SHL has been a contributing partner since the founding of the Center for Sports and Business at the Stockholm School of Economics in 2015. Now the cooperation is taking its next step.

“SHL's vision is to create the world's best hockey experience and in order to do this we need to continue developing our and our clubs’ organizations with competence, knowledge, and development power. We see a great opportunity to do this together with the Center for Sports and Business within the framework of our continued cooperation. Our joint efforts have already contributed significantly to our development, and we now look forward to continue the work and create continuous benefits on a central as well as a local level”, says SHL's CEO Jenny Silfverstrand.

Professor Martin Carlsson-Wall, the head of the Center for Sports and Business, emphasizes the importance of thinking proactively in an increasingly changing world of sports:

“Swedish sports are at a crossroads. The technical and commercial development among international players is accelerating. The competition for people's time and commitment is increasing. In Sweden, we need to work more systematically with renewal and competence development in order to protect the unique values of the Swedish sports system. SHL and its clubs have already taken significant steps and I look forward to taking the next step in the relationship with them and their clubs.”

Sports and sustainability

With the help of SHL, the Center for Sports and Business has recruited Professor Juliane Reinecke from Said Business School, Oxford University, as a guest professor. Professor Reinecke is internationally renowned for her work in the field of sustainability and will combine this with studies about sports and sustainability. Having Professor Reinecke at the Center for Sports and Business will offer new research in an area that is highly prioritized within the SHL organizations and among our stakeholders, Jenny Silfverstrand emphasizes:

“SHL and our 14 clubs create enormous societal benefits every day. Through our unique position as stakeholders and role models we have great opportunities, and even more potential, to drive change. In a changing world, both we and those around us place high demands on us as social actors”, she says.

SHL is already doing extensive work based on a new sustainability strategy, and the research produced at the Center is expected to contribute to the efforts. SSE’s experience from both research and education will play an important part in SHL’s efforts to make work in the sports industry even more attractive, according to Jenny Silfverstrand.

Other than strengthening research and becoming an attractive employer, SHL will help build the recently launched European Sports Business Program. The program is a collaboration between the Stockholm School of Economics, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Düsseldorf, and ESSEC Business School in Paris. The course starts in February and continues through the spring of 2024. In addition to SHL, the German Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund have also joined as partners to the program.

“In the European Sports Business Program, we bring together three of the foremost business schools in Europe. This creates unique opportunities for Swedish sports leaders to learn from both research and practitioners. SHL will pave the way for other Swedish sports organizations with its proactive participation in this program”, says Martin Carlsson-Wall.

For more information, please contact:

Jenny Silfverstrand
CEO, Swedish Hockey League (SHL)
Phone: +46-707-220 797
Email: Jenny.silfverstrand@shl.se

Martin Carlsson-Wall
Professor and Head of the Center for Sports and Business, SSE
Phone: +46-730-440 900
Email: Martin.carlsson-wall@hhs.se 

About SHL

The SHL represents sporting and commercial interests and handles media rights and league sponsorships on behalf of the 14 owner clubs in the league. The SHL works for a sustainably strong league, and for a strong Swedish ice hockey that is internationally competitive. The owners are the clubs that play in the SHL in the 2023/2024 season: Frölunda Hockey, Färjestad BK, HV71, IK Oskarshamn, Leksands IF, Linköping HC, Luleå Hockey, Malmö Redhawks, MoDo Hockey, Rögle BK, Skellefteå AIK, Timrå IK, Växjö Lakers and Örebro Hockey.

About the Stockholm School of Economics

The Stockholm School of Economics is rated as a top business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes bachelor, master, PhD, MBA, and Executive Education programs. Our programs are developed in close cooperation with the business and research communities, providing graduates substantial potential to attain leading positions in companies and other organizations. 

The School is accredited by EQUIS, certifying that all of its principal activities – teaching as well as research – maintain the highest international standards. The Stockholm School of Economics is also the only Swedish member institution of CEMS and PIM, which are collaborations between top business schools worldwide, contributing to the level of quality for which our school is known. 

Press contact

Ylva Mossing
Content and Media Relations Manager
Email: ylva.mossing@hhs.se
Phone: +46 730 97 26 16

For more information about the Stockholm School of Economics, please visit hhs.se.