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GELS mentor program

The wide range of impressive careers of GELS alumni makes the GELS alumni network an outstanding platform for personal development beyond the project’s execution. Therefore, apart from the scholarship recipient becoming part of the network, the network offers the possibility of receiving a former scholarship holder as mentor once the project has been carried through – to support, inspire and advice in personal and career choices.

Former scholarship holders have advanced to high positions in wide-ranging industries, worked at the most prominent management consulting firms, engaged in social initiatives, continued within the academic field and become artists and entrepreneurs. No matter who the new scholarship holder is, the alumni network will surely have much advice to give. Below is seen examples on the experience that the GELS alumni network has to offer.

Entrepeneurship/start-ups

Johan Bergström

Film & Sculpture

Jian Kang

Product Manager, Marketplaces
PayPal
“Responsible for user acquisition, onboarding and retention for PayPal’s checkout, payment and escrow services adopted by a majority of the world’s leading two sided marketplaces such as eBay and Etsy.”

David Risselborn

Owner
Digital Strategy Consulting

“Strategic support to start-ups in the Asia Pacific region on topics such as product management, fundraising strategy, go to market strategy and customer acquisition.”

Founder & CEO
Blueprint Lesson Planning
“Founder and CEO of a company developing a digital lesson planning tool for teachers, helping them collaborate and work together instead of inventing the wheel over and over, giving them more time to spend on their students.”

Victor Sundén

CEO
Mostphotos
“Mostphotos is a digital marketplace for buying and selling images serving over 5,000 customers in the Nordic region, including large publishing houses, public sector organizations, media companies as well as small and medium sized businesses.”

Managing Director
Rocket Internet Australia
“Worked with Rocket Internet’s businesses in Australia, primarily as part of the founding team of The Iconic, today one of Australia’s largest fashion e-commerce players.”

Johan Söör

CEO
MTR Express
”MTR Express is one of the world's first private railway companies for commercial passenger traffic, initially targeting the Gothenburg-Stockholm route challenging state-owned incumbent SJ. Johan is the company’s first CEO with key activities including recruiting of a management team and overseeing the production and introduction of a new fleet, setting up the traffic operation with 90 departures per week, establishing a commercial platform as the main sales channel, and creating awareness about MTR Express among travellers, media, the industry and political stakeholders.”

 

Social entrepreneurship

Lisa Sjöblom

Secretary General (CEO)
Forum Syd
“Secretary General (CEO) of Forum Syd, a Swedish NGO/platform organization for civil society organizations that work for sustainable development around the globe. The organization annually allocates around 230 MSEK to 300 projects in 70 countries and have offices in Stockholm, Somalia, Kenya, Cambodia, Colombia and Belarus with a total of 100 employees.”

Management consulting

Johan Bergström

McKinsey & Company

Karin Bratt

Junior Associate
McKinsey & Company
”Working mainly with healthcare and consumer/retail in the Nordics, serving both public and private clients. Functional experiences from operations and transformational change to organization as well as merger integration."

Fredrik Cornell

Partner
IPSIAC
”Risk management advisory with focus on risk, security and insurance issues. Customers include Swedish real estate companies, manufacturing multinational corporations as well as Swiss investors. IPSIAC is also a main owner of CIP Checkport – a start-up in cargo security in partnership with PostNord. Fredrik is also the acting CEO of CIP Checkport.”

Senior Consultant
Capgemini Ernst & Young
“Project manager for ISPS projects in Sweden and Latvia, as well as other mainly public related customers.”

Malin Ivarsson

Senior Associate Consultant
Bain & Company
“Management and strategy consulting for some of the largest companies in the Nordics, including creation of long-term company and business strategies, assessment of market growth, prioritization of business opportunities and vendor due diligence's.”

Jian Kang

McKinsey & Company
“Leading global growth strategy work for several multinational mining, material processing, and machinery clients. Cutting edge technology work for a telecom company led to a career pivot and a focus on innovation and tech through an MBA at MIT.”

David Risselborn

Associate
McKinsey & Company
”Experience from a wide range of strategy projects, especially in technology, media and telecom and private equity. Worked in Sweden, Europe, Japan and Australia.”

Lisa Sjöblom

Specialist in governance and transparency in civil society organizations
PWC
“Responsible for writing first and second draft of a Code of Quality for the largest, Swedish fundraising organizations under the guidance of a responsible committee consisting of representatives from PwC and Swedish Institute of Fundraising (FRII). Organized and held, in cooperation with the steering committee, forums, seminars and presentations aiming to improve understanding of the Code content.”

Victor Sundén

Consultant
Bain & Company
“Worked with corporate strategy, M&A, customer loyalty, organizational performance among other areas for leading blue chip clients in the Nordics and the US. Based in Stockholm and New York.”

Johan Söör

Associate Principal
McKinsey & Company
“Specialized in strategy/corporate finance and pricing projects, especially in the travel & logistics industry.”

Carl-Johan Westring

McKinsey & Company

Venture capital / Capital investment

David Bejker

Associate
HealthCap, a family of multi stage venture capital funds
”Screening, due diligence, and managing of transactions in life science companies as well as fund raising for venture capital funds.”

Johan De Geer

Co-founder
Endurance Capital Group
“A long-term oriented and fundamental investor applying active ownership to public markets in the ASEAN region.”

Operations management and business development

David Bejker

CEO
Affibody
“Actively marketed, evaluated and negotiated multiple global licensing and collaboration agreements with companies from Europe, Asia and the US. Managing fund raisings, labor negotiations, investor relations, legal disputes, recruitment, facilities and all other aspects of running a small company with a highly specialized work-force and equipment.”

Fredrik Cornell

Manager Aviation Security
Strategic Development Director
Securitas
”Development of Swedish operations from 30 employees/10 Msek on one airport to 1200 employees/400 Msek and multiple airport within 3 years.”

Michel Dahlberg Traore

Advisor to EVP of People
Management Trainee
Schibsted Media Group
“As a management trainee in a tech driven media company I got to apply much of what I've learned from; other work experience, studies, and projects (especially GELS;). I move between countries in which we are present learning about and taking on the many challenges and opportunities of the media/tech industry.“

Johan De Geer

Managing Director (Vietnam)
Marketing Director (Latvia)
Oriflame
Vietnam: ”Leading and motivating Oriflame's several tens-of-thousands strong sales force and staff. Turned around the declining sales trend in the first quarter on the job and continued to building a leaner organization and a stronger team. Learnt how to operate a large organization in Vietnam's challenging and dynamic business environment, refining and implementing the strategy for growth in one of the worlds most potential consumer goods markets.”
Latvia: ”Took over Oriflame's business in Latvia in the middle of the financial crisis and managed to turn it around to growth and profits mainly by building a strong team and inspiring our sales force. At the same time served as Sales Director for Latvia and managed the Sales Support function for the Baltic Region with full campaign responsibility for a several thousand strong Direct Sales Force in three countries.”

Marketing Director (Kiev)
CJSC Chumak
”Recruited and trained a new Marketing Team of category managers for one of Ukraine's most known Consumer Brands. Grew market share and TOM Brand Awareness while managing a 150 SKU portfolio across multiple FMCG categories and brands.”

Malin Ivarsson

Controlling/Finance positions at Microsoft Sweden, Electrolux and L’Oreal Sweden
“Business controlling positions, including P&L ownership and management, investment strategy, owner of budget and forecasting process as well as identification of growth opportunities.”

Johan Söör

Business Development Director
MTR
”Head of the ‘New business’ area for MTR in the Nordics, with responsibilities including setting and driving the growth and business development agenda in the Nordics and building a business development organization. Leading the start-up process for MTR Express, a new railway operator in the Swedish market. Responsibilities include leading an investment process worth 700+ MSEK to invest in new trains from Stadler in Switzerland, coordination with financiers and with the MTR Corporation HQ in Hong Kong.”

Carl-Johan Westring

Country Manager Russia
EF Education First

Academia

My Hedlin

PhD student in Economics
European University Institute, Florence
Special interest: monetary economics.

Jian Kang

MBA Graduate
MIT Sloan School of Management
Special Interest: Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Jasmin Mosfegh

PhD student in Economics
Stockholm School of Economics
Special interest: econometrics.

International career

Roughly half the network lives and works abroad! See other headlines for examples.