Laurent Leksell

Laurent Leksell (born in 1952) is a Swedish professor of economics, international business leader and entrepreneur.

With his father, Lars, Laurent Leksell jointly founded Elekta AB in 1972, while he was still a student of the Stockholm School of Economics to exploit the Gamma Knife his father had invented. Elekta is a Swedish med-tech enterprise specialised in the treatment of cancer and neurosurgical conditions. Laurent Leksell held the role of CEO of Elekta between 1972 and 2005. Today he is Chairman of the Board and a principal shareholder of the company listed on the OMX Stockholm Stock Exchange.

Biography Born in Lund, Sweden, Leksell is second youngest of five children of Professor Lars Leksell (1907–1986), professor in neurosurgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Lars Leksell invented the Gamma knife for radiation therapy, which became the genesis of Elekta AB. Laurent Leksell's mother was born Ludmilla Soboutian (1912–1965), of Armenian-Iranian descent.

The Leksell Family moved from Lund to Stockholm in 1959 where Laurent Leksell attended , private school. In 1968 he enrolled at the Sigtunaskolan boarding school, graduating 3 years later. In 1971 he commenced his university studies at Stockholm School of Economics, a year before founding Elekta AB. Between 1973 and 1974 he served as a conscript in the Swedish Army with a role in communications intelligence. In 1974 Laurent Leksell graduated with a Master of Science from Stockholm School of Economics.

In 1979 Laurent Leksell married Marianne, born Åström. They have four children, Gustaf, Caroline, Erik and Richard.

Philanthropy Between 2005-2015 Laurent Leksell served as the Chairman of the Board of Stockholm Stadsmission, an organization founded in 1853 today serving socioeconomically exposed individuals. In 2014 Laurent Leksell and family founded Leksell Social Ventures, a social impact investment company focusing on financing social innovation and enterprise in Sweden. This is the principal expression of the Leksell Family philanthropic endeavors and focuses on topics such as mental health, education and inclusion of foreign born migrants and youth. Leksell Social Ventures was awarded Welfare Innovator if the Year 2016 by Newspaper Dagens Samhalle at their annual gala for pioneering the first Social Impact Bond in Sweden together with Norrkoping Municipality, aiming to support children placed in foster care.

Board roles Elekta AB - Member of the Board since 1972, Chairman since 2013 Stockholms Stadsmission – Chairman of the Board 2005-2015 Leksell Social Ventures – Chairman of the Board since 2014 International Chamber of Commerce (ICC Sweden) – Member of the Board since 2015 Stockholm School of Economics – Member of the Board since 2017, Chairman since 2018

Awards Swedish Entrepreneur of the Year, 2007, Ernst & Young Sweden Gold Medal, 2010, Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences (Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien, IVA) Medal of Enterprise, 2011, Royal Patriotic Society Medal of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, 2013, The Royal Court of Sweden