10 Swedish Business Executives to Follow on LinkedIn in 2025

CXOs to follow
October 26, 2025

Already active on LinkedIn but looking to level up? This roundup is here to help.

With insights powered by ChatGPT, we’ve analyzed how some of Sweden’s top C-level executives use LinkedIn to share knowledge, grow their personal brands, and engage with their communities.

From Spotify’s Daniel Ek to Atomico’s Niklas Zennström, they’re leading by example with clear, actionable strategies for building real engagement.

Here’s what Sweden’s best are doing right now - and how you can apply their tactics to grow your own personal brand on LinkedIn.

If you want to create LinkedIn posts that actually engage your audience, try Will - the smart AI assistant for crafting high-performing content.

Daniel Ek – Founder & CEO, Spotify

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Daniel Ek doesn’t use LinkedIn the way most founders do.

He isn’t chasing likes or trends. He shows up when it matters: when there’s a story worth telling about Spotify’s next chapter or a shift in how the music industry works.

His posts are sharp. When he speaks about leadership, innovation, or European tech, people listen.

Spotify now counts 696 million monthly active users and 276 million paying subscribers. In Q2 2025 alone, the company saw an 11% increase in premium users year-over-year.

Who should follow Daniel Ek?

  • Tech entrepreneurs building subscription-based or consumer apps.
  • Music professionals following streaming industry shifts.
  • Product leaders curious about global-scale business growth.

About Spotify

Spotify remains the world’s largest audio streaming platform.

In Q2 2025, it reported 696 million monthly active users and 276 million premium subscribers.

Revenue hit €4.2 billion for the quarter, up 10% from the year before.

🔗 Visit Spotify

LinkedIn content strategy

Ek uses LinkedIn sparingly, but every post counts. He shares company milestones, product launches, and reflections on policy or innovation that shape the digital landscape.

His tone stays professional but personal enough to feel genuine. Each update positions Spotify as more than a music app. It’s a global tech platform shaping culture and conversation.

What makes Daniel Ek different?

He’s a visionary who isn’t afraid to debate public policy or call out what’s broken in Europe’s tech ecosystem.

His blend of business realism and creative thinking gives him credibility among both founders and policymakers.

Key takeaways for your LinkedIn strategy

  • Post less often, but make each update meaningful.
  • Balance company milestones with thought leadership.
  • Use your platform to spark relevant industry conversations.

Where Daniel Ek can grow (on LinkedIn)

Ek could post more behind-the-scenes reflections on Spotify’s people and culture.

Stories from employees or teams would humanize his leadership style and help followers see the company through a more personal lens.

Börje Ekholm – President & CEO, Ericsson

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Börje Ekholm’s journey brings together heavy industry and digital transformation.

He became President & CEO of Ericsson in January 2017 and has been guiding the company through transitions toward software, services and network programmatic models.

In Q4 2024, Ericsson reported full-year net sales of SEK 247.9 billion, and its North America market grew 54% in that quarter.

Who should follow Börje Ekholm?

  • Telecom executives focusing on 5G and network transformation.
  • Enterprise tech buyers evaluating large scale infrastructure and private networks.
  • Investors and analysts following legacy-players pivoting to software and services.

About Ericsson

Ericsson is a global leader in telecommunications equipment and services.

In full-year 2024 the company posted sales of SEK 247.9 billion, though with a decline of 5% overall.

North America grew strongly at 54% in Q4. Adjusted EBITA margin rose to 11.0%.

🔗 Visit Ericsson

LinkedIn content strategy

Ekholm’s LinkedIn shares focus on partnership announcements, network innovation, customer wins and industry ecosystem signals.

His posts serve as strategic indicators of where Ericsson is placing its bets: private networks, APIs, software-defined infrastructure.

What makes Börje Ekholm different?

He admits the legacy hardware business is changing and guides Ericsson toward a software and services future.

Under Ekholm the company emphasizes programmable networks and IPR/licensing, shifting the narrative from selling boxes to enabling network value.

Key takeaways for your LinkedIn strategy

  • Show how your company is evolving to meet future tech challenges.
  • Use major deals or innovation wins as content anchors.
  • Combine executive voice with product and market insights to bridge strategy and execution.

Where Börje Ekholm can grow (on LinkedIn)

Much of his content is technical and B2B oriented.

Ekholm could broaden his influence by sharing more human stories, for example how Ericsson’s technology impacts individuals, society or smaller businesses.

This would expand his reach beyond telecom insiders into a general leadership audience.

Elena Hoffer – Co-Founder & CEO, Alma.Me

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Elena Hoffer began her PhD in medical sciences at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, feeling the pressure that comes with research and uncertain career paths.

Over time she realised her work went beyond experiments. She wanted to help other researchers find their own path beyond academia.

That decision led to Alma.Me, a platform helping PhDs build careers outside the university system.

Who Should Follow Elena Hoffer?

  • PhD students or post-docs unsure about what’s next after graduation.
  • University career advisors who want to guide researchers more confidently.
  • Anyone interested in how academic experience can lead to entrepreneurship.

About Alma.Me

Alma.Me helps researchers move from academia to industry.

The platform offers coaching, résumé and LinkedIn reviews, and guidance on networking and interviewing.

Its focus is to make those transitions smoother and less isolating.

🔗 Visit Alma.Me

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Elena shares posts about her own shift from research to business building.

She writes about the emotional and practical side of career change, which makes her content relatable to other researchers.

In a Nature article, she described how LinkedIn became the place that opened doors and helped her start her company.

Her comments section often turns into discussions between early-career scientists who share their own stories. That back-and-forth gives her content a community feel.

What Makes Elena Hoffer Different?

She’s not just advising PhDs from the outside.

She lived the same uncertainty they face and built a company to help others through it.

Her writing feels grounded and practical. She gives real examples of how small steps can lead to bigger changes.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Share a turning point from your own career that others can relate to.
  • Talk about a narrow problem your audience faces and offer solutions.
  • Use the comments section to build genuine conversations.

Where Elena Hoffer Can Grow (on LinkedIn)

Her audience is strong within academia.

To widen her reach, she could feature stories from hiring managers and companies that recruit PhDs.

That would connect both sides of the career-change conversation and help Alma.Me reach a broader professional audience.

Mark Pekel – Chief Growth Officer, Ongage

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Mark Pekel’s path has followed the rise of email marketing over the past decade.

He joined Ongage in 2019 as VP of Growth and moved into the Chief Growth Officer role in 2022.

Today he focuses on scaling the company’s SaaS product and sharing what he learns from doing so.

Before Ongage, Mark worked across different areas of digital marketing, giving him a clear view of what makes customer communication work.

He often talks about how data, creativity, and timing all shape great marketing campaigns - a mix that defines his current work at Ongage.

Who Should Follow Mark Pekel?

  • Marketers looking to grow SaaS products.
  • Founders who want to understand growth strategy through experience.
  • Email professionals interested in better communication practices.

About Ongage

Ongage helps businesses manage email marketing across multiple service providers.

It offers tools for segmentation, automation, and analytics.

The company’s goal is to make complex campaigns simpler and easier to manage.

🔗 Visit Ongage

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Mark shares thoughts about product growth, team collaboration, and lessons from events like #ASW25.

His posts are conversational. He often uses real examples and ties them to practical takeaways.

He also highlights what the company is testing or improving.

That helps followers see the thinking behind each decision.

What Makes Mark Pekel Different?

Mark approaches growth as a story.

He connects product decisions with people and context, showing the thinking that drives progress.

This makes his posts easy to follow and useful to anyone working in tech or marketing.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Turn your business experiences into short stories that explain what you learned.
  • Post about real-world challenges and how your team solved them.
  • Use upcoming events or projects to spark discussion and anticipation.

Where Mark Pekel Can Grow (on LinkedIn)

He could reach a wider audience by writing more about leadership.

Topics like hiring for growth or managing remote teams would interest people beyond marketing.

Trying more formats, like videos or short interviews, could also help his content reach people outside the marketing niche.

Niklas Zennström – CEO, Atomico

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Niklas Zennström’s career arc began in Sweden and quickly reached global scale.

After co-founding Skype and KaZaA, he founded Atomico in 2006 to invest in and support technology founders.

What’s striking about Niklas is how he brings a founder’s empathy into investing. He’s been through the chaos of startup life himself, so his advice to founders feels grounded and real.

Whether he’s reflecting on the future of European tech or writing about sustainability, there’s always a sense that he’s thinking several moves ahead and encouraging others to do the same.

Who Should Follow Niklas Zennström?

  • Tech founders seeking visibility into venture capital and growth strategies
  • Investors and startup enthusiasts tracking European tech innovation
  • Professionals curious about the intersection of entrepreneurship and impact investing

About Atomico

Atomico is a European venture-capital firm founded by Niklas Zennström in 2006.

The firm has backed major technology companies, including Skype, and reported raising at least $1.24 billion for its Fund VI.

🔗 Visit Atomico

LinkedIn Content Strategy

On LinkedIn, Zennström posts about founder stories, technology’s role in society, and leadership reflections drawn from his own entrepreneurial journey.

He highlights large shifts in the tech world and frames his commentary around how companies should think about building long-term.

For example, his earlier writing for Atomico emphasizes partnering with founders tackling “big challenges.”

What Makes Niklas Zennström Different?

Niklas bridges deep entrepreneurial experience with investment leadership in Europe.

He does not simply fund companies. He presents a narrative of technology as a force for change, rooted in his own experience building Skype and KaZaA.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Share a narrative of how you moved from early experience to leadership
  • Give your audience a view into your philosophy rather than just your results
  • Use your posts to highlight meaningful change rather than superficial wins

Where Niklas Zennström Can Grow (on LinkedIn)

Although Zennström’s posts speak to founders and investors, expanding into more frequent, shorter insights targeted at newer entrepreneurs could broaden his reach.

More behind-the-scenes commentary about how Atomico evaluates startups might invite wider engagement from the startup community.

Mario (Leif-Birger) Hansen – Co-Founder & CMO-B2B Growth Strategist, IT-Branschen

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Mario Hansen started his professional narrative immersed in the Swedish IT sector.

Over years he gravitated toward growth strategy in B2B, eventually co-founding IT-Branschen to deepen his focus on how IT companies market and grow.

His posts make it clear he’s more than a strategist. Mario brings people together from across Sweden’s IT world, turning insights into action.

He has a sharp way of explaining how complex systems and client relationships actually work in practice, making his content resonate with business leaders who want more than surface-level advice.

Who Should Follow Mario Hansen?

  • Marketing and growth professionals in B2B technology companies
  • Executives in IT services seeking ideas on positioning and scale
  • Agencies or consultants working with IT firms looking for strategic insight

About IT-Branschen

IT-Branschen is Sweden's leading news platform for the IT and tech industry.

It provides news, analysis, and interviews for IT professionals, decision-makers, and tech enthusiasts.

The platform connects suppliers, resellers, and customers, supporting the Swedish IT ecosystem.

🔗 Visit IT-Branschen

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Hansen uses LinkedIn to share commentary on B2B growth, marketing in the IT sector, and lessons from scaling services-focused companies.

He engages his audience with posts that consider how IT firms can grow by aligning their offering with market needs and customer conversations.

His links to tools such as Favikon show how he tracks influencer and social coverage metrics.

What Makes Mario Hansen Different?

Mario blends deep industry experience in Swedish technology with specialist marketing and growth mindset in B2B.

He isn’t solely focused on product, but on how services, sales, and marketing work together in IT companies. That depth gives his commentary credibility in a niche sector.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Speak to your industry niche and show real examples of strategy in that niche
  • Post about challenges specific to your field and how you address them
  • Use third-party tools or references (e.g., social-coverage metrics) to illustrate how you track your work

Where Mario Hansen Can Grow (on LinkedIn)

His focus on the Swedish and B2B IT market is strong.

To reach a broader audience, Hansen might raise his post frequency or try formats that pull in international IT-services marketers.

A few posts that feature client case stories or regional comparisons could help extend his voice beyond Sweden.

Sara Wallin – Group CEO, Chalmers University of Technology Foundation

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Sara Wallin moved from running a leading tech-transfer organisation to steering Chalmers’ foundation with a clear focus on long-term research funding.

She speaks publicly about structural problems in Sweden’s innovation system and the need for better collaboration between universities, business, and society.

She has also highlighted the importance of supporting startups born from university research to secure Sweden’s global competitiveness in deep tech.

Her work has been featured in opinion pieces on innovation policy and entrepreneurship.

Who Should Follow Sara Wallin?

  • Researchers and university leaders interested in funding and governance
  • Founders building deep tech spinouts
  • Policy makers focused on innovation systems

About Chalmers University of Technology Foundation

Sara Wallin is listed as CEO of the Chalmers University of Technology Foundation on Chalmers’ governance pages.

In early 2025 the foundation announced a SEK 100 million annual pledge for a decade to support excellence-driven research, illustrating the foundation’s growing financial muscle.

🔗 Visit Chalmers University of Technology Foundation

LinkedIn Content Strategy

On LinkedIn Sara mixes opinion pieces with clear calls for systemic change, using platform posts to air op-eds and to amplify institutional announcements.

She links big strategic moves, like long-term research pledges, to wider debates about Sweden’s place in global innovation.

This creates visibility for the foundation and positions her as a thought leader in innovation policy.

What Makes Sara Wallin Different?

She blends operational leadership of tech transfer with public advocacy for systemic reform.

Her background running Chalmers Ventures and her public writing on innovation give her credibility across academia, industry, and policy circles.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Post clear, sourced opinion pieces that tie personal views to institutional actions.
  • Use platform announcements to amplify organisational funding milestones.
  • Connect sector critique with constructive proposals.

Where Sara Can Grow (On LinkedIn)

Sara could increase frequency of short, behind-the-scenes posts that humanise the foundation’s work and invite conversation with researchers and entrepreneurs.

More frequent Q&A style posts would broaden engagement beyond institutional audiences.

Kristina Hagström-Ilievska – CMO, Baseload Capital

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Kristina Hagström-Ilievska combines hands-on geothermal experience with marketing and storytelling.

She has led communication efforts aimed at reshaping the narrative around geothermal as a reliable baseload energy source and she co-founded initiatives to boost public understanding of the sector.

Kristina frequently speaks at clean energy events across Scandinavia, highlighting both the technical potential and societal impact of geothermal energy.

Her leadership in marketing deep tech projects has positioned Baseload Capital as a thought leader in the renewable energy space.

Who Should Follow Kristina Hagström-Ilievska?

  • Renewable energy communicators and advocates
  • Investors and project developers in geothermal energy
  • Marketers curious about storytelling in deep tech

About Baseload Capital

Baseload Capital describes itself as a global investor in geothermal projects, with subsidiaries that build, commission and operate geothermal heat and power plants.

Kristina is listed on Baseload’s team pages as CMO and contributes to reports and campaigns aimed at improving the sector’s public narrative.

🔗 Visit Baseload Capital

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Kristina uses LinkedIn to combine technical credibility with storytelling.

She shares sector reports, event recaps, and multimedia content that simplify geothermal’s benefits for non-technical audiences.

She also promotes cross-industry communication campaigns and education initiatives aimed at building broader support.

What Makes Kristina Different?

Her background spans reservoir management, operations, and marketing, which lets her translate complex technical ideas into narratives that resonate with investors, policy makers, and the public.

She also authors and promotes children’s education projects to build long-term awareness of renewable energy.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Turn technical papers into short, visual posts that non-experts can share.
  • Use storytelling to show real-world impact of projects.
  • Promote educational content to build long-term community support.

Where Kristina Can Grow (On LinkedIn)

Kristina could expand dialogue by posting regular explainer videos and inviting industry peers to co-author short posts.

Building a series format would make complex topics easier to follow and share.

Cecilia Kroon – CMO, Lyko

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

Cecilia Kroon stepped into her new role at Lyko on February 19 2024, taking the reins of the global marketing organization.

Before this, she served as Global Marketing Director at Storytel where she led brand and marketing strategies across international markets.

In the Lyko announcement, CEO Rickard Lyko noted that Cecilia’s experience in brand and marketing would play a significant part as the company holds onto its core identity while growing its presence in local markets.

Who Should Follow Cecilia Kroon?

  • Professionals working in beauty or e-commerce marketing.
  • Growth and product specialists at direct-to-consumer brands.
  • Marketing leaders interested in building global teams.

About Lyko

Lyko is a Nordic specialist retailer in beauty and haircare operating a broad online presence and more than 30 stores and salons in Sweden, Norway and Finland.

The company also runs its own manufacturing facilities and serves both B2C and B2B segments.

🔗 Visit LYKO

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Cecilia shares posts about her new role and her team, mixing announcements of job openings with reflections on marketing culture and brand building.

She uses her platform to highlight Lyko’s identity and values, and to bring visibility to the marketing function.

She also participates in industry discussions outside of Lyko, adding context to her leadership role.

What Makes Cecilia Different?

Cecilia brings a blend of subscription-business marketing and retail-brand expertise into Lyko’s beauty environment.

The announcement emphasized that she would lead brand, strategy, the in-house agency and Lyko’s own brands - showing a multi-discipline remit.

Her emphasis on culture and values during the transition to Lyko indicates a more human-centered approach, rather than purely tactical execution.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Highlight team growth and your hiring journey to add authenticity.
  • Blend culture, values and leadership reflections with product/brand announcements.
  • Use your network to share and amplify milestone moments (e.g., role changes, launches).

Where Cecilia Can Grow (On LinkedIn)

Cecilia might increase the number of posts that reference concrete outcomes or campaign metrics, offering her audience insight into what the marketing work actually produced. This would make her leadership posts more instructive for peers.

Sofia Toll – Group CMO, ABAX

🔗 Follow on LinkedIn

When Sofia Toll joined ABAX, the company framed her appointment as part of a move to reinforce its growth ambitions and brand positioning.

Her prior experience includes major roles at Microsoft, Telia and most recently Amazon Web Services in brand perception for EMEA - giving her a strong background in tech-industry marketing.

In comments at the time Sofia said she saw great opportunity to help ABAX shift from a focus on product sales into a services- and software-first business.

Who Should Follow Sofia Toll?

  • Marketing and brand professionals in B2B SaaS and IoT domains.
  • Fleet operations and telematics industry stakeholders.
  • Tech executives interested in market expansion and repositioning.

About ABAX

ABAX is a European telematics and fleet-management company providing vehicle and asset tracking, fleet data and mobility services.

The company highlighted the hire of Sofia as part of their effort to scale the business and support a shift in their commercial model.

🔗 Visit ABAX

LinkedIn Content Strategy

Sofia tends to focus her public communications on partnerships, product development milestones and brand repositioning.

She uses her LinkedIn presence to speak to market shifts and company culture rather than just campaign snapshots.

ABAX’s announcement shows she planned to bring her technology-marketing experience into a changing business context.

What Makes Sofia Different?

Her marketing background at global tech firms gives her a unique lens for ABAX’s context of complex products and services.

The company’s press release underlined her ability to manage teams, sell complex offerings and make them more accessible to customers.

Sofia’s emphasis on asking “why” and focusing the team was described in the announcement, showing a leadership philosophy that prioritizes clarity and purpose.

Key Takeaways for Your LinkedIn Strategy

  • Announce leadership changes and explain their strategic importance.
  • Share stories about shifts in business model or product offering.
  • Use leadership posts to signal strategic direction and market thinking.

Where Sofia Can Grow (On LinkedIn)

Sofia can increase the volume of case-based posts or customer stories that link the brand and product work to measurable outcomes.

Short posts highlighting specific results of ABAX solutions would bring further clarity to her audience.

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