03 Dec 2025

CEO Carina Halvord hands over after 14 years

After 20 years at Universeum, including 14 years as CEO, Carina Halvord has chosen to leave the position of CEO. A new CEO will lead Universeum into the next phase, where the role of Sweden's national science center will be consolidated by increasing Universeum's reach and taking on national assignments. The recruitment process for a new CEO is now initiating.

Appreciated destination and established learning resource.

Universeum has been a well-visited and appreciated destination for many years, with around 550,000 visitors each year. In recent years, the business has in parallel broadened its geographical reach through activities outside the building and developed its offering and offering for the education sector. The Science Centre is today an established supplementary learning resource for several municipalities.

"We on the board are so proud of everything that Universeum does and stands for today. As Sweden's national science center, we support individuals and families to develop and learn. In this way, our entire society is also developing in a sustainable direction. At the same time, Universeum is a strong visitor attraction that offers meaningful experiences. Carina personifies all of this and has been completely instrumental in the development over the past 20 years."– Malin Persson, Chairman of the Board of Universeum AB.

Challenges and Opportunities.

During Carina's years as CEO, Universeum has faced both major challenges and opportunities. The largest footprint will be left by the development programme between 2016 and 2023, when Universeum grew from 10,000 to 14,000 square metres of public space, created a number of new learning environments, developed new pedagogical methods and programmes, and built Wisdome Gothenburg, Sweden's largest visualisation dome. All with the support and trust of some of Sweden's largest foundations and Universeum's founders.

"It has been a privilege to lead the business during these years. We make a difference for people and society every single day, while at the same time we are constantly evolving. It feels like a good time now to hand over the CEO baton, while at the same time I will continue to contribute to some development projects. Universeum can and wants to do even more."– Carina Halvord

Capacity for increased reach and national missions.

The next CEO will play a key role in the work to create equal access to science. An increasingly important task, if Sweden is to meet the need for skills supply and innovation in STEM.

"Universeum's goal has always been to create concrete societal benefits, now and in the long term. As a national science centre, Universeum is a unifying force and arena when Sweden is to meet the need for skills supply and innovation in STEM. Universeum has great potential and ability to increase its reach and take on national assignments," says Malin Persson.

Carina will remain as CEO until a new CEO is in place. After that, she will assist the business in a number of development projects.