Elaine Weidman-Grunewald

Elaine has more than two decades of international executive experience with a focus on sustainability/ESG, digitalization, public affairs and corporate development, and clean tech investing. Her advocacy for the private sector’s role in solving sustainability challenges has played out in multinational as well as startup environments. She co-founded her own startup, the AI Sustainability Center, with a mission to develop practical tools to help companies address the scaling of AI in ethical contexts. She has advised numerous companies, funds and CEOs, and is actively engaged in the vibrant Nordic start up scene. She recently joined Tonomus, the tech and digital arm of NEOM, where she focuses on sustainability and sustainable venture investments. Founding the Center followed a long-held career at Ericsson as Chief Sustainability & Public Affairs Officer and member of the Executive Team. At Ericsson she built a global, diverse team covering operations in 180 countries. She pioneered the “Technology for Good” platform showing early on how tech is a powerful accelerator for the Sustainable Development Goals, that spread from Sweden to Africa to Silicon Valley, and is now embraced by the broader tech sector. She is the co-author of Sustainability Leadership, a Swedish Approach to Transforming Your Company, Your Industry and the World (2020, Palgrave Macmillan). Replete with some 25 interviews of CEO’s and experts, the book delves into the ingredients for Sweden’s “secret sauce” to inspire and provide a roadmap for global business leaders on how to raise their sustainability ambition. She is also a contributor to the anthology Ethics at Work: Dilemmas of the Near Future and How Your Organization Can Solve Them (2022). Elaine’s public board positions have included the European Sustainable Growth Acquisition Corp., Azelio, and Sweco AB, and non-profit boards include the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative & the International Women’s Forum Sweden. She holds a double Masters degree from Boston University, in International Relations and Resource & Environmental Management. Elaine is a frequent speaker including the World Economic Forum, United Nations, SXSW, tech industry events and has been engaged in the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the Business & Sustainable Development Commission. Elaine’s vision is to create a world where sustainability centric business strategies are the norm not the exception.