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Finnveden leaves his position as Vice President

Published Jan 14, 2021

After almost ten years Göran Finnveden leaves his position as Vice President for Sustainable Development at KTH.
“He has done a tremendous job and implemented changes that mean we are well positioned to take the next step in efforts to further integrate sustainable development into research, education and partnerships,” says KTH President Sigbritt Karlsson.

portrait of Göran Finnveden
Göran Finnveden

Finnveden’s part-time appointment was due to run until the end of December this year, but he has chosen to leave at the end of January.

“Ten years is a long time for this kind of assignment. I also fear there is a certain risk that our sustainability work can slide backwards and not be given the focus I think it should have. I therefore think it is better if others continue the work,” he says.

Karlsson does not share his concerns.

“Sustainable development is a cornerstone of KTH and driving this work forward in various ways will be guaranteed. The intention is for one or two heads of school to be given the main responsibility as part of their respective briefs, together with other personnel working with these issues,” Karlsson explains and adds:

“Naturally I think it is a pity that Göran is resigning but having said that, this kind of work does not stand or fall on the shoulders of one person. Thanks to the solid work that Göran and his team have done to date, we can progress to the next level.

Finnveden agrees to an extent:

“We have taken major steps forward, but not all the way. There is a big potential for many people at KTH to drive these issues forward.”

He also says that KTH has played a leading role in Sweden in this area and that it is important that it is managed well. But at the same time, he sees pleasing signs that more and more is happening within sustainable development at other universities around Sweden and the world.

One of the things he is most satisfied with after almost a decade in the development of sustainability work at KTH is the breadth, namely that sustainable development is now an obvious part of education, research and also encompasses KTH’s own activities and campuses.

“I am not talking about any one specific initiative but more the big picture.”

Finnveden, Professor of Environmental Strategic Analysis, will continue his work as a researcher within projects related to areas such as climate, sustainable consumption, the circular economy and life cycle analysis. 

Text: Jill Klackenberg

Page responsible:Marianne Norén
Belongs to: Current
Last changed: Jan 14, 2021