Organisation
The Global Challenges Foundation is based in Stockholm. The work of the Foundation is led by the board, which is supported by a number of senior advisors.
Find out more about the Global Challenges Foundation’s organisation.
The Secretariat
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Pamilla Andreasson
Head of Finance and Administration
Pamilla leads the Foundation’s work with finance, human resources, and administration. She has previously held positions such as CFO at the media agency group A-Com and CEO of its subsidiary, A-Com Ekonomi. Pamilla has also served as Director of Finance at Stiftelsen Världsnaturfonden WWF and as CEO of its subsidiary, Världsnaturfondens AB.
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Embla Bergström
Coordinator
Embla has a Bachelor’s degree in Peace and Conflict and a Master’s degree in Medical Science. She has experience in civil society as a volunteer, supporting young women and people in the LGBTQIA+ community. She interned at the Swedish Embassy in Tirana during her studies, working with SIDA on their civil society and gender equality projects.
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Lewis Day
Communications Officer
Lewis has a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Television and experience working in the Australian media industry. He also has a Master’s degree in Investigative Journalism. Lewis worked at the Gapminder Foundation as a Fact-Checker and Content Producer on content covering all of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and produced reports on misconceptions surrounding climate and refugee issues.
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Anna Möller-Loswick
Head of Common Security
Anna leads the Foundation’s work on common security, with a focus on global governance approaches to peace and security. She has gained experience from various sectors, including civil service, civil society, and multilateral organizations, and has worked on peacebuilding, peace mediation, and women, peace, and security. Anna has held positions at the Folke Bernadotte Academy, the OSCE, and Saferworld.
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Anja Olin-Pape
Head of Programmes
Anja leads the Foundation’s efforts on UN reform and policy issues, focusing on global risk governance, accountability, and the science/policy interface. She gained experience at the Swedish Ministry of Environment, where she worked at the Stockholm+50 conference. Anja also chaired the Joint Council on Youth in the Council of Europe, addressing human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
Board
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Jan Andersson
Chairman
Jan has served as the editor-in-chief for Affärsvärlden, a Swedish business magazine, and as the head of research at Alfred Berg Investment Bank in Stockholm. After working in the capital markets in London, he also held roles as an independent board member and chairman for Swedbank Robur Fonder, Sweden’s largest mutual fund company.
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Mats Andersson
Board Member
Mats is the former Chief Executive Officer at the Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund and has a long history of working in senior management positions in the Swedish and international capital markets. He actively engages in global environmental issues, most recently collaborating with the United Nations.
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Jennie Banér
Vice Chairman
Jennie is a labor lawyer and central negotiator at the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprise. She previously worked as an attorney and junior associate at Hamilton and Roschier law firms.
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Christer Jacobsson
Board Member
Christer previously served as the CEO and Chief Analyst at the Alfred Berg Group, the Nordic region’s largest investment bank at that time. Additionally, he has a background as a stock market commentator and market manager for the business newspaper Affärsvärlden. Currently, he operates his own business at Bergsrådet Kapital.
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Anna Lindstedt
Board Member
Anna started her career as a journalist and became a diplomat in 1990. She has served in Indonesia and Pakistan and has been Sweden’s ambassador to Vietnam, Mexico, China, and Mongolia. Anna was involved in negotiating the Paris Agreement during her time as climate ambassador and chief negotiator. She currently serves as an advisor for green transitioning at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs unit for promotion and sustainable business.
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Caroline Sundewall
Board Member
Caroline started her career working for publications such as the Swedish business magazine Affärsvärlden and as the head of the business section of the daily newspaper Sydsvenskan. She has been a board member of companies such as Electrolux, Telia, Haldex, Tradedoubler, Hemfors, and currently Elanders.
Advisors
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Denise Garcia
Advisor
Denise is a Professor at Northeastern University and a founding faculty member of its Experiential Robotics Institute. She was recently appointed to the Global Commission on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military. Her latest book, “The AI Military Race,” was published by Oxford University Press. Denise has served on panels like the International Panel for the Regulation of Autonomous Weapons and the Toda Peace Institute. She is part of the Institute for Economics and Peace and the IEEE’s Ethics of Autonomous Systems. Denise was the Nobel Peace Institute Fellow in 2017 and has published in prestigious journals.
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Richard Gowan
Advisor
Richard is the United Nations Director for the International Crisis Group, focusing on the UN Security Council, peace operations, and conflict prevention. He is an Associate Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Previously, he worked at NYU’s Center on International Cooperation, taught at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and wrote for World Politics Review. Richard has contributed to Foreign Affairs, Global Governance, Global Policy, and other academic and policy journals.
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Aarti Gupta
Advisor
Aarti is a Professor of Global Environmental Governance at Wageningen University, The Netherlands. Her research focuses on accountability and equity in global climate policy and anticipatory governance of novel technologies, including biotechnology and climate engineering. She is a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Earth System Governance Research Alliance and was a Coordinating Lead Author of its 2018 Science and Implementation Plan. She leads the TRANSGOV project and co-edited “Transparency in Global Environmental Governance” (MIT Press). Aarti holds a PhD from Yale University.
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David Obura
Advisor
David is the Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa, an organization supporting the sustainability of coral reefs and marine systems in the Western Indian Ocean. He chairs the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and has a PhD in coral reef ecology. David’s research focuses on the impacts of coral reef resilience, biogeography, and climate change. He has also participated in global initiatives like the Earth Commission and the UN Ocean Decade. David was awarded Kenya’s national honour, Moran of the Burning Spear, and the Coral Reef Conservation Award from the International Coral Reef Society.
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Jens Orback
Strategic Advisor
Jens earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics before starting his career at the Swedish Ministry of Finance. He later transitioned to broadcasting and worked as an anchor on Swedish Television. After some years, he re-entered politics and held the position of Minister for Democracy, Integration, and Gender Equality in the Swedish government from 2004 to 2006. Before joining the Global Challenges Foundation, Jens was the Secretary-General at the Olof Palme International Centre. In addition to his role at the Foundation, Jens serves as an adjunct board member.
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Johan Rockström
Senior Advisor
Johan is a globally recognised scientist who focuses on addressing global sustainability issues. He currently serves as the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) director. Additionally, he provides advisory support to various governments, business networks, and international gatherings, such as the United Nations General Assemblies, World Economic Forums, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conferences (UNFCCC).
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Natalie Samarasinghe
Advisor
Natalie is a thought leader, speaker, and writer on global issues and governance with two decades of experience across multilateral institutions, civil society, local government, and philanthropy. She has held roles such as Global Director of Advocacy at Open Society Foundations and Chief of Strategy for UN75. Natalie co-founded the 1 for 7 Billion campaign and the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice. She holds degrees from Oxford and the London School of Economics and won the New Shape Prize in 2017.