SEB and Swedbank Continue to Foster Young Leadership Between Sweden and Estonia

The fourth edition of SEB and Swedbank’s joint Young Leaders Program brought together 20 emerging leaders from Estonia and Sweden in Tallinn, October 7–9, 2025, to exchange ideas, strengthen cross-border collaboration and identify new opportunities for future cooperation.

During the Tallinn session, participants explored ways to deepen cooperation between people-to-people, government-to-government, university-to-university, and business-to-business networks. Their findings and proposals were presented at a joint workshop hosted by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended by representatives from both Estonia and Sweden.

The participants engaged with a diverse group of business executives, leadership experts, researchers, politicians, and diplomats, including Speaker of the Estonian Parliament Lauri Hussar, Monika Kallas-Anton, Member of the Management Board and Head of Retail Banking at SEB Estonia, Olavi Lepp, CEO of Swedbank Estonia, Triin Agan, CEO of Eesti Loto, Mihkel Raud, public speaking and performance coach, Jaan Manitski, former Board Member of the Sweden–Estonia Cooperation Fund, Kalev Stoicescu, Chairman of the National Defence Committee, Margus Tsahkna, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Fredrike Tamas Hermelin, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Sweden. The Tallinn program concluded with a study visit to Milrem Robotics, one of Estonia’s leading technology and defence companies.

“This program showed that Sweden and Estonia share more than just history — we share a vision for the future. Together, we can make our region more innovative, sustainable, and connected. Programs like this remind us that leadership is not about titles, but about connecting people and ideas across borders,” said Hanah Lahe, an Estonian participant in the 2025 program.

Launched in 2022, the Young Leaders Program aims to strengthen regional integration and promote the exchange of ideas among promising leaders aged 25–40 from Sweden and Estonia. The 2025 program consisted of two modules — a spring session in Stockholm and an autumn session in Tallinn. Together, they form a platform where young professionals from both sides of the Baltic Sea connect, collaborate, and contribute to the future of Swedish–Estonian relations. Participants represent a broad range of sectors, including business, politics, academia, culture, NGOs, and the public sector.

“By investing in young talent and their development, we are investing in the relationship between our countries. These leaders will carry forward the cooperation between Sweden and Estonia for decades to come,” said Kadri Land and Pär Nuder, Co-Chairs of the Sweden–Estonia Cooperation Fund, the main facilitator of the Young Leaders Program.

The Sweden–Estonia Cooperation Fund, together with SEB and Swedbank, will open the call for applications for the Young Leaders Program 2026 in December 2025. Twenty participants will be selected and invited to join the program by April 2026. The program seeks young leaders aged 25–40 from both countries within six main sectors — academia, business, culture, NGOs, politics, and the public sector. The goal is to form a diverse group in terms of gender, ethnicity, and professional experience, with 10 participants from each country.