The 103rd Annual General Meeting of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK elected Paul von der Heyde new Chairman and Dr Beatrice Engström-Bondy new Vice-Chairman

Paul von der Heyde, Managing Director of Kinnarps UK, was appointed new Chairman and Dr Beatrice Engström-Bondy, Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Investor AB, new Vice-Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce at the AGM.

"This is an exciting time to take on the role of Chairman", says Paul von der Heyde. "There are challenges for the Chamber to ensure it delivers the benefits and value to our members which they have a right to expect and the business world is under immense pressure. There are opportunities for the bold but clarity of thought and fleetness of foot are going to be vital to cope with the turbulent times which I see continuing for quite a while yet.  The change of government presents us with a new environment. We are fortunate to have a vibrant and strong membership within which we can create great forums for valuable and creative discussion. I am very excited about the next few years and the role of Chairman is both daunting and an honor."

Bo Lerenius, CBE steps down as Chairman by rotation
Bo Lerenius, CBE, stepped down as Chairman of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce at the AGM after six years with the Chamber, first as Vice-Chairman and then as Chairman since 2007. “Thank you all for your inspiration, support and forward thinking”, Lerenius said in the Annual Review 2010. “It is with confidence in the organisation and the strategy ahead, pride of the past and hope for the future that I move on to other assignments and hand over the leadership of the Chamber to the next in line”. Lerenius will remain in the Chamber, as newly appointed Honorary Vice President of the Chamber.

Dr Beatrice Engström-Bondy, Senior Advisor to the Chairman, Investor AB is already Chairman of the Chamber’s Industrial Forum in addition to becoming new Vice-Chairman. “I feel very honoured about becoming the Vice-Chairman of the Chamber”, she says. “I have been a member of the Council of the Chamber for nearly ten years which can seem like a long time. At the same time, I have always enjoyed working with the Chamber and this appointment will bring me even closer to it. The Chamber is an excellent meeting point for companies, small and large alike, for young and more experienced people. It has a variety of activities and there is something for everyone. What I like about the Chamber is its atmosphere, the friendliness of its staff and the fact that I have met many interesting people throughout the years”.

Other appointments and resignations
Claes Dahlbäck, Investor, Lars-Ove-Filipson, Scandinavian Airlines and Ulf Sylvan, Handelsbanken stepped down officially as Council Members at the AGM. Claes Dahlbäck was at the same time appointed Honorary Vice President. Four new Council Members were also elected: Anders Bouvin, Handelsbanken, Hans W Dyhfort, Scandinavian Airlines, Mats Granryd, Ericsson and Martin Hansson, IKEA. Philip Sheppard stepped down as Honorary Secretary after long service to the Chamber and Johan Aurén, Aurén & Co was appointed his successor. All were recommended by the Chamber’s Nomination Committee and endorsed by the meeting.

The Members' Luncheon following the AGM also included the presentation of this year's Investor Scholarship to Hilma Gustavsson by Dr Beatrice Engström-Bondy, Investor AB as well as a keynote speech by Mark Florman, who spoke about the challenges of the new government coalition, from his position as Deputy Treasurer in the Conservative Party.

Appointments
Chairman
Paul von der Heyde, Kinnarps UK
Vice-Chairman
Dr Beatrice Engström-Bondy, Investor AB
Honorary Vice President
Bo Lerenius, CBE
Claes Dahlbäck, Investor AB
Council Members
Anders Bouvin, Handelsbanken
Hans W Dyhrfort, Scandinavian Airlines
Mats Granryd, Ericsson
Martin Hansson, IKEA
Chairman of the Finance Committee
Håkan Winberg, Capio AB
Honorary Secretary
Johan Aurén, Aurén & Co

Contact
Peter Sandberg, Communications Manager
Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the UK
Sweden House
5 Upper Montagu Street
London W1H 2AG
United Kingdom
Tel 020 7224 8001
Fax 020 7224 8884
Email sandberg@scc.org.uk 
Web www.scc.org.uk

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