Olof Zetterberg has served as the CEO of Stockholm Business Region for nearly a decade. During that time, he has been instrumental in developing the city’s business-friendly regulatory environment and its image as an attractive investment destination.
He began his career as a Revenue Manager at the Department of Social Services in 1981, and has served the City of Stockholm in a variety of different roles ever since. These include Administrative Director of Social Services in Katarina-Sofia, Refugee Coordinator for the City of Stockholm, Director of Social Services in Bromma, Director of Recreation, Culture and Sports, Director of City Planning, and Director of Traffic and Real Estate.
Zetterberg’s distinguished career of public service has led to a number of high-profile speaking engagements, including at the upcoming Municipality Excellence and Expansion Summit. Organised by Naseba in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the summit will gather key Saudi officials and international solution providers in Riyadh on October 5th – 6th, 2016.
His participation in the summit highlights his dedication to promoting municipal excellence not only in Stockholm, but also abroad. Zetterberg believes the future of municipal services lies in digital solutions. “It is important that cities are focused on digitizing their services to citizens,” he says. This is in addition to the constant priority of “delivering good infrastructure, in terms of everything from roads to parks and broadband.”
None of this is without its challenges. “We have several challenges that hinder our continued development. The biggest problem is the lack of housing. Stockholm is one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, due to high birth rates and a large influx of people… we also have difficulties getting new inhabitants into the labour market.” Zetterberg also sees Stockholm’s airport as an area of improvement, and believes that without acknowledging these challenges, “we risk even become self-righteous and a bit lazy, instead of constantly hardworking.”
Zetterberg says he is interested to see how Saudi Arabian cities work, and to continue his mission to market Stockholm to prospective investors and tourists.
The summit will feature speeches and panel discussions by several other international business leaders and government officials, including H.E. Abdul Latif bin Omar Al Shaikh, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Dr. Hernani Dias, Mayor of the City of Braganca, and Allam Ahmed, President of the World Association for Sustainable Development.
For more information contact:
Khaled Masri
+971 4455 7954
[email protected]
