PRESS RELEASE: New all-Nordic board of Medicon Valley Alliance

Apr 9, 2026

At the 2026 Ordinary General Meeting of the Danish Swedish life science organization Medicon Valley Alliance on April 9, 2026 a couple of new distinctively Nordic life science profiles were elected, which now means that the industry members now include both a Dane, a Swede, a Norwegian, and a Finn. While the Danish Chair of the Board, Niels Abel Bonde, and the Finnish Matthew Iles, General Manager for AbbVie Scandinavia, were both re-elected, the Board now also includes Sofia Wallström, CEO of the Swedish Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Lif) and Board Member of EFPIA, as well as Norway’s Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead at Sanofi Denmark A/S. Sofia Wallström was elected as the new Vice Chair of the Board, succeeding Ulf G. Anderson, former CEO of the Malmö-based Medeon Science Park, who steps down from the Board after nine years. ”The newly elected MVA Board of Directors with representatives from four Nordic countries testifies to the ambitions of the organization to not only represent regional Danish and Swedish companies in the Medicon Valley geography, but also to embrace the Nordic dimension and explore the potential for strengthened collaboration with the clusters in the other Nordic countries” says MVA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Niels Abel Bonde “On behalf of the existing board, I would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulate both Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead, Sanofi Danmark A/S, and Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif Sweden with the election to the new MVA Board.  I look forward to working closely with Sofia Wallström in her new capacity as vice chair and in doing so firmly anchor and extend the Swedish – Danish axis of the organization,” says MVA Chairman of the Board of Directors, Niels Abel Bonde  “At a time of increasing global competition and shifting rules of the game, we need to strengthen collaboration across countries, systems, and stakeholders. Medicon Valley Alliance is a unique platform for this, and I want to contribute to further enhancing the region’s attractiveness for research, innovation, and investment”, says Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif Sweden. “My motivation is to help ensure that the Nordic region takes a stronger and more coordinated position in a rapidly changing global landscape. I look forward to working with the rest of the Board to further develop collaboration within Medicon Valley Alliance, with a focus on translating our strengths into concrete competitiveness, improved patient access, and innovation” Sofia continues. ” Being elected to the MVA Board is a privilege, and I am excited to help expand the alliance’s Nordic reach, says Gabriel Johannessen, Country Lead of Sanofi Danmark A/S. As a Norwegian based in Denmark and working across borders every day, I see enormous potential in building even stronger links between the Nordic ecosystems. Together we can create a more unified, competitive, and patient‑focused life science region that stands even stronger globally. This is even more essential now, given the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in and the balance we must strike with Europe and the US, particularly considering the strong focus on MFN.” Although Medicon Valley Alliance remains firmly committed to strengthen, position and represent Medicon Valley as the leading, most competitive, innovative and vibrant life science hub in the European Union, as highlighted in the updated strategy from last year, the vision is also to become the center of gravity of increased Nordic life science collaboration and as such the slightly more all-Nordic composition of the new board is aligned with this focus. 

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