Interview with Bengt-Göran Persson, Founder of Bünsow Business Growth Forum
As one of the founders of Åre Business Forum, you saw the need for a similar meeting place and growth arena in Sundsvall. Why is the Bünsow Business Growth Forum needed?
– At the time, I ran an investment company that worked with companies from Jämtland and elsewhere. There, a number of companies agreed that there was a need for a meeting place for investment and business in Jämtland, and the idea of the Åre Business Forum was born. After successfully establishing that arena, various partners from Västernorrland thought we needed to create something similar in Sundsvall. While there was a clear need to put the city and region on the map, there was a lack of a meeting place focusing on entrepreneurship, networking and new business. Stig Wiklund from Sparbankstiftelsen Norrland and Magnus Pallin from Swedbank joined me in initiating what is now the Bünsow Business Growth Forum. Together with talented people who want to be involved in the event, we have now managed to realize our vision of an important growth arena in Sundsvall. An important success factor has been that the people involved in the forum have a good network of contacts, which has meant that every year we have managed to attract highly regarded speakers from the business community, such as Fredrik Reinfeldt, Peter Carlsson, Helena Stjernholm and Kjell A. Nordström. Nordström.
You are responsible for partnerships at Bünsow, what does a company get out of a partnership?
– As a partner of the Bünsow Business Growth Forum, you have a unique opportunity to be seen and promote your company to prominent entrepreneurs, business owners, politicians and representatives from the public and private sectors. In addition to good exposure, the partnership provides an important network, mainly in northern Sweden.
The event has been a success year after year, what can we expect this year?
– After each forum, we are careful to listen to the guests and their opinions. Therefore, we have created more space for mingling and networking in this year’s program. We have done this, among other things, by creating a more airy program, but also by offering additional networking opportunities during Bünsow’s pre-event on October 19, organized by MAQS Advokatbyrå and Elite Hotel Knaust. Going forward, we continue to work on broadening the forum, including with partners outside the region. Our ambition is to make Bünsow a national arena for growth.
Do you have a speaker you dream of seeing at Bünsow next year?
– I dream that next year we will have great speakers who bring perspectives from outside Sweden. Two people I would like to bring here are Christian von Koenigsegg and Alexander Stubb: the former Prime Minister of Finland.