Articles
Interview with Honorary Consul
of Sweden - Ulf Åkerblom
Ulf Åkerblom is the Honorary Consul of Sweden in Pennsylvania. He is the
founder and owner of Accent Ventures, LLC, a company founded in 2009
focusing on the life sciences industries, mainly as a strategic consultant
and adviser. Current and past assignments deal with corporate and international business development, international distribution, deal structures,
licensing and M&A:s.
Ulf Åkerblom is a graduate in Economics and Business Administration from
the University of Stockholm. Prior to moving to the U.S. he had more than
30 years of experience in business as an executive and entrepreneur. He
also spent a few years in government and with international organizations.
What made you decide to move to the U.S.?
I was working for a Swedish medical device company and moved here in 2005 to set up a subsidiary.
The company needed a presence in the US to maintain and further develop relations with distributors
and licensees. My wife is from Philadelphia and we have family here, so it was an easy decision to locate
the company in the region.
Why did you become Honorary Consul for Sweden- Philadelphia?
The position was vacant. I worked for the Swedish government in the 70’s and I got recommended
through contacts. It is a great honor and opportunity to represent Sweden in Philly with its rich and prominent Swedish history.
How do you combine your regular job with being a consul?
I am self-employed so it easy to combine with my work schedule with the consular duties. Beside handing out passport to Swedish citizens and other consular duties, I also work on promoting all things for
Sweden. For example I helped organize Sweden Day on corporate social responsibility in November,
and I am working on a program for the CEO of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, who is visiting
Philadelphia in February.
Can you provide examples of why people get in touch with you as a consul?
A Swedish citizen may need an emergency passport, in which case they can apply, at the consulate.
The turnaround time is a couple of days as it is issued by the embassy in Washington, DC, then fedexed
to the consulate for pick up. Another example: I interview Americans that intend to move to Sweden
and are applying for residence permits.
Which 5 words would you list to describe Sweden?
Not an easy question, but Clean & Beautiful, Equality, Public Transportation, High Standards of Living and
IT & Technology come to mind.
Phone:
+1 610- 812-9134
E-mail:
[email protected]
Consulate of Sweden in Philadelphia
1760 Market Street, 11th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4134
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