Hanna Stjärne 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, who is currently the Director General of Swedish Television, will assume her new role on 1 January 2025.

 “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. The Nobel Prize has a unique standing and is one of the world’s most important symbols of knowledge, free speech and fundamental human rights. I look forward to working with the entire Nobel sphere and highlighting the pioneering contributions of the Nobel Prize laureates,” says Hanna Stjärne.

“Hanna Stjärne has extensive leadership experience from many different parts of the media sector, where she has successfully pursued development efforts with a focus on conveying knowledge and creating engagement among a broad audience. This makes her skill set ideal for the development of the activities surrounding the Nobel Prize and, in particular, for the creation of a public Nobel Center at Slussen in central Stockholm. I very much look forward to working with her,” says Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Chair of the Nobel Foundation. 

Hanna Stjärne is one of Sweden’s best-known journalists and media executives. She has served as the head of P1, the “talk channel” at Swedish Radio, and as the administrator in charge of all Swedish Radio channels, digital services and programmes. During her time as publisher and editor-in-chief of Upsala Nya Tidning, UNT was named Sweden’s best daily newspaper and was praised for its digital cultural journalism. Since 2015, she has been Director General of Swedish Television. Hanna Stjärne has received several awards for her leadership and her journalistic work. 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.

The Trustees and Board of Directors of the Nobel Foundation have decided that Hanna Stjärne will succeed Vidar Helgesen as a member of the Board of Directors and as Executive Director. She will assume her new position on 1 January 2025. Vidar Helgesen became Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation in January 2021. On 1 March 2024, he took up the position of Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and Assistant Director-General of UNESCO. Anna Sjöström Douagi will continue as Acting CEO of the Nobel Foundation until Hanna Stjärne assumes her new position.