Mannheimer Swartling appoints Klas Eklund to the firm’s first Senior Economist

“We are convinced that Klas’ solid and broad knowledge will add another dimension to the firm’s role as a strategic adviser to Swedish businesses”, says Jan Dernestam, Managing Partner at Mannheimer Swartling.

“I am glad to be a part of Mannheimer Swartling and I am looking forward to integrate strategic advice on business development in the firm’s offer to its clients”, says Klas Eklund.

Klas Eklund is currently Senior Economist Sustainability at SEB, where he works with a distinguish focus on sustainability issues and analysis connected to climate and global development.

In 1985 Mr Eklund became Licentiate of Economics at Stockholm School of Economics; his thesis discussed the long-term growth patterns of the Swedish economy. From 1982 to 1990 Mr Eklund worked at the Government Offices of Sweden where he acted as e.g. Deputy Under-Secretary of State, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Finance and as Economic Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister. In 1991 he was Chairman of the Government Commission on Productivity, whose commission report “Driving Forces for Productivity and Prosperity” analysed the Swedish growth and gave proposals on how to boost Swedish economy. Between 1994 and 2007 Mr Eklund was Chief Economist at SEB and between 2007 and 2015 he was appointed Senior Economist at the same bank. Between 2001 and 2010 Mr Eklund was a member of the European Commission’s group of Economic Policy Analysis, which advised the Chairman of the Commission. Between 2009 and 2015 he served as Adjunct Professor of Economics at the University of Lund.

Klas Eklund is a diligent writer and lecturer with over 100 published articles. His textbook “Our Economy: An Introduction to Economics”, is Sweden’s most sold textbook within economics. In 2011 Mr Eklund published the book “China: the Old-New Superpower”, a broad study over Chinas economic and political development and during 2012 he published the book “A Framework for Innovation Policy. How to Make Sweden More Entrepreneurial?”. In recent years, Mr Eklund has been working mainly with environment matters and sustainability matters, and his latest book, “Growth”, discusses how financial growth can be more sustainable. He has also been a member of The Task Force on Green Finance Reform and Green Transformation within CCICED (China Council of International Co-operation and Environmental Development), which has been advising the Chinese government in environmental matters.