Camilla Grebe

Her writing is sharp and suspenseful, with a subtle sense of humor. In person, she is equally engaging and perceptive, her quiet wit offering a lighter contrast to the darker worlds she creates.

This raises an immediate question: where does the darkness in her writing come from?

From economics to storytelling

Camilla Grebe did not begin her career as a writer. In fact, her path started in business. 

“It’s been a long journey,” she says. “One that proves life will take you places you never expect.” 

She began her studies at the Stockholm School of Economics in 1987, majoring in economics, before building a career in marketing. She spent five years at Procter & Gamble and went on to work in marketing roles across several companies over many years, including Vodafone (now Telenor) and Vin & Sprit, which at the time was the company behind Absolut Vodka, as well as other companies, always within marketing. 

“I worked as a marketing manager, marketing director, and managing director. I enjoyed it, but I never felt that my heart was there one hundred percent.” 

The turning point came in 2002, when she joined Storyside, a small audiobook publisher. 

“I read a lot of manuscripts and met writers. That’s when I became intrigued by the creative side instead of the business side.” 

What began as a side project soon grew into something more. Together with her sister Åsa Träff, she started writing, initially as a hobby. 

In 2009, she made her literary debut with a co-written book published with her sister. 

“That was the start of everything. It eventually turned into a whole new career.” 

Since then, Grebe has become one of Sweden’s leading crime writers, with international success and multiple award-winning novels. On the day of the interview, she is releasing her 17th book.

The role of SSE

Grebe credits her time at SSE with shaping both her mindset and her skill set, not only as a business professional, but also as an author. 

“I’m not just a writer. I also run my own company,” she explains. “So, I constantly deal with finance, accounting, and marketing. In that sense, I have a lot of use for what I learned at SSE.” 

Her books are published internationally, making both her work and herself an export product, while also creating work opportunities for people across different parts of the world.

Beyond technical knowledge, she emphasizes something deeper. 

“You learn discipline. You learn how to approach problems and how to do research. But most importantly, you gain a mindset.” 

She also sees clear parallels between entrepreneurship and creativity.

Creativity and entrepreneurship

While many imagine creativity as a moment of inspiration, Grebe describes it very differently. 

“The creative process is not linear,” she says. “It’s messy. It’s more like a tangled yarn than anything else.” 

Ideas can begin anywhere and evolve through continuous refinement. 

“It can start with an idea, a twist, a theme, or even a character. And then you build from there. It’s an iterative process. You go back and forth, you do your research, you add things, you take things away, you shape your characters and the storyline.” 

This, she argues, is where creativity and entrepreneurship intersect.