Advisory Board

Pontus Braunerhjelm is a economist and Professor emeritus at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He is presently Professor at Blekinge Institute of Technology and Research Director at the Swedish Entrepreneurship Forum where he served as CEO between 2008-2015. Pontus has been assigned several governmental policy commissions and is presently chairing the Swedish Entrepreneurship Academy which sorts under the Royal Swedish Academies of Engineering Science's (IVA). He received his doctorate in international economics from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva in 1994. Pontus is an integrated advisor in EHAB:s research team and advises in areas around entrepreneurial research.

Susanne Najafi is a Swedish tech investor and serial entrepreneur. She holds a MSc in Economics from SSE and Cems MIM and has founded more than ten companies and carried out multiple exits. In 2016, Susanne founded the venture capital firm BackingMinds to increase diversity in the European startup scene by investing in the blind spots of Venture Capital. She has held international positions at Procter&Gamble and has served in many boards of both listed and startup companies. In addition to be ranked #1 at 40 under 40’s list of Sweden’s Top Serial Entrepreneurs and #1 of Sweden’s 100 most Inspiring Leaders, Susanne has been awarded Pioneer of the Year by H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, for her work to democratize venture capital. Susanne assists EHAB with expansion strategy, company building, board work, digital and tech know-how.

Kjell has worked as an inspirer for several companies and organizations such as Spotify, Google, H&M, G&E, Volvo and Nordea. Kjell was elected as Sweden’s best lecturer in 2009 and has developed and written three books on leadership and coaching models, applied globally. Kjell has coached world stars within sports, such as Sir Nick Faldo, Annika Sörenstam, Denis Shapovalov, Peder Fredricson and national teams. Kjell’s passion is finding the answer to the question: “What is the difference that makes the difference, to create success?”. Kjell coaches and advises EHAB and its employees with personal and leadership development.

Christer is a seasoned business executive and inspiring leader with experience from creating and driving organizations that create great results. Christer’s professional interest and expertise lie within analyzing, driving and implementing change within IT, strategy, processes and organization. With over 20 years of international experience from Accenture, Christer has extensive experience from managing and leading consultant organizations, international sales and implementation programs. Christer has held several board assignments since 2011. Christer is the chairman of the Board at Burt Intelligence, Hidden Dreams, and member of the Board of Lyvia and Novedo. Christer assists EHAB with board and strategy work, and is part of several of our investment committees.

Mikael has over 20 years of experience from broad transactional work, including private and public M&A, debt and equity capital markets and finance & restructuring, within a large number of different sectors. Mikael was a pioneer in establishing the legal framework for a domestic market for high yield bonds, and has over the years participated in numerous transactions within different areas, of which many stand out in the market for their size and/or complexity. Mikael also regularly serve as board member in public and private companies and acts as senior advisor to several boards and managements within the corporate sector. Mikael has a long-standing relationship with EHAB and its founders and assists EHAB with complex advisory services and board work.

David Ibison is the former Nordic Bureau Chief of the Financial Times, responsible for coverage of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Iceland. He was previously the FT’s Deputy Bureau Chief in Japan and an investment banking and financial correspondent at the paper’s HQ in the UK. Before joining the FT, he was the Business News Editor of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Outside of journalism, David has been a Partner at Kreab Worldwide, the Swedish strategic communication consultancy, and Senior Vice President Communication and member of the Executive Management Team at Volvo Cars. David holds a BA (Hons) in the History of Ideas and an MSc (Distinction) in Politics and International Relations from the University of London. David advises EHAB on strategic communication, with a focus on financial communication.