Hanna Stjärne has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation
Hanna Stjärne, who is currently the Director General of Swedish Television, will be the new Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation. She will thus be tasked with strengthening the finances and position of the Nobel Prize in the long term and further developing the public activities surrounding the Nobel Prize in Sweden, Norway and globally. Hanna Stjärne has had various management positions at Swedish Radio and has been publisher and editor-in-chief of the newspaper Upsala Nya Tidning. She has served on numerous boards in the media sector in Sweden and internationally, and she worked for several years as a foreign correspondent for Swedish Radio in Norway. She will assume her new role on 1 January 2025.
Q & A with Hanna Stjärne
Congratulations! How does it feel?
Thank you, I am happy and honoured.
Why did you accept the position of Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation?
The Nobel Prize, the Nobel Foundation’s mission and the legacy of Alfred Nobel are more important than ever. To be able to contribute on a worldwide basis to the promotion of science, literature and peace initiatives is a privilege and an honour.
What does the Nobel Prize mean to you?
To me, the Nobel Prize stands for science, literature and peaceful dialogue. It is a tribute to groundbreaking discoveries that benefit all of humankind and to the great efforts made in the everyday lives of scientists around the world. The Nobel Prize stands for the brilliance and courage of writers, scientists and peace advocates who dedicate their lives to initiatives that are bigger than themselves.
What position would you say the Nobel Prize occupies in the world today?
The Nobel Prize has a completely unique standing in the world. It is one of the most important symbols of knowledge, free speech and fundamental human rights and stands for values that need to be highlighted even more in our era.
How do you think you can contribute to the public activities that have been built up around the Nobel Prize?
Highlighting important issues and giving them an impact is something that I have worked with all my professional life. As a journalist and media executive, I bring long experience of different kinds of public activities, in Sweden and internationally, and a great curiosity and desire to develop these further within the Nobel sphere. I also hope to be able to contribute a deep knowledge about the potential for digitisation, about the media field and about communication.
Do you have experience of any personal meetings with Nobel Prize laureates?
Yes, I have had the privilege of meeting a large number of Nobel Prize laureates over the years. In the late 1990s, for example, I lived in Oslo and remember meetings with Jon Fosse and his plays at The Norwegian Theatre. As a young foreign correspondent for Swedish Radio, I interviewed Fosse and was fascinated by his carefully crafted language and seriousness.
What is the first thing you will do when you assume your new role?
I will start at the beginning of next year and will spend lots of time listening and learning − from my colleagues in the Nobel sphere, from the prize committees and from the various partnerships surrounding the Nobel Prize.