Jacob Wallenberg was elected president and chairman of the board of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise on 19 May.
Wallenberg is a well-known and respected business leader, with extensive experience from a number of key roles in global companies. In remarks made following his election, Wallenberg touched on the tradition of entrepreneurship that his family has treasured for many years, and he highlighted the importance of continued openness to the rest of the world even in difficult times. He stressed that a competitive business climate has been and remains crucial for Swedes’ security and livelihoods, and pointed out several priorities going forward:
– We must negotiate a troubled world while safeguarding openness and free trade. That presents us with some difficult decisions. Confederation of Finnish Industries and Swedish Enterprise have supported the decisions on our respective countries’ applications to join NATO. With Finnish and Swedish NATO membership, all Nordic countries can together form a strong Nordic bloc that can give the entire Baltic Sea region the security that is necessary for well-functioning and strong business.
Wallenberg hoped that business issues would be a top issue in Sweden’s upcoming election.
We want to contribute to increased dialogue between the political and business spheres about what is required for a strong and even more prosperous Sweden.
– We want to contribute to increased dialogue between the political and business spheres about what is required for a strong and even more prosperous Sweden with the help of business. Crucial priorities include significant increases in investment in education and research and development, and that we take advantage of all the opportunities that digitalisation offers, Wallenberg said.
Wallenberg also emphasized the vital role of businesses as a force for innovation in increasing the pace of the climate transition.
– Sweden and Swedish business have already made substantial progress in the green transition and we have a number of opportunities to become even more competitive, but this requires investment in infrastructure, fossil-free energies of all kinds, and the reform of permit processes.
He also hoped that an ambitious Swedish presidency in the European Union would help put green, sustainable competitiveness at the top of the EU agenda.
– We should also deepen the actual foundations of the EU – the EU Single Market that creates economies of scale and strengthens us in relation to other markets.
Wallenberg succeeds Fredrik Persson as chair of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. Persson has been nominated as the new president of BusinessEurope, the voice of European business.