, during the company's NASDAQ IPO and led market development at Dun&Bradstreet Software, Atlanta, GA.
Prior to moving to the USA she was CEO of Programator Industri AB in Sweden, and held sales and marketing positions with Digital Equipment AB, Sweden.
Current board positions include Chairman of the Board for Aptilo Networks, Director of the Board of LBI International, Director of the Board of Orc Software, Director of the Board of Packetfront AB. She is President of Seraph Capital, in Seattle, WA, Chairman of Theia Fund AB and on the Board of Directors of the Swedish Venture Capital Association. She serves on the Seattle Opera Board, the board of the Royal Swedish Opera and is the Vice Chair of Swedish American Chamber of Commerce-USA.
Ms. Bonde holds a MSc from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

Kerstin Lane
Past President of Swedish-American Museum in Chicago
Kerstin Lane is the former executive director of Swedish-American Museum of Chicago. During Kerstin's tenure, it has grown from no budget and a staff of one-herself-to one of the city's most successful institutions with a wide range of programs and activities.
Kerstin Lane has a Masters degree in social work from the University of Lund and has also studied International Social Work at University of Chicago.

Kerstin Lane was appointed honorary consul for Sweden in 1993 and ten years later honorary consul general. She is active on a number of boards Friends of House of Sweden(Embassy), Swedish Council of America, SWEA, Center for Scandinavian Studies, Swedish American Historical Society and Chicago Cultural Alliance.

In 1999 she was named Swedish Woman of the Year by Swedish Women's Educational Association. This year she received a medal from the King of Sweden for her contributions to Sweden in America.

Dr. Kim Schatzel
Senior Associate Dean of Business Development, University of Michigan, School of Business
Dr. Schatzel is Senior Associate Dean of Business Development, and also co-director for iLABSm which is the School of Management's Center for Innovation Research.
She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Management of Technology from Michigan State University and is a noted expert in survey methodology. Dr. Schatzel's business experience includes over 20 years of corporate and new venture experience including tenure as the founder and CEO of a multinational $250 million automotive components firm and three start-up technology-based companies.

Lars E. Johansson
Of Counsel, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Mr. Johansson practices in Sonnenschein's Corporate Practice Group and works on a variety of corporate matters, with a concentration on debt and equity finance, mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Johansson represents companies and investors in a variety of securities offerings and target companies in domestic and foreign mergers and acquisitions.

Prior to joining Sonnenschein, Mr. Johansson was with the law firm of Coudert Brothers LLP in San Francisco, California.

Lisa A. Sandberg
Director of Communications & Press for H&M USA
Sandberg is responsible for internal and external communications for H&M's US operation, which today has over 120 stores nationwide. She is also a spokesperson in the US for H&M's CSR initiatives and has travelled to several of the company's production offices in China, Turkey and India in order to learn more about H&M's Code of Conduct and local supplier relationships.
Before joining H&M in 2004, Lisa Sandberg spent 6 years as a professional journalist and syndicated writer, contributing to newspapers and magazines in over 20 countries. She also worked over ten years for American Reinsurance Company, in their international division. During the late 1980's, Lisa lived in Sweden where she worked for Ericsson and studied the Swedish language and culture.

Magnus Aronsson
Managing Director, Entrepreneurship & Small Business Research Institute
Magnus Aronsson is managing director and co-founder of ESBRI - Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research Institute in Stockholm, Sweden (www.esbri.se). He has been involved in different groups to encourage entrepreneurship. Aronsson has been a Director at Large (2003-2005) and vice president for publications and research (1996-2005) for the International Council for Small Business (ICSB).

Since 2004 he has organized and co-chaired three Sweden - U.S. Entrepreneurial Forums together with the U.S Department of Commerce and the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications.

His main research interest is on emerging and new firms. He is involved in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) as team leader for Sweden and he was the first Chairman of the Interim Steering Committee for GEM in 2003-2004. He has initiated and developed several projects and activities to promote and disseminate entrepreneurship research and education.

Margareta Barchan
CEO & Vice Chairman, Celemi
Margareta Barchan was part of a small team who founded Celemi in 1985 to provide unique, effective learning experiences to corporate clients throughout Europe and the USA. Since then, Celemi has grown to have presence in 45 countries across the globe. With a true entrepreneurial spirit, Ms. Barchan has continued to inspire and help others launch new businesses and associations. Among these, Pioneers of Change, a global learning network for young professionals established in 1999; Normann Partners, a strategic business consulting firm founded in 2003; and The Change Leaders, a global network of strategic business professionals founded in 2004.

Under Ms. Barchan's direction, Celemi was named to the Europe 500, a list of the fastest growing companies in Europe, and received the European MAKE Award for the Most Admired Knowledge Enterprise. Her business development efforts earned her the "Business Woman of the Year" award for Sweden in 1997.

Ms. Barchan holds a Master of Science from the HEC Group School of Management in Paris; she is a graduate in "Consulting and Coaching for Change" from Oxford University; a graduate of Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program; and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Lund University, Sweden.

Marilyn Ware
Ambassador of the U.S to Finland
Ambassador Marilyn Ware was nominated by President Bush as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Finland on October 26, 2005. Following confirmation by the U.S. Senate on December 20, 2005, She took the oath of office at the Department of State on February 7, 2006.
Ambassador Ware arrived in Finland on February 24, 2006, and was accredited by Finland's President Tarja Halonen on March 9, 2006. She served as Chairman of the Board of American Water Works Company, an NYSE listed-firm, from 1988-2003.

Ambassador Ware is a lifetime advocate of farmland and open space preservation, assistance for abused families and early childhood education and care. She is one of the founders of the Janus School, a private day school for children with learning disabilities, and a co-founder of the Lancaster Farmland Trust, the most successful farmland preservation trust in the nation.

Mats Johnsson
PhD, associate prof, ass prefect Dep of Design Sciences, Michigan State University
Mats has a PhD in Logistics with focus on Packaging Technology from Lund University. From Chalmers University he has a Doctor of Engineering Degree in automation. Since 1986 Mats has been involved in an exchange program with School of Packaging at Michigan State University where he also holds an adjunct professor position. In the late 90s Mats was a research coordinator for a joint project between SCA Packaging, Florida Atlantic University and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta. This research project was sponsored by NSF and focused on flexible and adaptive logistics.

Mats research is focused on tomorrows supply chains and enabling technologies. Part of his research also involves modelling and simulation as an important tool when future scenarios are studied, especial when the complexity is high.
At Lund University Mats Johnsson is responsible for the Dep of Design Science with over 70 researchers, working in several research groups related to design issues. Since February last year Mats is managing director for a competence centre at Lund University called Next Generation Innovative Logistics. It involves 16 partner organisations and has a budget of 1,5 million dollars annually.
Mats Johnsson is happily married to his wife Lotta and he has two children. Every Saturday morning he and his friends take a morning bath in Öresund, year around, in combination with a healthy sauna bath. His biggest passion since three years is the salsa lessons he and his wife attends every week.

Mats Lederhausen
Managing Director of McDonald's Ventures, McDonald's Corporation
Born in Stockholm, Mats Lederhausen received a Master's degree from Stockholm School of Economics in 1988. He has served different positions within the Mc Donald's Corporation; Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, President of the Business Development Group, which brought together Corporate Strategic Planning with Worldwide Menu Management, Worldwide Restaurant Development and the company's R & D restaurant initiatives, as well as oversight of the Partner Brands. Lederhausen worked for The Boston Consulting Group in London from 1988 to 1990.

Michael W. Diamond
President, World Resources Chicago
Michael Diamond is the President of World Resources Chicago, a consulting firm in Chicago which helps businesses and organizations respond to global challenges and opportunities. He is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and DePaul University. Previously, he was the Executive Director of The Global Chicago Center of The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.

For more than 25 years, Michael worked with refugee, rehabilitation and social and economic development programs around the world. For 15 years he worked with the international YMCA and lived in Bangladesh, Switzerland and finally came to Chicago. Through his humanitarian work he was visited 45 countries and has worked with people in over 150 countries.
He received his M.A. in Medical/Social Anthropology from the New School for Social Research in New York.

Michael M. Wood
Ambassador of the U.S to Sweden
Mr. Wood became U.S. Ambassador to Sweden on June 5, 2006.
Ambassador Wood is former CEO of Hanley Wood, LLC, a very important media company in the housing and construction industry. He formed Redwood Investments LLC, an investment company specializing in media and real estate, in October 2005,

Mr Wood is a former member of the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. He has also served on the NAHB Long-Range Planning Committee. On June 16, 2005, Ambassador Wood received the Media Business magazine Top Executive of the Year Award. He is now Honorary Director of SACC-USA.

Pia Sjölin
Owner and Founder, Pia Sjölin Design
Began her artistic career in 1971 at Orrefors Glass School in Sweden, as an engraver at Kosta Glass. Pia came to the United States in 1974 where she started her own glass studio. Her works are widely held in private collections as well as in museums. During the 1980's fibers and textiles became her focus for expression. The next stage was painting interiors. Today, her distinctive murals grace homes and businesses throughout the U.S. and Sweden. Now Pia has developed a concept that embraces all her experience and celebrates her love of both their home countries: America with its vibrancy and boldness, and Sweden with its Nordic light and long, proud, craft tradition. Today, the magical design traditions and natural environment of both these countries combine kaleidoscopically in Pia's unique glass and textile design.
Some of her work can be seen at the House of Sweden, Washington DC.

Scévole de Cazotte
Senior Policy Director Senior Policy Director, US Chamber of Commerce
Scévole is Senior Policy Director, European Affairs, in the International Division of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His responsibilities include defining and implementing a policy agenda for Europe, the European Union and transatlantic business relations. His portfolio includes Western, Central and Eastern European countries, Turkey and the former Soviet republics. Scévole also works on global matters, including intellectual property rights (IPR) and World Trade Organization (WTO) related matters.

Scévole was formally with the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, based in Washington, where he was part of the international regulatory practice group, with a concentration on European Union matters, and the international aviation, defense and aerospace practice group.

Scévole de Cazotte, 46, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, of French parents, and was raised in Paris, France. He studied law and East Asian studies at the University of Paris and international relations at American University and Georgetown University.

Thomas H. Thorelli
President of Thorelli & Associates
Tom Thorelli was born in Sweden, and has studied in Lausanne, Switzerland and at the Université de Strasbourg, France. Having obtained a Masters of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor, Mr. Thorelli is able to combine his business expertise with his experience as an attorney to provide appropriate business-oriented legal advice.

In addition to having assisted over 1,000 foreign companies in minimizing legal risk in the U.S., Tom is currently the President of the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce - Chicago Chamber. He is Secretary, a member of the Executive Committee and the Director of the Services to Companies Committee of the French American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago. He was appointed Chairman of the Chicago-Göteborg, Sweden Sister City Committee by Mayor Richard M. Daley in January 1997, a position he held for over 4 ½ years.
Tom is a trusted advisor of numerous European trade associations and foreign trade commissions in Chicago.

Tom Berggren
Managing Director, The Swedish Private Equity & Venture Capital Association
The Swedish Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (SVCA) is an independent, non-profit association supporting the interests of companies and persons who are active in the Swedish private equity industry. The SVCA's objective is to promote an efficient private equity market, inform and educate about the industry and to promote entrepreneurship.

Urban Lundberg
President, US Defense Services Inc.
After Mr. Lundberg graduated in 1972, he started working as a mechanical engineer for the Swedish Defence. He was first stationed by the army in Enköping and later in Stockholm to work for the Airforce.
After working, he went back to school and got a Master's in mechanical engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He was then promoted and became the director for the largest developmental project ever within Swedish Defense, Bv 206.

In 1983, he moved to the US to lead a similar project within US Defense for Hägglunds & Söner. During these years, the company expanded and grew to twice the size. By advice from the US Government, he today works for his own company, US Defense Services, Inc, that also represent Hägglunds Inc. on the American market. The company specializes in handling relations with the US Government and assist companies with unique products that wants to supply the US Army. USDS also assist other companies on the American market, such as FBM Babcock Marine, UNITEAM, CovMed and SWESCO.

Zach Kaplan
Founder & CEO Inventables
Zach Kaplan co-founded InventablesTM in 2002 to help consumer product manufacturers innovate. As CEO Kaplan defines the company's vision and leads its innovation team to help clients like BMW, P&G, and Nike create profits through innovation by exploring the ingenious possibilities made achievable through Inventables collection of the worlds most unique materials and technologies.
Kaplan has spoken on Innovation to audiences at conferences across the country, including the Technology Entertainment and Design Conference (TED), Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) National Conference, National Plastics Exposition, Sensors Expo & Conference and the International Housewares Show. And, he has been featured in Business Week, Fortune, Forbes and other leading publications. In 2006 he was honored by Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry as a Modern Leonardo da Vinci.
Prior to Inventables he created Lever Works, a custom web application and hosting company that sold to Leo Media, a multimedia firm, in 2001. Kaplan serves on the board of directors for Acquirent, a sales-force outsourcing company. He holds a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and lives in downtown Chicago.