Örebro University Board

Eight members, including the chairperson of the board, are appointed by the government and represent public interests. Full members of the board are also the vice-chancellor, three faculty representatives and three student representatives. Staff representatives (union representatives) have the right to attend and speak at the university board meetings, as does the internal auditor and other members of university management.

Presentation of board members

Lars Haikola, Chairperson
Lars Haikola is the chairperson of the University Board at Örebro University since 1 March 2019.
He defended his doctoral thesis on Ludwig Wittgenstein in philosophy of religion in 1977.
Lars Haikola’s first managerial position was as head of the School of Theology at Lund University. Later he was appointed vice-chancellor of the Teacher Training College in Malmö and later as vice-chancellor at Blekinge Institute of Technology and Campus Helsingborg (Lund University). He also led the merger of Växjö University and the University of Kalmar, which today form Linnaeus University.
Between 2010–2014, Lars Haikola was Chancellor and head of the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKA). Born in 1947.

Johan Schnürer, Vice-Chancellor
Professor Johan Schnürer is vice-chancellor of Örebro University since 1 July 2016. Prior appointments were as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Education and Collaboration at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) at Uppsala between 2010–2016 and head of the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology (SLU) between 1996–2010. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Sciences from Uppsala University. Johan Schnürer obtained his PhD at SLU in 1985 within soil microbiology. He was appointed docent in 1988 and in 2000, professor of microbiology at SLU. Johan Schnürer’s research has dealt with foodborne microfungi. He has supervised more than a dozen doctoral students, published 114 research articles and owns several patents. Born in 1957.
Read more about Johan Schnürer’s research.

Representatives of the public interest

(Term: 2020–05–01 – 2023–04–30)

Hans Enocson, former Managing Director and Group CEO, GE Nordic Region
Finance officer educated at Stockholm University and with a PED at IMD Business School, Switzerland. Hans Enocson was Managing Director and CEO at GE Nordic Region from 2007–2017. He has more than 30 years experience in the industrial sector, having worked in France and the USA, among other places. He worked at LKB/Pharmacia, today a GE subsidiary in Uppsala. In the 1990’s he headed GE Information Services, for the Nordic Countries. He has served on several boards, among these GE and Uppsala Innovation Centre, plus having advisory rolls at Uppsala University and Stockholm Resilience Centre. He also has extensive experience as a management consultant. Born in 1950.

Görgen Johansson, Senior Vice President and Head of Business Area Dynamics at Saab Bofors Dynamics
He has a Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics from Växjö University and has broad financial and industrial experience from various companies. Görgen Johansson has worked in the defence industry for over 20 years, and has a long career within the defence and security company Saab, as group controller and acting CFO, among other things. In January 2013, he was appointed the head of its Dynamics business area and he is a member of Saab’s group management team. He is a board member for Wambient AB. Born in 1964. 

Eva Malmström Jonsson, Professor, KTH
Eva Malmström Jonsson is a professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm since 2005. Her research is focused on polymers and surface materials in among others, biofuels. She is deputy president at KTH. She trained at KTH in chemistry and polymer technology. Born in 1966.

Andreas Svahn, Chairperson, Regional Council, Örebro
Andreas Svahn is a region councillor and chairperson of Region Örebro County. He has previously served as a member on the county council. Anders Svahn has also served as chairperson for the municipal executive board for the town of Hallsberg 2013–2017. He has previous experience as chairperson of the property and housing company Länsgården. Born in 1973.

Louise Ungerth, self-employed
Louise Ungerth is an agricultural engineer, and trained at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Alnarp. She worked at LRF between 1981 and 1996, then moved on to the Stockholm Consumer Cooperative Society (KfS), heading up public opinion advocacy and the unit for Consumerism and Environment. Louise Ungerth was a board member at SLU between 2007 and 2010, and was involved in many research contexts such as Mistra Future Fashion, Mat 21 and Framtidens lantbruk at SLU. Some examples of other assignments are as a member of the Swedish Consumer Agency advisory council and the Swedish National Food Administration consumer panel and the Swedish National Food Administration’s task group for Safety and Preparedness in the Food Chain. Louise is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and the Swedish Bar Association’s consumer board. In June 2017, Louise Ungerth left her position at KfS and started her own company. Born in 1952.

Cissi Billgren Askwall, Secretary General of VA
Cissi Billgren Askwall is Secretary General of VA (Public and Science), a non-profit membership organisation promoting dialogue and openness between researchers and the public.
She has previously been head of communications at VA and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, principal secretary of the government report Kulturnät Sverige, and subsequently project manager of the Kulturnätet project. She has also worked as a journalist at Swedish Radio.
Cissi Billgren Askwall has a degree in journalism and has also studied political science, psychology and theology. She is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry’s research committee, vice president of the European Science Engagement Association and chair of the Stockholm Diocesan Council. She was born in 1966.

Sari Ponzer, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Karolinska Institutet
Sari Ponzer is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Karolinska Institutet and Head of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Södersjukhuset Hospital, Stockholm. She is also the Director of Research, Education, Development and Innovation at Södersjukhuset Hospital.
Sari Ponzer has been involved in the reform of both the undergraduate medical programme and the nursing programme at Karolinska Institutet. She has led a number of pedagogical projects and has worked as lecturer, supervisor and course director within undergraduate medical education. She has held various leading posts at Karolinska Institutet, among them head of school and dean of education.
Her research focuses orthopaedics, mainly trauma including osteoporosis injuries, but she also conducts research in medical pedagogics.
Sari Ponzer obtained her nursing degree in Helsinki in 1978, completed her undergraduate medical education in 1986, and was appointed Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Karolinska Institutet in 2007.  Sari Ponzer was born in 1956.

University representatives

Malin Hagström
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Elin Vimefall
Elin Vimefall is a senior lecturer in Economics.
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Joachim Åström
Joachim Åström is Professor of Political Science.
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Student representatives

(Term: 2021-07-01 – 2022-06-30)

President, Örebro Student Union

Emilia Malm
President, Örebro Student Union and representing all students.
Email:

Katarina Kristoffersson
Former president, Örebro Student Union, 2020–2021.

Linda Eriksson
Doctoral student, The School of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

Union representatives:

Jens Ekengren, Saco-S
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Odd Johansson, SEKO
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Martin Larsson, OFR/S
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Other

Anna-Karin Andershed
Anna-Karin Andershed is deputy vice-chancellor at Örebro University, professor of psychology and research leader at the Center for Criminological and Psychosocial Research (CAPS).
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Louise Pålsson
Louise Pålsson has worked as university director at Örebro University since September 2014. As university director, she reports directly to the vice-chancellor and is responsible for the university’s joint administration and support operations and their development. The university director is part of the university’s management team which consists of the vice-chancellor, the deputy vice-chancellor and the university director.
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Administrative Support

Marie Andersson
Marie Andersson works as a secretary at the Executive Office.
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Carolina Wittenfelt
Carolina Wittenfelt provides support to the university management regarding managerial communication.
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