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Opportunity Gothenburg Day 2021 
Clarion Hotel Post 8 Nov

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Watch the 2021 trailer here

After a break in 2020 due to the pandemic, we were finally able to celebrate a long-awaited 5th anniversary. Participation restrictions due to covid-19 meant that 500 foreign-born job seekers met 20 recruiting companies. Petter Stordalen (Owner and founder, Nordic Choice Hotel), Azita Shariati (CEO, Anicura), Zinat Pirzadeh (comedian and author) and others participated on stage. Among the more than 300 listeners, the business community from Västra Götaland was mainly represented.

2021 PARTNERS, SPONSORS and PARTICIPANTS:

Media partner

Knowledge partner

Network partners

See previous years' speakers. Download the programmes as PDF:

Speakers from Opportunity Day Gothenburg 2021

Petter Stordalen is the owner and founder of Nordic Choice Hotels. Over the years he has emphasised that the key to building successful businesses is a diversity of people and ideas. New recruitment methods have been developed to find people beyond CVs and formal application letters. The result? A workforce from over 170 countries and, thanks to that, named Sweden's best hotel chain 10 years in a row.
Azita Shariati is the President and CEO of AniCura, which currently operates in 400 locations across Europe, with over 9500 employees. Azita Shariati is a proven leader who has received several awards for her work in diversity and inclusion. She has a strong drive to develop values-driven organisations. She was born in Iran in 1968, moved to Sweden in 1988 and holds a degree in Health Economics from the University of Gothenburg.
Watch out - here comes Diversity. Zinat Pirzadeh is a person with a big heart and many talents.She is one of Sweden's most popular comedians, writers and human rights activists. Often it is the differences, but also the similarities between Sweden and Iran that come under the microscope when Zinat takes to the stage. Watch out, here comes diversity! - a lecture about daring to talk about immigration and aiming to reclaim the issue from xenophobic parties. The majority of Swedes today do not dare to discuss the problems resulting from the combination of increased immigration and an integration policy where it takes a long time for new arrivals to enter the labour market. There is also a need for even more natural meeting places to make social life work. This is exploited by those who are critical of immigration in general. Photo: Orlando G. Boström
Axel Josefson is Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board in Gothenburg. With a solid background in Gothenburg's industrial hub SKF, Axel has extensive experience as a management consultant in IT strategy and business development. During his political career, Axel has gained a broad knowledge of issues in business, security, urban planning and traffic. Gothenburg is a city that has always been open to the world. Throughout our history, we have welcomed people and influences from outside, and the city has developed over time with ideas and knowledge from all over the world. International contacts, new influences and new people are and have always been a strength of Gothenburg. The future and growth of the city is entirely dependent on being at the forefront and collaborating with actors around the world who think in new ways and create opportunities for Gothenburg to develop. By being open to the world and co-operating with other cities and countries, we share our knowledge and experience. The international influences are also clearly visible in the city and region's business community. Several large companies in Gothenburg are owned by international players and we have several local companies that are world leaders in their sectors. The city has an influx of people from all over the world and the diversity of its inhabitants is greater than ever. Gothenburgers are the city's most important resource. With different experiences, perspectives and commitment, they enrich Gothenburg.
Hanna Fager started her career at Volvo Cars in Gothenburg in 2002. Hanna has held several different positions within the company and is now Global HR Manager with over 40,000 employees worldwide. She believes that diversity is one of the keys to Volvo Cars' current and future success and in her leadership she strives to create an inclusive and collaborative culture. She has said in a previous interview that she no longer believes in fixed roles, but that development in the industry requires a new view of employees, recognising their strengths and ability to change.
Charbel Gabro, loves to touch - and challenge our way of thinking. With a rare presence, Charbel tackles issues of diversity, integration and inclusion - to de-dramatise cultural encounters. Charbel Gabro is one of Sweden's most sought-after lecturers. He has worked for several years on behalf of municipalities, authorities, companies, schools and institutions. At Opportunity Day, Charbel will be the moderator and guide us through the seminar programme with a firm hand.
Why is the obvious so difficult? You never interrupt, always arrive on time, stand on the right side of the escalator, speak in a normal conversational tone, always seek consensus and you're the boss. Have you ever wondered why the obvious can be so hard to understand? Most of the time, we are not aware of our own culture until we encounter another culture.We are used to things being interpreted in a certain way that leads to obvious and predictable actions. Addressing issues of cultural encounters, cultural differences, tolerance and understanding is important for our whole society, today perhaps more than ever. Increased knowledge of each other provides greater opportunity to deal with new situations and avoid unnecessary mistakes and misunderstandings. Jeanette Ohlsson Carlborg is a historian of religion. For twenty years, she has lectured and trained school staff, authorities and the private sector. Intercultural communication, diversity and human relations are among her main subjects.
Mia Bernhardsen is responsible for the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise's recruitment survey and monitors issues relating to skills development, validation and diversity for broader recruitment.

What skills are in demand by industry? 

How can businesses work to become more inclusive and see skills beyond 'weird' names and conventional qualifications? What societal efforts are needed to open up the labour market so that more people get into work and fewer get stuck in exclusion. And is diversity a strength or even a prerequisite for companies that want to succeed in the labour market of the future? Welcome to a conversation with the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and guests. Moderator is Rudolf Antoni, Regional Director of the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is an American multinational consulting firm with 75 offices in 42 countries. The company is often ranked as one of the three most prestigious management consulting firms in the world.This spring, BCG released a new report on gender equality and diversity in the Nordic region, which shows that Sweden is lagging behind internationally and suggests concrete steps that Swedish companies can take to move forward.Thomas Jensen, CEO of BCG in Sweden and responsible for HR and recruitment at the Nordic level, will be at Opportunity Day to highlight the key lessons learnt from the report and provide concrete tips for the business community. Thomas himself has a great commitment to the issues and has initiated a thorough change process at BCG in the Nordic region.

The lecture will take place digitally.