AFRY partnership connects engineering and governance to strengthen resilience

Pär Lundberg, Senior Vice President and Head of Segment Defense at AFRY. Photo: Johanna Ståhlberg

Sweden’s efforts to strengthen military and civil defense preparedness raise questions that engineering alone cannot resolve. What should organizations fund, who should decide, and how can investments in connected systems support each other?

For AFRY, these questions explain the strategic importance of working with the Stockholm School of Economics. The company brings experience of energy, infrastructure, industry and the connections between technical systems as well as systems of systems. The Center for Security and Resilience provides an academic setting for examining governance, incentives, and the development of lasting capabilities.

“For complex societal challenges, we need arenas where different perspectives can meet and collaborate,” says Linda Pålsson, CEO of AFRY. “Our partnership with the Stockholm School of Economics’ Center for Security and Resilience provides such a platform, bringing together academia, industry, and the public sector. Through broad collaboration, we can develop resilient solutions for both society and industry.”

Making the investment case for resilience 

The strategic challenge begins with how organizations value preparedness. AFRY sees a tendency to underestimate redundancy, flexibility, and the ability to manage disruption. Their benefits may become fully visible only under pressure, while their costs compete with immediate demands on budgets. 

This creates a difficult balance between short-term efficiency and long-term resilience. Organizations also need to clarify responsibility when several actors depend on the same infrastructure. 

Academic research can help examine these choices. Combining technical experience with analysis of investment and governance can improve understanding of what enables solutions to work over time. For AFRY, this is a central reason to collaborate with the School.

Connecting infrastructure with organizational decisions

AFRY often encounters vulnerabilities where energy, digital infrastructure, and physical facilities connect. When organizations develop these systems separately, weaknesses can emerge at their interfaces. Introducing cybersecurity too late can also leave systems more vulnerable over time. 

The company therefore emphasizes early needs analysis, risk assessment, and design. Simulations and digital models help teams test solutions before implementation. Flexible systems allow them to adapt as threats and operating conditions change. 

Organizational decisions are equally important. AFRY sees clients with strong ambitions to improve resilience but unclear responsibilities, restrictive budget processes, or insufficient coordination. 

The partnership creates opportunities to examine these technical and organizational challenges together. Practical experience can sharpen research questions, while academic analysis can help practitioners understand the decisions that shape implementation.

Building relationships before they are tested

AFRY sees the School as a neutral meeting place for public authorities, businesses, and researchers. Project discussions naturally focus on contracts, deadlines, and deliverables. An academic setting creates room to examine shared challenges and longer-term needs. 

Those relationships have practical value. In AFRY’s experience, collaboration works better under pressure when participants have already established trust, clear roles, and common working methods. 

Continuity also helps organizations retain knowledge. AFRY emphasizes carrying lessons between projects through shared processes and digital tools. Preparedness develops through sustained work, making organizational learning an important part of building capability.

Developing skills that turn investment into capability

AFRY sees growing demand for people who combine technical expertise with an understanding of connected systems. It also identifies a need for skills in economics, analysis, governance, and strategy. 

Students at the School can contribute by understanding how organizations prioritize investments, make decisions, and collaborate. These skills offer a route into security and preparedness without a traditional engineering background. 

The partnership’s strategic potential lies in connecting these perspectives. Better investment decisions, clearer responsibilities, and stronger coordination can help technical solutions deliver their intended benefits. Bringing research and practical experience together creates opportunities to strengthen the capabilities that society depends on.

Contact

Staffan Holmberg
Executive Director, Center for Security and Resilience 
Stockholm School of Economics 
Email: staffan.holmberg@hhs.se