Has the world fallen out of love with the Swedish brand?

Jaani Heinonen joined Business Sweden in 2019. Currently, he heads the global investment promotion operations at the Business Sweden HQ in Stockholm.

From 2019 to 2021 Jaani led the investment promotion operations in APAC and was based in Shanghai.

He was the founder and later the Board Chairman of the successful FinChi Innovation Center in Shanghai which was established in 2005 and has so far supported over 150 Finnish companies in their China market entry.

Jaani has a broad experience in consulting companies and leading organizations in their international strategies, in investor relations and innovation projects.

Sofia Bard is head of the unit for image analysis of Sweden at the Swedish Institute, where she is responsible for SI's analysis of the image of Sweden abroad with a particular focus on following information flows and misinformation about Sweden and Swedish conditions.

Sofia is a political scientist from Stockholm University.

The Swedish Institute (SI) is a government authority that works to increase the world's interest and trust in Sweden. Through strategic communication and exchange in culture, education, science and business, SI promote cooperation and long-term relations with other countries. This work is conducted in close cooperation with Swedish embassies and consulates around. the world.

Patrik Andersson, CEO Business Region Gothenburg is responsible for business development in the City of Gothenburg and represents 13 municipalities in the region. The mission is to create job opportunities and thereby achieve sustainable growth of the region. This is achieved by building and sharing knowledge, creating networking opportunities and platforms for those who want to start, establish or develop businesses in the region.

Patrik holds a Bsc degree in Business Administration and has a strong financial background with several leading positions at Swedbank, most recently manager for Göteborg. He is also trusted with several board positions including Lindholmen Science Park, Sahlgrenska Science Park, Almi, Finanskompetenscentrum and Första Sparbanksstiftelsen.

After ten years as a BBC staff reporter and presenter in London, Maddy Savage moved to Stockholm in 2014 to become Editor of The Local Sweden. She now works as a freelance documentary maker, podcaster and journalist for British and Swedish media including BBC, Monocle Radio, Naudio and Podlit.

Maddy’s favourite assignments focus on Nordic innovation, sustainability and lifestyle trends. She has also reported on gang violence, and her most recent BBC audio documentary, Sweden: Living with Guns and Gangs is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Outside of journalism, Maddy regularly moderates English-language business and media events across the Nordics.

Julian is an international brand strategist and writer, and he has played a crucial role in shaping the branding and marketing strategies for various locations, including Hamburg, Basle, The Netherlands, and notably Stockholm as "The Capital of Scandinavia," among others.

His first book titled 'WISH YOU WERE HERE' details his work for Stockholm as well as some of the major issues place brands face.

In January 2011, Julian founded UP THERE, EVERYWHERE, the pioneering global cloud-based agency, and under his guidance, it has evolved into one of Sweden's leading marketing agencies with a growing global client base.

He counts himself as a proud European who has his home in beautiful, Stockholm, Sweden.