Leading with Clarity in Complexity
Leading with Clarity in Complexity
As the world around us reshapes at unprecedented speed, sustainable leadership has never been more vital—or more complex. Once again, we are honoured to have hosted the Alumni Executive Summit at the Royal College of Music Stockholm in Sweden. Gathering leaders, visionaries, and decision-makers from across sectors we enjoyed an evening of discussion, reflection, and networking.
This year’s panel discussion explored how modern leadership can navigate risk, embrace uncertainty, and forge new paths forward through technology, defence, innovation, and global cooperation. Below are a few highlights from our panel discussion this evening.
Our panel consisted of:
Fredrik Persson
President of BusinessEurope and a leading voice on European competitiveness.
Hélène Barnekow
Non‑executive board professional and Partner at leadership consulting firm, Gaia Leadership.
Martin Lundqvist
CEO of Arundo Analytics, a company specialising in AI-driven analytics solutions.
Thomas Nilsson
Lieutenant General Thomas Nilsson leads Sweden's military intelligence and security operations.
“To lead is to listen, adapt, and inspire others into collective rhythm. Sometimes, you must improvise—that’s when real leadership emerges.”
Technology: Between Promise and Responsibility
Martin Lundqvist, CEO of Arundo Analytics and a former McKinsey Partner, brought a clear-eyed yet optimistic view of artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
“We’ve spent decades writing the rules. Now we train models that write the rules for us. That requires a different kind of responsibility.”
Describing himself as a “technology optimist,” Lundqvist traced AI’s lineage from steam and electrification to today’s data-driven paradigm. But his optimism was tempered with realism: “This technology turns engineering on its head. In the past, we wrote the rules. Now, the systems learn the rules—and we can’t always explain them.”
This demands that we shift our focus not just on what technology can do, but what it should do. Organisations and leaders must prioritise the right problems to solve, bring the right people into the room—those closest to the decision—and resist the lure of generic platforms that promise much but deliver little.
His three imperatives for leaders embracing AI:
Start with the business problem—ensure it matters to your organisation.
Embed the user—build for real decision-makers, not abstract use cases.
Partner wisely—few can do it alone; find expertise to accelerate progress.
He also issued a call for responsible innovation. AI, while promising, carries enormous environmental and ethical implications. “Even training a large model like GPT-3 used as much energy as 1% of Sweden’s annual electricity consumption,” he warned. By 2026, it’s estimated that data centres around the world will be using around 1000 terawatt-hours annually. The paradox? These models offer immense possibilities, but at a high environmental and ethical cost if unchecked.
His leadership insight? Start with the right problems. “AI is not a strategy,” he said, “it’s a tool. Focus on what matters deeply to your business and customise solutions that solve real issues.” Leaders, he argued, must balance experimentation with governance, speed with accountability.
Security in a Hybrid World
Lieutenant General Thomas Nilsson, Director of Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service, brought an unflinching view of the geopolitical landscape. Sweden’s security situation is "serious and deteriorating." The post-neutrality era has thrust Sweden into NATO integration, demanding agility and preparation not just from the military, but from all sectors. Citing Russia’s willingness to use military force to pursue political aims, he underscored that the reality of ongoing hybrid threats—cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation—blur the boundaries of peace and war.
“Business leaders are the muscle of society. Total defence isn’t just about government—it’s about all of us.”
His key message to business leaders: you are the muscle of society. From logistics to infrastructure, Swedish companies will be essential in both civil defence and military readiness. Encouragingly, he noted a rising will among citizens and companies to contribute meaningfully to national security. Lieutenant General Nilsson said, “We still have immense power in our hands” and spoke of a resurgence in civic willingness, with conscription increasing and public interest in defence roles rising. “Other countries envy us for this baseline of engagement,” he noted.
As a leader, Lieutenant General Nilsson emphasised presence: “An older colleague told me once—‘a leader should always be where things are hardest.’” His approach is both strategic and deeply human, recognising that visibility, even symbolic, can anchor and steady teams amid turmoil.
Boardroom Resilience and the Courage to Zoom In
With the clarity of someone who has navigated rapid disruption, Hélène Barnekow, former CEO of Microsoft Sweden and now a seasoned board leader, brought a strategic lens to today’s fractured business environment.
Barnekow emphasised the increasing demand for leadership that can both zoom out and zoom in. “Gone are the days when you could update your strategy once a year,” she said. “Today, organisations must remain hyper-aware of the external landscape—and able to pivot fast.”
“You should be more concerned with the questions that aren’t being asked, more than the ones that are.”
She warned against complacency and inward-looking strategies: “Don’t just benchmark your nearest competitor—ask who could redefine your business from outside your industry, often with new tech.”
Barnekow also called for more courageous boardrooms. Diversity, in her view, isn’t optional—it’s strategic. “Worry more about the questions not asked than those that are,” she urged. Boards must foster cultures that welcome naïve questions and dissenting voices.
Her perspective on AI echoed Lundqvist’s: the opportunity is vast, but only if organisations embed ethics, security, and agility at their core.
Her leadership philosophy? Courage and humility—simultaneously. Courage to act decisively; humility to listen, learn, and make it about the team. Leaders to admire are those “who lead from the front in tough times, and from the back when success is celebrated.”
Europe’s Role in the Global Equation
Fredrik Persson, President of BusinessEurope and a leading voice on European competitiveness, provided a sweeping overview of Europe’s industrial, economic, and geopolitical position. His insight: "80% of legislation impacting Swedish companies originates in the EU. Yet most of us couldn’t name the key decision-makers shaping that agenda."
Persson offered a European perspective, warning that the EU risks falling behind due to overregulation and slow implementation. With over 13,000 new legislative proposals in the past five years—compared to 3,500 in the US—the regulatory burden on European companies is stifling innovation.
“In too many cases, compliance teams are now the same size as R&D. That is not sustainable.”
Persson highlighted the need for growth and simplification—not deregulation, but smarter regulation. “Compliance departments now rival R&D in size. That’s not sustainable,” he stated. If Europe is to remain competitive and secure, it must rebalance innovation and bureaucracy.
Europe, he argued, innovates—but fails to scale. “80% of European start-ups move to the US to commercialise,” he noted. The problem isn’t invention, but acceleration. He emphasised that Europe has a vital role to play in the next industrial revolution, particularly in defining responsible AI. “If we want to lead in digital transformation, we must move from being regulation-first to innovation-enabling.”
To address this, he called for a shift in mindset: economic growth must be embraced as a societal good and our best defence—not a trade-off with values. “If Europe had matched US growth rates over the past 20 years, our defence budgets would be vastly larger. Growth matters for security too.”
He also called for courage and clarity in the boardroom: “Europe doesn’t have to be a military superpower—but it must be an economic force. Innovation is not just business; it’s our contribution to safety, sustainability, and influence.”
He also raised concerns about China’s rise as both innovator and economic power, calling for smarter interdependence and proactive positioning.
The Leadership Needed to Navigate the Future
Drawing from these varied themes, the closing discussion centered around the type of leadership needed to navigate the future.
Leadership as presence, not just position: Be where it’s hardest. Show up, communicate, and focus on what matters.
Leadership as clarity, especially when certainty is elusive. In complexity, clarity is a competitive advantage.
Leadership as humility—to listen, ask the uncomfortable questions, and not pretend to have all the answers.
Leadership as courage—to make difficult decisions, to act before the map is fully drawn, and to stand for values that create lasting trust.
A New Composition
In a world of accelerating change and converging risks, this panel offered a powerful reminder that sustainable leadership isn’t about certainty—it’s about composition. The ability to align vision with action, intuition with data, boldness with integrity.
And like any great composition, it isn’t the loudest note that defines the piece—but the resonance of many voices coming together.
What’s Your Role in the Score?
This conversation is just the beginning. At Alumni Global, we believe sustainable leadership is forged in dialogue, shaped by diverse perspectives, and refined through challenge.
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