Perspectives from Sweden: Develop Sustainability Leaders for Tomorrow

Karine Hirn is Co-Founder of East Capital Group and Chairperson of East Capitaal Asia Ltd. She has been based in Hong Kong since 2013. She has held various roles, including Chief Sustainability Officer, Head of Asia, China Chief Representative and served as CEO of East Capital in Sweden prior to 2010.

Karine is also a French Trade Advisor and an honorary member of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. She serves as an independent non-executive director (INED) at Lion Finance Group, a FTSE 100 company, and as an advisor to the Center for Emerging Markets at Northeastern University in Boston. Karine is frequently invited to comment on topics related to emerging markets and sustainable investing at international conferences and in the media.

Prior to joining East Capital, she worked in Russia, in the banking industry and as a financial consultant in Nizhny-Novgorod and Moscow.

Karine holds an MSc in Management from EM Lyon and a postgraduate degree in Eastern European studies from Sciences Po Paris. She has also studied at the Moscow Academy of Finance and the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki. A French national, Karine speaks French, English, Swedish and Russian, and is conversational in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish.

Kim is the Senior Sustainability Manager for climate in H&M Group production with 20+ years in the fashion & apparel industry. His focus is on financing the transition to renewable electricity and the electrification of the textile industry. Convinced that the key to a quick energy transition to renewable is to fully integrate it into the business model. A special interest in spotting corporate greenwashing and the challenges companies have around not misleading their customers or consumers all while still showing progress.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:
For me, there is only one goal that matters and that is of course renewable electricity. Hong Kong is currently very low. It comes down to priorities within the sustainability agenda. The climate agenda is the most urgent and climate is all about energy.

Emmanuel Jupet, Managing Director, Region APAC North, Volvo Buses, has been a driving force within the Volvo Group for 27 years. As an engineer, he is committed to ensuring that the products/services he works with create a positive impact on society. With extensive experience in purchasing, engineering, marketing, business development, and sales, Emmanuel has cultivated a holistic perspective. His multicultural exposure in countries like France, India, China, and Sweden has deepened his understanding of diverse needs. Based in Hong Kong since August 2020, Emmanuel remains dedicated to the pivotal role of buses in society and their contribution to sustainability.

Currently Managing Director of Scania HK and Volkswagen LCV HK, Clement has been working for Scania over the last 11 years starting his journey in France working with network development to later coordinate wholesale activities from Sweden for Europe before to become Regional Director for the South East of Spain and finally join the Asia Oceania region as Head of the Scania captive dealers. Clement has a long international retail experience with Scania over 26 different countries where focusing on the business development.