Sweden-Latvia Young Professionals 2023

CONNECTING AND ENGAGING OVER THE BALTIC SEA

The main aim of the Young Professionals´ leadership program is two-fold: to connect young people over the Baltic Sea and provide a better grip of a neighboring country, as well as to develop their leadership skills. In 2023, when this program was arranged for the second time, sixteen young people from Sweden and Latvia took part of the program, which is arranged by the cooperation fund, and supported by SEB and Swedbank. The age range is around 20-35, and the program consists of two times two working days. The first leg took place in Riga, the second in Stockholm. It might not seam a lot of time, but it is enough to get a better understanding of the respective country, as well as to start developing lasting networks.

Both programs contained meetings with highly ranked professionals in different fields. Some highlights: in Riga the group met (digitally) with the Brigadier General of the Latvian armed forces, Ilmārs Lejiņš, discussing Leadership in a troubled world, and Ņikita Kazakevičs, Manager of the department of Innovation and Technologies at Investment and Development Agency of Latvia, as well as one of the graduates of the program in 2022, Inta Buša on “Innovation - Unlocking Innovation through Curiosity". In Stockholm Jens Henriksson, CEO of Swedbank, gave his view on leadership and another graduate from the 2022 program, Emanuel Örtengren, now political adviser to the minister for EU Affairs, made a presentation on Political leadership.

The participants of the 2023 program were from Latvia: Šarlote Špengele, Anastasija Smirnova, Baiba Dziedātāja, Elizabete Rēzija Nīmante, Krišjānis Krakops, Nellija Strazda, Pauls Pencis, Tomass Pildegovičs. From Sweden: Angelika Bengtsson, Axel Bertling, Daniel Vencu Velasquez Castro, Jennifer Lezis Israelsson, Linn Svärd, Linnea Andersson and Oliver Lundberg.

The full programs can be viewed below:    

The Young Professionals´ program in Riga

The Young Professionals´ program in Stockholm

On behalf of the program - a special thank you to the SEB head quarters in Latvia and the SEB head quarters in Sweden for excellent cooperation and for hosting us.