Leading in the Age of Complexity Event Recap
On December 1, the INSEAD Alumni Association Sweden, generously hosted by McKinsey & Company at their Stockholm offices, brought together INSEAD alumni for an evening dedicated to “Leading in the Age of Complexity: Business, Technology and Transformation.”
The event gathered senior leaders, board members, investors, and advisors for a timely and engaging discussion on how leadership must evolve as complexity, geopolitical uncertainty, and technological acceleration become permanent features of the business landscape.
Welcome and hosting
The evening was opened by Duarte Marchand, INSEAD Alumni Association Sweden Board, together with Tomas Nauclér, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company Sweden, who welcomed alumni to McKinsey and framed the discussion around leadership, competitiveness, and long-term transformation.
Keynotes: leadership, innovation, and competitiveness in focus
The program featured two complementary keynote perspectives:
Kristin Skogen Lund,
Chair of INSEAD, Chair of Delivery Hero, Board Member at Mozilla and Stingray Marine Solutions, and former CEO of Schibsted,
shared personal reflections on leadership, innovation, and INSEAD’s role in shaping leaders for a world defined by uncertainty, societal pressure, and rapid change. She emphasised mindset, courage, and responsibility as essential leadership capabilities in the age of complexity.
Kristin also highlighted the relevance of INSEAD Professor and 2025 Economy Nobel Prize laureate Philippe Aghion, pointing to his work on creative destruction and the role of technology in driving innovation, productivity, and long-term economic growth. His research strongly resonated with the evening’s focus on renewal, competitiveness, and the need to embrace—rather than resist—technological change.
Johan Bengtsson,
Partner at McKinsey & Company,
delivered a keynote on “Innovation Execution – A New Industrial Paradigm Emerges.” Drawing on McKinsey research, he illustrated how global disruptors outperform incumbents through speed, integrated execution, and bold ambition, raising important questions about European and Swedish competitiveness in a rapidly shifting industrial landscape. Some of the insights was built on McKinsey Research in European Manufacturing https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/automotive-and-assembly/our-insights/innovation-execution-a-new-industrial-paradigm-emerges#/ and Sweden Competitiveness https://www.mckinsey.com/se/our-insights/the-paradoxes-of-swedens-success-and-struggles-and-the-path-forward
Together, the two keynotes framed both the human and structural dimensions of leading through complexity.
Panel discussion: navigating complexity from multiple perspectives
The keynotes were followed by a dynamic panel discussion, facilitated by Liselotte Engstam, INSEAD Alumni Sweden Board Member, professional board member, researcher, author, and artist.
Panel participants:
- Yannick Fierling – CEO, Electrolux; former CEO, Haier Europe
- Anna Mossberg – Board Member, Volvo Cars, Swedbank, Swisscom, Ringier, Marshall Group
- Mikael Ahlström – Chairman, Curitas Ventures; prominent PE and VC investor; former Chair & CEO
- Tomas Nauclér – Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company; Global Lead Aftermarket & Services and Sustainability
- Kristin Skogen Lund – Chair, INSEAD; Chair Delivery Hero; Board Member Mozilla and others
The panel explored leadership from the perspectives of CEO, board, investor, and advisor, addressing geopolitics, innovation execution, AI, talent, and governance in an increasingly complex environment.
Key themes that stood out
Across keynote perspectives and panel dialogue, several themes stood out:
From incremental change to transformation
Leaders must move beyond optimisation and pilot projects toward full operating-model shifts—particularly in innovation, digitalisation, and AI.
Competitiveness under pressure
Europe and Sweden face intensifying global competition. Speed, decision-making, and execution capability are becoming decisive leadership differentiators.
Leadership, culture, and trust
Transformation is ultimately human. Leaders and boards play a critical role in creating psychological safety, reducing fear of failure, and enabling learning at scale.
Boards as active stewards of renewal
Oversight today requires more than control—it demands curiosity, conviction, and active engagement with technology, talent, and long-term value creation.
The evening highlighted how leadership in complexity is less about having answers—and more about asking better questions, faster, together.
Key themes that stood out
Across keynote perspectives and panel dialogue, several themes stood out:
From incremental change to transformation
Leaders must move beyond optimisation and pilot projects toward full operating-model shifts—particularly in innovation, digitalisation, and AI.
Competitiveness under pressure
Europe and Sweden face intensifying global competition. Speed, decision-making, and execution capability are becoming decisive leadership differentiators.
Leadership, culture, and trust
Transformation is ultimately human. Leaders and boards play a critical role in creating psychological safety, reducing fear of failure, and enabling learning at scale.
Boards as active stewards of renewal
Oversight today requires more than control—it demands curiosity, conviction, and active engagement with technology, talent, and long-term value creation.
The evening highlighted how leadership in complexity is less about having answers—and more about asking better questions, faster, together.
Research lens: creative destruction, technology, and growth
A recurring undercurrent throughout the evening echoed Philippe Aghion’s Nobel Prize-winning work on creative destruction: sustained growth depends on the ability to continuously renew—by allowing new technologies, business models, and ideas to replace old ones.
For leaders and boards, this has clear implications:
- Defending legacy structures for too long can erode competitiveness
- Technology is not just an efficiency tool, but a growth engine
- Governance must enable experimentation, investment, and renewal—while managing risk responsibly
In an age of complexity, the role of leadership is not to slow creative destruction, but to guide it.
Read more at https://www.insead.edu/about-insead/nobel-prize
Looking ahead: INSEAD Sweden’s 2026 program
Building on the insights from December 1, INSEAD Sweden is preparing a diverse and forward-looking 2026 program, including:
- Human Dialogue (Feb–Mar) – Exploring the human side of complexity
- Company Visit: Electrolux (March 12, 17-19.30) – Transformation in practice
- Failure & Innovation (April) – Learning from what doesn’t work
- AGM + Digital Futures (May) – Shaping what comes next
- Career Growth (October) – Managing transitions in a changing world
- Managing Risk (November) – Leading under uncertainty
- Competitiveness (December) – Reflecting on where we stand
- Plus social and networking events such as padel, wine tasting, and monthly alumni drinks
In addition, the INSEAD Alumni Europe Forum 2026 will be held in Oslo May 14-17, offering a unique opportunity for Nordic and European alumni to connect across borders. We expect and encourage many INSEAD Sweden alumni to join, and look forward to a strong Swedish presence at this flagship European gathering.
Read more and Register at INSEAD Alumni Europe Forum 2026
Membership renewal – now open
To continue delivering high-quality events, thought leadership, and a strong alumni community, members are kindly reminded to renew their INSEAD Sweden membership.
- Preferred payment: via MyINSEAD
- Annual fee: 70 EUR (via MyINSEAD) or 750 SEK (alternative payment options)
Please also remember to keep your contact details updated in MyINSEAD to receive invitations and updates.