Fort Lauderdale and Miami, FL
Honorary Consul:
Per-Olof Lööf
Vice Consul:
Marit Bohbot
Consulate:
Consulate of Sweden
Address:
Tower 101
101 NE Third Avenue, Suite 1700
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Phone:
(954) 467-3507
Fax:
(954) 467-1731
E-mail:
FortLauderdale@consulateofswedenorg
Hon. Per-Olof Lööf
Per-Olof Lööf has served as Honorary Consul of Sweden since he received his exequatur from the US State Department on January 18th, 2006.
Mr. Lööf joined
KEMET Corporation (NYSE:KEM) in April, 2005, as the Chief Executive
Officer and member of the Board of Directors. KEMET applies world class
service and quality delivering industry leading, high performance
capacitance solutions to its customer, globally. KEMET offers the
world’s most complete line of capacitor technologies. Production is measured in the billions of pieces per year. KEMET
employs over 11,000 people, is headquartered in Greenville, South
Carolina, has 21 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries, and sales and
support operations in 27 countries. KEMET sales revenue exceeds one billion dollars annually, growing from $425 million in 2005.
Lööf was
recruited as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sensormatic
Electronics Corporation, at the time a NYSE company, the global leader
in electronic security. He led
the organization through a difficult turnaround and managed its
successful acquisition by Tyco. The combined company is the world’s
largest manufacturer, installer, and provider of fire protection systems
and electronic security services. Sensormatic was the provider of
electronic security for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
A native of Sweden, Lööf has an extensive background in the global economy and has a proven track record of successful business-turnarounds. Prior
to joining Sensormatic in 1999, he was Senior Vice President of NCR's
Financial Solutions Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers to the
retail financial services industry. Lööf reported to NCR Chairman.
Joining
NCR from AT&T ISTEL, one of Europe's leading providers of
integrated computing and communication services, where Lööf served as
CEO. Previously he worked for
12 years at Digital Equipment Corporation where he was Vice President of
Sales and Marketing for Europe. Lööf is an Andersen Consulting alumnus from the United States and Sweden. He
holds a degree (MSc) in Economics and Business Administration from the
Stockholm School of Economics, and has been awarded a U.S. Patent. He is
a member of the board of directors of Global Options Inc, a public
company based in New York City.
Since
1999, Lööf and his family have resided in Florida, and is active in
many civic and charitable organizations, including: Member of the Board
of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children
headquartered in Washington DC, member of the Board of Governors for the
Boca Raton Regional Hospital, member of the board of the Florida Grand
Opera; a Freeman of the City of London, a Liveryman and Founding Member
of the Guild of Security Professionals in the City of London. The family
is additionally actively supporting the Red Cross, United Way,
Children’s Harbor and the Worldwide Childhood Foundation
He was given the opportunity to run with the Olympic torch in 2002.
Mr.
Lööf was instrumental in establishing the Swedish Church in South
Florida. He serves as the president of the Church Board. Its foundation
in December 2009 was attended by Bishop Lennart Koskinen.
Society & Government
Swedish Society
Sweden remains one of the most egalitarian countries in terms of income distribution with one of the world’s lowest levels of poverty. It’s no surprise that Sweden consistently appears near the top of the Human Development Index, which ranks countries according to life expectancy, education and standard of living. While Swedes pay high taxes to maintain their prized social welfare system, they are no longer the highest-taxed people in the world.
Sweden has succeeded in creating a balance between social equality and economic success. Education is free (except for nursery schools and higher education, which are partly funded by the government), healthcare is cheap, childcare is universal and the streets are clean – but there is still the opportunity to control your own economic destiny.
The driving forces behind “the Swedish model” were the Social Democratic Party and the trade unions, although it has its roots in the 19th century when “poor relief laws” were passed. The Swedish model is still alive, if not as all-encompassing as it once was. There is greater privatization in the healthcare sector and the number of private schools is growing rapidly. But not even parties on the right of the political spectrum talk of dismantling the welfare state, as Sweden’s voters would simply not stand for it.
Sweden’s Government
Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy of government. General elections are held every four years. About 7 million people in the country are entitled to vote and influence which political party will represent them in the Riksdag (the national parliament), county councils and municipalities. The 349 members of the Riksdag make the decisions and the Government implements those decisions. The Government may also submit proposals for new laws or amendments to laws for a parliamentary vote. In the latest election, in September 2010, Fredrik Reinfeldt became the first conservative Prime Minister to win reelection. Election turnout is normally high by international comparisons, although it has fallen to about 80 percent in recent decades.
Swedish governance as a whole is built on decentralization. On a local and regional level, municipalities and county councils are autonomous political bodies with clearly defined areas of responsibility. Municipalities deal with city planning and schools, for example, while county councils are in charge of areas such as healthcare and infrastructure.
Sweden has been a member of the EU since 1995. This means that many new laws enacted in Sweden start out as EU directives.
