Faculty and scholars gathered at the Academic Installation in Stockholm City Hall. Front row (left to right): Professor Magnus Mähring, Professor Valentina Tartari, Dr. Emma Rui Lu, Dr. Marie Bemler, and Professor Roberto Verganti. Second row: Professor Stefan Haefliger, Professor Tuure Tuunanen, Elena Braccia, and Professor Pär Åhlström. Third row: Dr. Rebecka C. Ångström, Dr. Mats Pettersson, Professor Michael Barrett, and Mathias Larsson Carlander.

A Strategic Appointment for Innovation

In an event that underscores SSE’s strategic focus on innovation, Professors Valentina Tartari and Stefan Haefliger were formally installed at the House of Innovation.

Professor Tartari, appointed as the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Professor of Innovative and Sustainable Business Development, is a leading authority in innovation studies. Her research focuses on the determinants of knowledge production and transfer, inside and outside academia. Specifically, she studies how academic researchers produce scientific knowledge and how this knowledge is transferred to industry and society. Her role as Director of the Jacob and Marcus Wallenberg Center for Innovative and Sustainable Business Development places her at the forefront of SSE’s mission to foster impactful, interdisciplinary research.

“I am excited to join the dynamic community at SSE’s House of Innovation. It is a unique environment where academia, industry, and society converge to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time. I look forward to contributing to this dialogue and advancing research that drives both knowledge and practice.”

- Professor Tartari

Professor Haefliger, appointed as Professor of Digital Innovation and Strategy, is known for his extensive contributions to innovation and technology management. He is leading cutting-edge research investigating human-machine interaction, specifically work practices and contexts that give autonomy to machines. His presence at SSE will further bolster the institution’s research capabilities in these critical areas.

“Our work here at SSE aims to not only understand but also influence the ways in which organizations adapt and thrive in rapidly changing environments. I am eager to continue this journey with the support of my colleagues and our diverse student body.”

- Professor Haefliger

Celebrating Academic Milestones

The ceremony also honored eight newly minted PhD graduates: Dr. Mats Pettersson, Dr. Rebecka C. Ångström, Dr. Peter Nandor Popovics, Dr. Mary Kathleen F. Burke, Dr. Marie Bemler, Dr. Emma Rui Lu, and Dr. Joseph Monroe. Their dissertations tackled diverse and pressing issues, from sustainable business practices to the integration of AI in organizational decision-making.

A Gathering of Academic Luminaries

The event was graced by several distinguished guests, including Professor Tuure Tuunanen from the University of Jyväskylä, an expert in digital innovation and affiliated research fellow with the House of Innovation, and Professor Michael Barrett from Cambridge University, known for his influential work on digital transformation in organizations. Their presence, along with that of SSE’s own Erling Persson Professor of Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation Magnus Mähring, Josefsson Family Chair in Art and Innovation and Acting Professor Roberto Verganti, and Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Professor Pär Åhlström, highlights the strong academic networks and collaborative ethos that define SSE’s research culture.