AmCham’s AGM – Sunshine, showers and sculpture

May 27 turned out to be a typical late spring day, with spells of intense sunshine interspersed with ominous dark clouds and occasional showers. The drama of the skies added to the splendor of the venue chosen for AmCham’s Annual General Meeting: marvelous Millesgården high on the steep slopes of Lidingö, looking back across the water towards Stockholm. And what better location could we have had for this highly appreciated AmCham event? Carl Milles, the renowned Swedish-American sculptor, lived and worked here with his wife Olga on their return from the US. Here, he continued to create monumental pieces that pride gardens, squares and buildings, both public and private, on both sides of the Atlantic.


Bengt Sjögren, Chairman, opened the 18th Annual General meeting.

Gunnar Hesse, Treasurer, and Berit Salheim, Managing Director gave overviews of
2009 Annual Statement.

Members met for the formal Annual General Meeting at 2 p.m. among plaster originals of some of the artist’s most famous works in the Large Studio. Among the larger pieces permanently housed here is part of the famous “Orpheus” that graces the steps of the Stockholm Concert Hall. A number of smaller pieces had also been moved here especially for the AmCham event.


Laurent Leksell, CEO Elekta and Chairman of Stadsmissionen


Laurent Leksell speaking on charities and management
Following the formal meeting, members and guests gathered to hear the keynote speech by Laurent Leksell, Executive Director of Elekta AB and Chairman of the Stockholm City Mission. Mr. Leksell’s topic was “Charities in Sweden, management practices and interaction with Swedish industry.”

Mr. Leksell provided a detailed account of the charitable sector in Sweden, outlining the types of organizations that exist and the levels of funding involved. Naturally, he paid some attention to the challenges currently faced by the sector following the revelations that Johan af Donner, the former communications manager for the Swedish Red Cross and, before that, the Swedish Cancer Fund, had embezzled millions of kronor of donated funds to finance his own extravagant lifestyle.

Following the case, governance has become a topic of intense debate in the sector. Charitable organizations are currently subject to approval by Svensk Insamlingskontroll (SFI) to be able to collect public donations. However, SFI is rather small and its charter unclear. To strengthen governance in the sector PriceWaterhouse has developed a Governance Code, but this is complicated and difficult for smaller charities to comply with. Taking another approach, the private Swedish initiative Charity Rating helps companies and others ensure that their donations go to reliable institutions where their money is put to good use.




Turning his attention to the Stockholm City Mission, Mr. Leksell’s personal commitment as Chairman was highly evident. The City Mission is 156 years old and is among Sweden’s largest charitable organizations. Focused on urban poverty, it helps hundreds of people daily through schools, daytime activities and therapy centers. Of its annual turnover of SEK 260 M, SEK 84 M comes from direct fundraising and SEK 65 M through second-hand sales, while the remainder consists of public grants and investment returns. Of these amounts, 85% percent is spent providing services to those who need them, including Stockholm’s homeless people, of whom many are children.

Mr. Leksell sees no conflict between good charity work and good governance. And, as the welfare state declines, the role of charities is becoming increasingly important, making transparency more important than ever.

Leksell noted that industry plays a small role in Sweden’s charitable sector, compared with other countries. Where factories and mills were historically highly active in providing education and other social services, this role was largely taken over by the public sector after World War II. The government became the principal funder of charitable organizations. A further factor is that charitable donations are not exempt from taxation in Sweden – which the current government has not considered necessary to change. Nonetheless, there is a glimmer of hope where the involvement of the corporate sector is concerned.


Onita Wass, Director at Millesgården, presented the exhibition "Milles goes to America",
specially made for AmCham.


Fine art and wines
Following the keynote speech, we were treated to an enthralling account of the life of Carl Milles and particularly his time in the US. Onita Wass, Director of Millesgården, told us the stories behind some of Milles’ principal works and the history of Millesgården. We were then taken on a tour of the grounds and parts of the buildings, which also house Milles’ own collection of classical sculpture, considered by some experts to be the foremost collection of its kind in Sweden.


With storm clouds threatening but failing to spoil the experience – the weather gods were charitable – the tour ended on one of the terraces where we sampled fine Californian wines among the spectacular sculptures, courtesy of the American Wine Club .



Written exclusively for AmCham by Bryan Mosey, Battison & Partners

Photos by Rob Nelson

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