Göran Carstedt is renowned for his monumental retail influence, as the former CEO of IKEA. The Swedish brand has provided customers with affordable and stylish furniture for decades, creating an empire out of meatballs and flat-pack wardrobes. IKEA didn’t just find a gap in the market, the company has created its own market, growing in popularity exponentially. With Göran at the helm, IKEA became one of the most recognisable brand names in modern history. When Göran takes to the stage, his passion for business development, leadership and retail shine through. The after-dinner speaker is commonly found at events ranging from industry conventions to business conferences, where he shares his story of growth and strategies to business success.
In 1974, Göran earned a Ph.D from the University of Umea, where he developed a foundation of knowledge to build upon. Immediately after he graduated, Göran started working at Volvo as their Manager of Market Planning. At the time, he was a part of their car division, located in Gothenburg. Göran went from strength to strength within the company, securing the role of Manager of Corporate Planning from 1977 to 1982, President of the car division from 1982 to 1985 and finally, President of Volvo Svenska Bil AB from 1985 to 1990.
By 1990, Göran was the President of IKEA North America, a position which he held for 5 years, until 1995. Göran progressed to the head of IKEA Retail Europe, whilst advising the company as a member of the IKEA Group Management Board. Göran left IKEA in 1997, not before impacting the business’ productivity, sustainability and profit turnover. In his public speeches, he reflects upon this period of his career, sharing stories from the inner workings of such a prolific company. He also offers strategies for personal and professional development, inspired by his experiences as an Executive Member of the Swedish Bidding Committee for the 1994 Winter Olympics and growing the Society of Organisational Learning. He is likeable and knowledgeable in equal amounts, making Göran a true pleasure to witness present life.
How to hire Göran Carstedt
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Göran Carstedt for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
"Goran was actually phenomenal, he was a really engaging speaker, his content was excellent and attendees had really great feedback, what he had to say really resonated with both our external attendees as well as our thoughtworkers, and his messages were really aligned to our company messages." - Dani, Thoughtworks
"The Greencajt Festival was a success! We are very happy that Bonita and Goran were our speakers at the Festival. They were really inspiring with their performances and visitors were really under the impression of their lectures. I welcomed and met them in person, really an honour to meet them - I believe they enjoyed it! Goran was also accompanied by a guide and spent the afternoon with the guide for a city tour so he was very happy about that and impressed with our venue. Lovely weekend and festival indeed!" - Ivana, Project Manager, Greenhr
"It was great having Goran with us." - Maria, Cofina Boost Solutions
