ANNA BJERDE

Managing Director Operations, World Bank 

Anna Bjerde is one of the most influential Swedish leaders in international development and the global economy. She serves as Managing Director of Operations at the World Bank in Washington, DC—one of the organization’s three highest operational leadership roles—and reports directly to World Bank President Ajay Banga. In this position, she leads global operations and is responsible for strategic initiatives aimed at promoting economic development, stability, and sustainable growth in developing countries.

Anna has worked at the World Bank since 1997 and has held a number of senior leadership positions within the organization over nearly three decades. She holds a Master’s degree in Business and Economics from Stockholm University and began her international career in London before joining the World Bank, where she has built extensive expertise in economics, financing, and international development.

In her current role, she oversees several of the World Bank’s most significant and strategically important initiatives. Among them is Mission 300, an effort to provide 300 million people in Africa with access to electricity by 2030. She also plays a central role in the bank’s climate strategy, in advancing sustainable energy systems, and in supporting Ukraine, with a focus on reconstruction, economic stability, and long-term resilience. Bjerde’s work is guided by the belief that development assistance should not be viewed merely as a cost, but as an investment in global stability, security, and future growth.

Through her leadership, Anna Bjerde helps strengthen Sweden’s international reputation. The Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri named her International Leader of the Year 2024, recognizing how her work positions Sweden as a leader in sustainability, innovation, and international responsibility. She has also gained international recognition and was included on the Devex Power 50 list of individuals with growing influence in the global development sector.

Beyond her work at the World Bank, Anna Bjerde is active in the Swedish professional community in Washington, DC, and is also a member of SWEA International’s Washington, DC chapter. In interviews and articles in Swedish media, she often emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking, bold investment, and viewing technology, climate policy, and economic development as interconnected parts of the same whole.

With her strategic leadership, international experience, and deep commitment to sustainable development, Anna Bjerde plays a key role in advancing a more stable, inclusive, and forward-looking world. She stands as a clear example of how Swedish expertise and values can make a meaningful impact on the global stage.

🔗 Anna Bjerde on X

🔗 Anna Bjerde on Linkedin 

JESSICA MEIR

Astronaut NASA Johnson Space Center, Spacecraft Commander / Crew Commander Crew-12, International Space Station

Jessica Meir is a NASA astronaut and the first Swedish female astronaut. She was born in Caribou, Maine, in the United States, to a Swedish mother and an Israeli father. Meir holds Swedish citizenship and has highlighted her Swedish roots throughout her career. She is part of NASA’s Artemis team and, on February 13, 2026, returned to space as one of four astronauts on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission.

The International Space Station (ISS) is a collaboration between the United States, Canada, the European Union, Japan, and Russia. It functions as a laboratory orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. Astronauts conduct research on topics such as human physiology in space, materials science, climate research and Earth observation, robotics, and preparations for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Jessica is expected to return to Earth in the autumn of 2026.

Jessica Meir was selected as an astronaut in 2013 and has since played a central role in several of NASA’s human spaceflight programs. During her first space mission in 2019–2020, she participated in Expedition 61/62 to the ISS and spent more than seven months in space. During that mission she carried out over 150 scientific experiments and completed three spacewalks. Together with astronaut Christina Koch, she made history by participating in the first spacewalks conducted entirely by women—an important symbolic milestone for gender equality in space exploration.

On her missions, Meir has often worn the Swedish flag on her spacesuit and brought Swedish symbols with her, including a book about Pippi Longstocking. This has made her a strong representative of Sweden on the international space stage. On her current mission aboard the ISS, Jessica has even brought SWEA into space in the form of a SWEA symbol.

Jessica Meir has an extensive academic background. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown University, a master’s degree in space studies from International Space University, and a PhD in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of California San Diego. Her research has focused on how animals survive in extreme environments, such as diving seals and penguins that can tolerate very low oxygen levels—knowledge that is also relevant to space medicine.

Earlier in her career, Jessica worked as a researcher at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. She also participated in NASA experiments related to human physiology in space, including zero-gravity flights and underwater missions designed to simulate space travel.

Jessica Meir has been named one of the world’s most influential people by Time Magazine and has received several honorary doctorates, including one from Luleå University of Technology. Through her work at NASA, her scientific expertise, and her strong connection to her Swedish heritage, she has helped place Sweden on the global map of space exploration and international science. Jessica demonstrates how curiosity, knowledge, and courage can carry humanity all the way into space.

Jessica Meir lives in Houston, Texas, where she works at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. She is also a supporter of SWEA International and an honorary member of SWEA Houston.

🔗 Jessica Meir on Instagram

🔗 Jessica Meir on X

KRISTINA KAPPELIN

CEO and Curator at Villa San Michele, Honorary Consul in Anacapri, Journalist and Author

Kristina Kappelin lives in Anacapri on the island of Capri in Italy and is a journalist, author, and director of Villa San Michele on Capri—one of Sweden’s most important cultural institutions outside the country. With around 150,000 visitors each year, Villa San Michele is the most visited Swedish cultural institution abroad. Through her work, Kristina has made a unique contribution to strengthening international interest in Swedish culture, history, and contemporary life.

Villa San Michele, built by Axel Munthe, is today a museum, a cultural center, and a meeting place between Sweden and Italy. Under Kristina’s leadership, the institution has expanded its activities and increased the number of cultural events. The scholarship program for Swedish artists and researchers has broadened, funding has been strengthened through significant external fundraising, and new international collaborations have been established. Among other initiatives, Kristina organizes the film festival Swedish Film Goes Capri, where Swedish films are presented to an international audience. She also arranges concerts, art exhibitions, and cultural festivals that attract visitors from around the world. Through the scholarship program, Swedish artists and creators are given the opportunity to live and work at Villa San Michele for a period, making the institution a vibrant environment for creativity rather than simply a museum.

Kristina has also worked actively to reach younger generations and ensure that the institution reflects the diversity of contemporary Sweden, while at the same time preserving Villa San Michele’s historic legacy and making it relevant to a modern audience.

Kristina has worked in Italy for more than thirty years and is well known to both Swedish and Italian audiences. She has served as a foreign correspondent for Sveriges Television, Dagens Industri, and other Swedish media outlets. She has also been a television presenter on SVT and has written several widely noted books about Italy, Europe, and international politics. In addition, she serves as Sweden’s honorary consul in Anacapri and is a frequently invited lecturer on European affairs and international relations.

Through her work, Kristina Kappelin brings together journalism, culture, and international engagement. She represents Sweden globally by both conveying an image of Sweden abroad and bringing knowledge and perspectives from the wider world back home. As director of Villa San Michele, she has made the institution a living symbol of Swedish culture, openness, and creativity—and an international meeting place where Sweden continues to play a visible and meaningful role.

🔗 Kristina Kappelin on Instagram

🔗 Kristina Kappelin on LinkedIn

TOVE ÅGREN

Aerospace Engineer, Flight Dynamics and Aerodynamics for Mars Rotorcraft, Analytical Mechanics Associates, NASA Ames Research Center 

Tove Ågren lives in Silicon Valley, south of San Francisco, and is a Swedish aerospace engineer working at NASA Ames Research Center in California. She belongs to a new generation of Swedish scientists and engineers operating at the forefront of international space technology. Through her work on flight dynamics and the development of rotorcraft vehicles for Mars, she contributes to some of the world’s most advanced engineering projects and represents Swedish expertise and innovation at the highest level.

Tove Ågren began working at NASA shortly after earning her master’s degree in Applied and Computational Mathematics in 2022 from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. During her studies she had internships at organizations including European Space Agency, Swedish Space Corporation, and NASA, where she worked with simulations, artificial intelligence, and flight dynamics. Her master’s thesis on rocket simulation was awarded the prize for the best space-related master’s thesis at KTH.

At NASA Ames Research Center, Tove works with aerodynamics and flight mechanics for future Mars helicopters. She has served in technical roles connected to the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project—the first powered aircraft ever to fly on another planet—and is involved in developing the next generation of rotorcraft designed to fly longer distances, carry more equipment, and support future Mars exploration missions. Her work includes aerodynamic modeling, machine learning, and simulation of flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars.

Beyond her engineering career, Tove also has a background as an elite sprinter and has worked as a fashion model. She has received media attention and is a sought-after speaker at technology and innovation conferences, including Women in Tech Sweden, where she has inspired young people to pursue education in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She often highlights the importance of education, gender equality, and curiosity, demonstrating through her own example that Swedish women can succeed even in highly male-dominated high-tech fields.

Through her work at NASA, Tove Ågren helps place Sweden on the map of modern space research. She represents a new generation of Swedes working internationally, combining scientific excellence with the courage to follow their own path, and serving as a strong role model for young people who want to work with the technologies of the future. Her career shows that the path from Swedish universities to the world’s most advanced space projects is possible—and that the next major step in the exploration of Mars may very well carry a Swedish imprint.

🔗 Tove Ågren on Instagram

🔗 Tove Ågren on LinkedIn