The former Chairman of the AmCham Board, Sture Lindmark, introduced guest speaker Göran Hägglund.

Mr. Hägglund was introduced by the former Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Sweden, Mr. Sture Lindmark. He reminded us that in addition to his current ministerial post, Göran Hägglund is also the leader of the Christian Democrat Party, that he loves mashed turnips and that he (like so many of us) is always on a diet. Mr. Lindmark added that, as a taxpayer, he wished more Swedish politicians came from Småland, a province famous for its thriftiness.


One of the tables were hosted by Magnus Sjöqivst, Accenture, member of the AmCham Board, who leads the Chamber's project, War for talent.

We were quickly charmed by Mr. Hägglund’s witty and eloquent style in Swedish. He opened by telling us how, on one occasion, his word-processing program commented that the Swedish word for business (företag) could be considered archaic. This, he believes, is an interesting comment on Swedish culture with regard to business on the one hand and welfare on the other. He explained that as a child in Degerfors, Värmland, the notion of enterprise was indeed unfamiliar. People worked either at the steel mill or for the municipality – there were few small businesses. But when Mr. Hägglund’s family moved to Småland, this scenario changed radically. There it was more the norm than the exception to be an entrepreneur – and it is this spirit that Mr. Hägglund feels must be fostered in Sweden.


Robert Ström, CEO of Baxter Medical had questions to the Minister for Health and Social Affairs

The area under Göran Hägglund’s ministerial purview is characterized by almost monopoly-like structures and he expressed concern that politicians tend to be more concerned with maintaining these structures than in meeting the needs of individual consumer. He felt the health and welfare sectors in Sweden would benefit from the knowledge and ideas of a broader group of people. To make this possible, he said we should not be afraid to allow people involved in these areas to make a profit.

He also outlined the current administration’s incentive program, in which the county and municipal governments that are best able to improve the efficiency and service of their organizations were offered the chance to win a billion kronor – to invest as they saw fit. Such an incentive, he claimed, worked better than continuously allowing local governments to overspend and then bailing them out.


The discussion continued after the Q&A


The basic concept that Mr. Hägglund sought to convey with regard to healthcare in Sweden was that the emphasis must shift from the structures through which care is provided to the individual citizen and his or her healthcare needs. The current administration firmly believes that more companies and organizations must be given the opportunity to provide healthcare services and, to date, 139 new local clinics have been established. This represents a positive step in redressing shortcomings in the availability of such services – an aspect that has been a fly in the ointment for Sweden, whose healthcare system otherwise compares so well internationally.


Some of the guests were Georg Thies, Amgen, Catharina Kronström, US Embassy, Stefan Ohlsson, IBM, Margareta Neld, Neld International Consulting and Clas Romander, Delphi Advokatbyrå

True to form, the minister concluded with an anecdote: He was once given a paper disc that could be used to calculate his body mass index (BMI) according to his height and weight. This led him to conclude that he needed to grow four centimeters taller – an achievement that has so far proven elusive.

In response to comments and questions, Mr. Hägglund explained why it was nonetheless beneficial to retain the county administrative structure but that closer interaction with private care providers and other business areas were needed to bring new ideas and new development. He also expressed the need to develop clearer structures for the identification and management of potential risks and he underscored the importance of funds being seen to be used in the right way.


Managing Director of AmCham, Berit Salheim together with Bengt Sjögren, Chairman of the Board, Göran Hägglund and Sture Lindmark


Written exclusively for AmCham by Bryan Mosey, Battison & Partners
Photo: Rob Nelson