SPEAKERS

Jesper Brodin is the CEO of Ingka Group. His career with IKEA spans over 20 years, and he stepped into his current role in September 2017. Before being appointed CEO, Jesper was Managing Director at IKEA of Sweden/Range & Supply.

Jesper’s career at IKEA started in 1995 with a purchase manager role in Pakistan; not long after that he became Regional Purchase Manager for South East Asia. In 1999, he took on the assignment of assistant, both to IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and to Anders Dahlvig, who was CEO at that time.

As a leader, Jesper is known for his belief in values-based leadership and for his emphasis on togetherness. Jesper’s vision for Ingka Group spotlights sustainable development. He is a member of the World Economic Forum, advocating for wider climate commitments across the global retail sector.

AuroreBelfrage is a tech investor, geopolitical advisor, and sustainability strategist working at the intersection of technology, energy, and global
affairs. She co-founded the green-tech think tank SusTechable and invests in renewables, with a strong bet on geothermal.

Aurore serves on multiple boards, co-hosts the “Cow on the Ice” podcast, and advises AI Sweden and the Swedish Institute. Formerly with EQT Ventures, she’s also a columnist, author, and ex-scrap dealer and the co-author of “Climate and the New World Order” and “Modern Warfare – New Technologies and Enduring Concepts”.

Mr Thierry Carlier was appointed as Ambassador of France in Sweden on March 7th 2025. From 2014 to 2018, he worked at the General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) as Director for international, strategic and technological affairs, managing inter-agency coordination for counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation and export control. Promoted to Lieutenant General, he then went back to the DGA as Director for International Development (2018-2022). He was then promoted to General and assigned as Deputy General Director of DGA (2022-2025).

Married and father of two children, Mr Carlier was awarded the ranks of officier of the Légion ’honneur and commandeur of the ordre national du Mérite, and received the Aeronautics Medal. He was awarded the rank of Commander of the Legion of Merit (USA), Officer of the Order of Merit (Italy), and received the Tamandaré Medal of Merit (Brazil).

He speaks English and German.

Thierry Coulhon has a long track record in higher education and research. Agrégé inmathematics (1981), he holds a DEA in the history and philosophy of science (University of Paris I, 1985) and a habilitation to direct research in mathematics (University of Paris VI, 1991). Thierry Coulhon has held several academic management positions during his career, both in France and internationally. He was President of University of Cergy-Pontoise (2004-2008), Director of the Mathematical Sciences Institute of the Australian National University in Canberra (2012-2015) and President of Paris Sciences et Lettres (2015-2017). He alsoserved as Special Advisor, and later on as Deputy Director, to Valérie Pécresse, former Minister of Higher Education and Research (from 2008 to 2010). He was Director of the "Centers of Excellence" program at the Commissariat Général à l'Investissement (from February 2010 to August 2012). He was then appointed Education, Higher Education, Research and Innovation Advisor in the office of French President Emmanuel Macron (from June 2017 to October 2020). Since November 2020, he has been president of the Haut Conseil de l'évaluation de la recherche et de l'enseignement supérieur.

Helena Hedblom is born 1973, a Swedish citizen, and has a M.Sc. in Material Technology from the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.

Helena Hedblom leads Epiroc, a Swedish company in the mining and construction industries, that plays a crucial role in advancing solutions to the challenges posed by climate change.

With the growing demand for critical metals, the sector is central to the development of renewable energy systems.

As the demand rises for these resources, this industry is also focusing on attracting young, diverse talents to help drive innovation.

Under Helena's five years as CEO, Epiroc - operating in a very male-dominated industry - has worked hard to embrace diversity and attract more women.

Karen Pflug joined Ingka Group as Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in August 2021. In this role, she leads the sustainability centre of expertise which supports the company to deliver towards the ambitious commitments set out in the IKEA Sustainability strategy.

Throughout her career, Karen has led major business transformation and change initiatives, with a strong emphasis on innovation, sustainable design and retail. Prior to joining Ingka Group, Karen was CEO of Ikano Insight, UK, and Global Quality Manager at Range & Supply, Inter IKEA Group. She has held a range of senior leadership roles in fashion and sportswear brands such as Nike, Reebok, Triumph International and Australian sportswear brand Skins.

In 2024, Karen was recognised by TIME100 as one of the top business leaders in climate, highlighting her commitment and contributions to accelerating climate action.