Speaker Bio

Sofia Appelgren – Founder, DEI Strategist, Social Entrepreneur and Visionary Leader

Sofia is an experienced visionary leader, with multiple board positions, and the esteemed founder of Mitt Livs Val Foundation and the social enterprise Mitt Liv AB. With a strong conviction for equal job opportunities and conditions in the labour market, she established Mitt Liv in Sweden in 2008. As CEO for nine years, Sofia transformed Mitt Liv into Sweden's largest mentoring program for academics with a foreign background and a renowned Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultancy, training over 14,000 individuals annually.

Sofia's accomplishments have earned her various awards, including Sweden's Best Social Entrepreneur by Ben & Jerry's. She was featured as one of Time Magazine's Next Generation Leaders and named one of the 125 most influential women in the Swedish business community. Additionally, she is recognized as an Ashoka Fellow among global social entrepreneurs.

As a globally renowned keynote speaker and highly skilled educator on DEI, Sofia has addressed prestigious institutions such as HEC Business School in Montreal, the Security conference in Singapore, and EMBA Stockholm School of Economics.

Today, Sofia's goals include expanding Mitt Liv internationally through mentoring programs, partnerships, and consulting services, aiming to drive change at the organisational and societal levels by promoting DEI. She is also scaling up Mitt Liv's CEO program "CEOs for D&I", bringing DEI matters to the CEO level and boardrooms.

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About Mitt Liv AB (svb)

Established in 2008, Mitt Liv is a social enterprise working for an inclusive society and a job market that values diversity. We actively collaborate with employers, equipping them with strategies and practical tools to successfully work diversity and inclusion.

Within our consultancy operation we train over 14,000 people each year and have around 40 partners in our network. We also run Sweden’s largest mentoring program for individuals with a foreign background and post-secondary education who don’t have a job in their area of competence. Through mentorship and an expanded contact network, we strive to improve the possibilities for our mentees to find a job within their field. Each year we support around 1,000 mentees in the program.

Mitt Liv operates as a limited liability company with unique profit distribution limitations, ensuring that any profits are reinvested back into the business.