Bjørn Johansson

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Bjørn Johansson was born on October 15, 1947 in Kristiansand, Norway. He studied at the University of St. Gall, Switzerland and graduated in 1973 with an MBA degree (lic. oec. HSG). Following postgraduate studies in the United States (including Harvard Business School, University of California, Berkeley, and the Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, N.C.), he was awarded his Ph.D. (Dr. oec. HSG) from the University of St. Gall in 1978. The topic of his doctoral thesis was “Creativity and Marketing”. In 1999, he completed the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management Program (OPM).

During and after completion of his studies, Bjørn Johansson held management functions with leading companies in the consumer goods, textile and service industries in Austria, England, Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland. He began his career in the executive search field in early 1980 as Vice President with Spencer Stuart, Zurich. In 1985, he moved to Korn/Ferry International and started their Swiss operations in Zurich and Geneva; the company became the second largest executive search firm in Switzerland under his leadership. He was promoted to Senior Officer of the parent company in Los Angeles, California, and was subsequently appointed Managing Director International Board Services. From 1991 to 1993, he was President International of Paul Ray & Carré Orban International.

On February 1, 1993, he founded Dr. Bjørn Johansson Associates Inc., a leading, globally operating Board Advisory Firm, based in Zurich, Switzerland, exclusively focusing on Non-Executive and Executive Board appointments.

Bjørn Johansson can draw from a wide range of entrepreneurial and multicultural experience; in the course of his over 40 years Board Advisor career, he has placed more than 900 highly qualified top executives with leading profit and non-profit corporations and institutions in over 40 countries worldwide.

In addition to his professional activities, he has also assumed leading functions in a number of business, social and cultural organisations. Bjørn Johansson speaks Danish, English, German, Norwegian and Swedish.