About the authors
Elaine and Henrik speak regularly about their vision and approach to sustainability leadership, facilitating or moderating lively panel discussions among business leaders, board members, investors, policymakers, and sustainability experts on how to ramp up the pace of sustainability action.
Elaine Weidman-Grunewald
is a global sustainability and development expert and has worked in the private sector for over two decades as a corporate executive, an investor, and a tech founder. This includes a long-held position at Ericsson as Chief Sustainability
& Public Affairs Officer and member of the Executive Team, where among other things she built up the sustainability function and headed the company’s humanitarian and disaster response program. She pioneered the concept of Technology for Good and created some of the most impactful partnerships in this field. Elaine is also an adviser to numerous start-ups, companies, and CEOs, with a focus on sustainability/ESG, digitalization, public affairs, and corporate development.
Elaine’s public board positions include the European Sustainable Growth Acquisition Corp., Azelio, and Sweco, and non-profit boards include the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, the International Women’s Forum Sweden, and the Boards Impact Forum.
Elaine has been actively engaged in the World Economic Forum, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Business and Sustainable Development Commission. Elaine holds a double Master’s degree from Boston University, in International Relations and Resource & Environmental Management.
Her vision is to help create a world where sustainability-centric business strategies are the norm, not the exception.
Henrik Henriksson
is President and CEO of H2 Green Steel, a company built on sustainability from scratch, an impact and native digital venture that is backed by strong sustainable investors from around the world.
Combining a fully integrated, digitalized, and automated greenfield steel plant with large-scale production of green hydrogen, H2 Green Steel aims to accelerate the decarbonization of steel production.
Previously Henrik was President and CEO of global transport company Scania which he joined in 1997. During his 24 years at Scania, he held several executive positions heading business areas and market units, in both Sweden and South Africa. Under his leadership as CEO, Henrik steered Scania’s leading role in decarbonizing the heavy commercial vehicle sector while delivering strong financial returns.
Similar to the steel industry, the transport industry accounts for a significant share of global carbon emissions. Henrik’s passion and fierce advocacy for sustainability has been a beacon in the shift towards a fossil-free transport system, and now, a fossil-free steel industry. Henrik is an advisor to the Swedish Government and part of their delegation for the Agenda 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He is a board member of Hexagon AB, Electrolux, and Creades AB.
Henrik holds a business degree from Lund University. Henrik is also a proud father of two young girls who spur him and who he considers the true judges of his legacy.
“Together, Henrik and Elaine provide what I consider the most important business advice one can get today—to embed the core business in a culture of sustainability. They do so by representing two of the most important sectors in the transformation to sustainable development, namely decarbonizing the transport sector and making digitalization work for sustainability. This makes the voice of these two business leaders so valuable and timely at a juncture where we must accelerate and scale innovations and solutions toward a prosperous and equitable future for humanity within planetary boundaries.”
— Johan Rockström, Potsdam Institute of Climate Impact Research, University of Potsdam
Norrsken Foundation receives all proceeds of sales from the book in order to help scale the next generation of purpose-driven companies.