Second Module of the European Sports Business Program at the Stockholm School of Economics
Led by Professor Martin Carlsson-Wall and organized by the SSE's Center for Sports & Business, the module brought together an impressive group of participants and speakers for three intensive days of learning, dialogue, and strategic insight.
Set against the backdrop of one of Europe's leading business schools, the module focused on the critical connection between strategy, management, and execution. Using frameworks such as the Balanced Scorecard and Simons' Levers of Control, participants tackled one of the most pressing questions facing European sports today: How can organizations maintain a strong competitive identity while building a sustainable and purpose-driven business model?
This discussion was particularly relevant in the context of the 50+1 rule, a defining feature of European football governance that prioritizes club member control and long-term integrity over short-term profit.
Session highlights included:
- Stefan Linder, a pioneer in Swedish private equity, offered a deep dive into the fundamentals of private equity as well as how PE firms evaluate investment opportunities
- Katarina Berg, former Chief HR Officer at Spotify and incoming CHRO at ON, shared powerful lessons on leading in hypergrowth environments. She emphasized the role of trust, authenticity, and contrarian thinking in building resilient, high-performing teams
- Åsa Edlund Jönsson, Secretary General of the Swedish Olympic Committee, reflected on her transformative leadership at SVT. Her strategic push for gender parity in sports broadcasting led to a groundbreaking shift - from just 20% to equal coverage of women's and men's sports in Sweden
These sessions provided both inspiration but also served as real-world examples of how strategy can be successfully executed by aligning vision with process and outcome, always with a focus on people and purpose.
The ESBP is more than a program - it is a community. The energy, insights, and active engagement of this year's participants were a defining feature of the module. The cohort included standout professionals such as Caroline Jonsson, Anna Laurell Nash, Jenny Silfverstrand, Gizela Ahlgren Bloom, Markus Nilsson, and many more, each contributing rich perspectives from across Europe's sports landscape.
With the next and final module taking place in Paris, the ESBP journey continues - uniting top minds to explore how European sport can become stronger, smarter, and more sustainable.
