Björn Edlund

Between 1992 and 2010, he served as head of public relations at three issues-rich multinationals – Sandoz AG, ABB Ltd and Royal Dutch Shell plc.

Edlund has also been non-executive Chairman, Europe, Middle East and Africa at Edelman, the world's largest independent PR company, and currently works as a senior advisor with Kreab, a public affairs and communications strategy firm, and operates as regional representative in EMEA for the Arthur W. Page Society, a professional organization devoted to the developing the role of the chief corporate communications officer.

He moved into corporate public relations in 1989 after a successful 12-year career as a news agency staff correspondent, bureau chief and regional news editor with UPI and Reuters in Europe, Latin America and briefly in the Middle East.

As Principal of Edlund Consulting, which he established during a period as an independent counsel in the mid-1990s and reopened after retiring from Shell in 2010, he works directly with corporate and civil society leaders on communications strategy, issues, values and identity.

Edlund holds an appointment as Senior Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School and is a Board Trustee of the Institute of Human Rights and Business. He is involved with several not-for-profit initiatives promoting freedom of speech and quality journalism, and is a frequent speaker and commentator on the role and challenges of business.

In 2009, he was one of five PR practitioners to receive the first ever SABRE Award for Individual Achievement given in Europe, Middle East and Africa. SABRE stands for Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation. In 2013, he became the first non-US recipient of the Alexander Hamilton Medal, awarded by the Institute for Public Relations for contributions to developing the field of public relations, including with the use of research. In 2015, Edlund was inducted to the Hall of Fame of the Arthur W. Page Society for his achievements in the profession.

Edlund studied political science and history in Sweden. He graduated in education and worked as a secondary school teacher in Switzerland. He works in English, German, Spanish and French as well as in his native Swedish. He and his wife, Veronika, a physiotherapist, live near Basel in Switzerland. Their daughter Rebekka lives in Sweden and works as a language teacher.