Impact & Advocacy

CEOs for D&I: An SSE Executive Education accredited program

Launched in 2021 by Mitt Liv, CEOs for D&I is a program aimed at empowering CEOs to take action on and lead diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts within their organisations and across the labour market.

How we work

Since 2024, the program is moderated by Mitt Liv and Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) Executive Education. The collaboration offers participants a robust academic foundation combined with practical expertise, providing evidence-based insights to strengthen their DEI strategies.

Through a series of workshops, the goal of each program is to arrive at a unified commitment and action plan within DEI. CEOs who complete the program receive an official certification, acknowledging their leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

After completing the program, alumni CEOs form a powerful network, sharing experiences and advocating for key DEI issues to drive meaningful change in the business community.

Group 3

Participants 2023

Alexander Wennergren Helm

CEO, Ernströmgruppen

Elisabeth Peregi

CEO, Kappahl

Jakub Jankowski

CEO, IKEA Industry

Martin Malmvik

CEO, Axel Johnson International

Paula da Silva

CEO, P27 Nordic Payments

Group 2

Participants 2022

Carl Dahlén

COO North West Europe, Securitas

Elisabeth Beskow

CEO, DNB Sweden

Freddy Sobin

former CEO, Kicks

Jan Dernestam

CEO, Mannheimer Swartling

Joakim Skarborg

CEO, Novax

Sofia Götmar-Blomstedt

CEO, PwC Sweden

Group 1

Participants 2021

Jan Berntsson

former CEO, Deloitte Sweden

Simone Margulies

CEO, Hemköp & Tempo

Pernilla Bonde

former CEO, HSB

Jacob Torell

CEO & Founder, Next Step Group

Thomas Ekman

former CEO, Dustin Group

Robert Dackeskog

CEO, Duni Group

Magnus Rosén

former CEO, Nobina AB

Therese Bohlin

former CEO, Prime Weber Shandwick

Ongoing work and results

Group 3

"Courageous Recruitment" for more inclusive hiring processes

In april 2024, the third group of CEOs presented their joint commitment, which consists of five concrete actions to reform recruitment processes and make them more inclusive:

1. Zero tolerance on homogenous shortlists

2. Stronger demands on external recruitment/search providers

3. Diverse mindset in hiring teams

4. Inclusive descriptions within the recruitment process (job descriptions, competence profiles, advertising texts and candidate information)

5. Rewarding the intentional inclusion.

Group 2

Recommendations for company boards and grassroots inclusion

In March 2023, the second group of CEOs presented their collective commitment, which consists of two parts:

  1. Developing a recommendation/blueprint outlining the requirements that company boards should set for their executive teams to achieve inclusive companies and contribute to more inclusive societies.

  2. All companies commit to engagement with organisations working with grassroots inclusion in vulnerable areas. The goal is for each company to, in various ways over the course of a year, provide their employees with the right conditions and tools to reach out to youth in at least ten disadvantaged areas in Sweden.

Group 1

A joint action program

In March 2022 the first group of CEOs presented a joint action program in which they undertake to implement a number of concrete measures to increase the diversity and degree of inclusion in their organisations. The commitment means that they will:

  • Have a diversity & inclusion strategy in place during 2022

  • Measure diversity and inclusion

  • Ensure inclusive recruitment processes

  • Educate all leaders in inclusive leadership programs

  • Introduce a job program for foreign-born individuals

  • Inspire other CEOs to do more.

Diversity and inclusion is essential for businesses to succeed. Greater diversity generates more ideas in the room, which in turn provides better conditions to make good decisions. This is not a problem that we can solve alone, it requires effort from many stakeholders working side by side.

Elisabeth Beskow

Elisabeth Beskow
CEO, DNB Sweden

Contact us

Interested in participating in our upcoming programs? Get in touch with us!