Dr. Lars Heikensten
When the 48th annual Nobel Conference – “Our Global Ocean” – commences on the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College on Oct. 2-3, the College will welcome and honor special guest Dr. Lars Johan Heikensten, the Executive Director of The Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
Dr. Heikensten will receive an honorary degree during the opening ceremony of the Nobel Conference, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
“We are pleased Dr. Heikensten has accepted our invitation to attend this year’s Nobel Conference,” President Ohle said. “Gustavus has been entrusted by The Nobel Foundation to host this unique event for now 48 years. We are honored that Dr. Heikensten will be with us to witness the uniqueness of the Nobel Conference as thousands of people come together each year to hear groundbreaking research from such distinguished scholars.”
Dr. Heikensten was elected to succeed Dr. Michael Sohlman as executive director of The Nobel Foundation when Dr. Sohlman retired on May 1, 2011. A former governor of Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank), Dr. Heikensten was a member of the European Court of Auditors at the time of his appointment to The Nobel Foundation board.
Dr. Heikensten holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Stockholm School of Economics (1984), was employed as a chief economist at the Swedish National Debt Office before joining the Ministry of Finance in 1985 as a director and later director-general and head of the Economic Affairs Department. Between 1992 and 1995 he was chief economist at Handelsbanken. In the autumn of 1995, he became deputy governor of Sveriges Riksbank with particular responsibility for monetary policy, rising to governor in 2003. During his ten years at the Riksbank, an inflation target policy was established and interest rates fell significantly. At the same time the Riksbank became one of the most transparent central banks in the world. Heikensten left in 2006 to become the Swedish member of the European Court of Auditors.
Author of several books and numerous articles in professional journals, Dr. Heikensten has been a member of the EU Monetary Committee, on the general council of the European Central Bank (ECB), and a governor for the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The Nobel Foundation is a private institution established in 1900 based on the will of Alfred Nobel. The Foundation manages the assets made available through the will for the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. It represents the Nobel Institutions externally and administers informational activities and arrangements surrounding the presentation of the Nobel Prize awards. The Foundation also administers the Nobel Symposium Program.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510