FEOY 2006 - MARTINA LIND

Martina Lind has been selected Female Economist of the Year 2006. We congratulate Martina and wish her all the best!

The Female Economist of the Year Award Ceremony 2006

The celebration of 2006 year’s winner of the Female Economist of the Year Award and Scholarship, Martina Lind, was according to tradition held in the beautiful setting of the Confidencen Theatre at Ulriksdal, just outside Stockholm.

This year’s festivities were, as tradition holds, attended by prominent guests and friends of the scholarship, such as Ambassador Richard Howe and wife Åsa, Ambassador Kjell Anneling, Director General Olle Wästberg, SSE President Lars Bergman with wife Lena, prominent business couple Anna and Lena Belfrage, Judge Anitha Bondestam, Björn Löwenhjelm, Lizzie Scheja, Liberal Party Leader Lars Lejonborg, Swedish-American Business Tycoon Gunnar Gillberg with wife Nina, BBB Friend Sven-Olof Johansson, Gunnar and Aila Andersson, Hongkong-based Bo Ekander with wife Anna von Rosen and, of course, Karin and Steve Trygg of NYC and Skarpö.

The warm summer evening began with a champagne reception in the blossoming garden, sponsored by Veuve Clicquot.

The evening proceeded inside the rococo theatre, under the guidance of our master-of-ceremony, Alexandra Charles. A fantastic musical performances by the piano legend Ivan Renliden began the ceremony, and he was superbly followed by Fernando Concha, tenor, up-and-coming singer Therese Engdahl and the troubadour, Mats Klingström The female choir Salt, under the conduct of BBB Chatarina Hellberg, finished the musical part.

The artistic performances were followed by inspirational speeches from a variety of speakers. Firstly, Barbro Ehnbom, founder and initiator of the scholarship. Barbro Ehnbom also presented the honorable award for Best Male Support to Robert af Jochnick, founder or Oriflame Cosmetics and an avid supporter of the scholarship for many years. Then Professor Lars Bergman, President of the Stockholm School of Economics, spoke of the talent and determination found in SSE’s student body and manifested in the recipient of the scholarship. Niklas Prager, new dynamic CEO of Pfizer AB, spoke of the scholarship and Pfizer’s role. Barbro Ehnbom then presented the award to this year’s recipient Martina Lind. Martina Lind spoke to an enthusiastic audience on the importance of role models and the necessary transition to fair competition in Swedish business.

The ceremony was followed by a superbly presented dinner from Pontus in the Green in the garden tents, where Martina Lind also received a certificate for a personal professional coach by Kandidata’s fonder Margareta Sjölund. The guests were during dinner entertained by famous stand-up comedian and SSE graduate, Stefan Grudin, delivering a hilarious speech.

The celebration of the Female Economist of the Year 2006 was truly an enchanting event among Friends and an evening that will be remembered!

Martina's Ceremony Speech

Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.

As some of you may know, my background is in politics. In politics, we tend to look at the bigger picture, at the larger patterns of things. And the big picture of women in business, is that the US, today, has over three times as many female CEOs of listed companies as Sweden. The background of that picture is probably structural, and in a small country with concentrated ownership, personal networks of recruitment have been very important, probably too important, for the appointment of business leaders.

Looking at this bigger picture, it makes sense for a company headquartered in the US, Pfizer, to take the lead in the recruitment of women. And looking at the same picture, it makes sense to send young women to the US for inspiration.

Women make up half of the business students in Sweden, but at the pace we’re going right now, everyone in this room will be dead before women control half of the listed companies here On a hopeful note, maybe we’re at the verge of a ketchup effect. You know: first there’s nothing, then there’s nothing, then there’s nothing – and then, suddenly – there’s everything. But for every ketchup effect to get started, somebody has to start shaking the bottle. And isn’t it ironic, that our own favorite redhead, Barbro Ehnbom, has to come over from the states – to shake that bottle for us.

The fact, that at times tends to be forgotten in politics, is that the big picture consists of individuals who can choose or not choose to make different decisions. Barbro is an individual who made a different decision. She has gone outside of herself to make a difference to young women in Swedish Business.

This scholarship, the Female Economist of the Year, has been in the running for six years. Barbro and the scholarship are now one of the most important voices to illuminate upcoming female leadership in Swedish business. The scholarship receives a great amount of publicity every year, and it has become an illustration of the possibilities that business careers can hold for young women. Young women are now saying it was one of the reasons they applied to the Stockholm school of Economics. In short, the scholarship has become an institution. It has become an important institution, and for this we can all thank Barbro Ehnbom.

Barbro is different in a Swedish context – not just because her hair is redder and bigger than most Swedish women – but mainly because her visions are larger and bolder. For this, she deserves great respect and recognition from women of my generation. In the end, large changes will only come when many are inspired into individual action, and Barbro is a great source of inspiration. Why not let her flaming hair be an inspiration of fire within – because we can all make a difference for the recruitment in Swedish business. Together we will change the bigger picture. And Swedish Business will be better off for it.

I believe that role models make a difference, and I believe that the idea that role models matter is a foundation of this scholarship. The opportunity to be such a role model to other and younger women humbles and inspires me, and I will take that responsibility very seriously.

As some of you may have read in the papers, my first career advice to younger women is to apply to the Stockholm School of Economics. Although the female professors are scarce, and although it may, honestly speaking, be a bit dull at times, my investment in time and effort at SSE is probably the best one I’ll ever make. This school has provided me with a fantastic education, fantastic experiences and a fantastic group of friends. I also firmly believe that there is no school in Sweden that better rewards motivated and talented young women. Barbro and all you Friends that are here tonight are one great example of how the bonds from SSE can be used to create new opportunities.

My gratitude today is large to many, but I shall try to keep my thank yous short. To Pfizer and Niklas Prager, thank you for sponsoring this scholarship and for taking such an active and important role in this process. To Linnéa and Sara who work with the scholarship – thank you for your hard work. To all the BBBs and previous female economists – especially Susanna Francke – thank you for the warm welcoming. To my political role models who have come today to support me –thank you for the inspiration. To all the individuals and organizations, both present and absent tonight, who invest their time and resources in this scholarship I am ever grateful. And last but certainly not least: to my parents, my three sisters and my boyfriend, there is no thank you large enough for all the love and support. Thank you for choosing me.