Responsible for the strategic development and oversight of the Global Change Award as it enters a new and exciting period, we sat down with Annie for a short Q&A where she shares a little bit about herself, her aspirations, and what inspired her to join the H&M Foundation.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. What motivates/drives you professionally?
For most of my career, I’ve had the privilege to promote and support impact innovations in terms of providing funding, guidance, and network building. I have always been drawn to disruptive projects that can turn the status quo upside down and there is no better feeling for me than being able to meet and support an entrepreneur, innovator, researcher or changemaker that wants to make an impact and change the world for the better. I try to live by the famous words “if not me, who? If not now, when?”. I think they describe very well how I want to lead and work. We all have a responsibility to stand up for what we believe in and what we want the world to look like, and then to act towards that.
What attracted you to the H&M Foundation? And where have you been working most recently?
The sentence “our role is to never settle, challenge the comfortable and look outside the box for new ways to drive change” is what I initially fell for when coming across H&M Foundation’s website. I believe being able to use philanthropic resources to fund vital research and breakthrough innovation is an amazing opportunity to drive meaningful change.
I most recently come from working as a Programme Director at Vinnova, Sweden’s Innovation agency. My main area of focus was around innovative startups and the surrounding ecosystem, emerging technologies, deeptech and foresight. At Vinnova I also got to the chance to work with EU-related startups & SME-programmes and spent a year at the Nordic innovation house in Silicon Valley, representing Sweden where I worked with promoting Swedish & Nordic startups and building on the relationship between the Swedish and U.S. innovation ecosystem.
You have worked with and clearly understand the importance of innovation in driving progress. What do you think the biggest barriers are in terms of turning an innovation into a practical reality?
Working with innovation will never be a smooth ride, but rather a journey filled with barriers and unexpected happenings that can sometimes be really challenging. In terms of specific barriers, I would say it comes down to access to funding, building a meaningful network, and expert support. Being a changemaker and an innovator can feel rather lonely sometimes, so I also want to highlight the importance of community and help with fostering self-leadership. All of these things, we are trying to bring to the GCA winners throughout their years with us.
Can you tell us about plans for the GCA and what you’re doing to take it to the next level?
We know for a fact that innovation has never been more important than now. We have only a handful of years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and it’s very clear that we remain a long way off. We must increase the scale, speed, impact and meaning of our collective actions. Individual efforts are not enough but we need to have a systems perspective and work together. We also need to support the people with the passion and the disruptive transformative ideas, often called changemakers, to lead the way. That is why we right now, are exploring how we can maximize the impact we create, build on previous successes, and take GCA to the next level. We are currently developing the existing strategy to drive an even more effective change that can benefit the entire fashion and textile industry. It’s too early to share more details, but we look forward to doing so in October during our big launch event – so keep your eyes open for that!
Any companies/ innovations in the textile space that have grabbed your attention recently?
I am beyond impressed by all the previous winners of GCA, but also everyone who dares to follow their passion and try out their ideas. To highlight some parts that makes me very excited, I would say it’s when seeing an innovation value spill over more than one area. For example take one of our 2023 winners, ALT TEX, who are creating the world’s most radically sustainable polyester alternative, from one of the world’s largest landfill contributors – food waste. Making them create value and impact in two major industries at the same time really caught my attention.
Outside of work, how do you enjoy spending your time?
I spend a lot of my time with my family, and we love having an active and adventurous lifestyle, meaning we are often out hiking in nature or exploring new places. I’m also a big fan of sci-fi, future studies/ foresight and tech trends.
