Behind every great leader, there is an Astrid

ASK ASTRID AURALDSSON SJÖGREEN what it takes to do her job, and she says the Swedish pop song “It takes a fool to remain sane” comes to mind. She may be onto something. Astrid is the coordinator to the centre director and, according to Johan Rockström, the centre’s former director, she is “SRC’s superwoman”. This is because she keeps all crazy ideas, challenging relations, funding networks, highlevel interactions and daily practicalities under control. “Astrid has this extraordinary ability of being socially super-capable and being super-executive at the same time,” Rockström says. Consider this example: in 2015 Rockström was awarded the International Cosmos Prize in Japan and the Deutsche Umweltpreis in Germany. The award ceremonies took place one day after another, 10,000 km apart and in different time zones. So quite the logistical challenge. As if that was not enough, a serious bike accident forced Rockström into hospital a week before leaving for Japan. It did not look good in terms of time and he himself certainly did not look good (his jaw was badly hit and it

Astrid with C. S. “Buzz” Holling, the founding father of social-ecological resilience, from 1994. was difficult understanding him when he talked). In the end, bruises and injuries were sufficiently healed for him to go and accept the awards. “It all went well but we had hardly finished the dessert in Japan before having to catch the flight for Germany in time for the next award ceremony,” Astrid explains.

She started her role as coordinator to the director in 2012, but things could have turned out differently. If it wasn't for Teresa Ogenstad, Johan’s former secretary, she would not have the job in the first place. Her application for the job was originally turned down but Ogenstad recognised her name among the applicants and made sure she was called in for an interview. Astrid is not one for changing workplaces too often, either. If things work out, she stays. “It’s a privilege to work in an academic institution like the SRC,” she says. “I see my daily work as a tiny contribution to a more sustainable planet.”

Before coming to the SRC she worked for several years at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in various capacities. She travelled to places like Tanzania, Borneo, India, Chile and Nepal, organising workshops sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation and later Sida. Wherever she went Astrid would charm everyone and get the work done fast. She is, in the words of a former colleague, a “no-nonsense, straightforward but very considerate person”. That description works perfectly to this day. Current colleagues characterise her as a good listener who is able to put herself in other people’s shoes, offering both empathetic and sound support. New centre director Line Gordon confirms this, “Astrid is a warm, wise and considerate person who with a firm hand helps me prioritise among the many requests we get from various places”.

Johan Rockström sums up, “Consistent feedback from board members, distinguished Nobel Laureates, business leaders and politicians all over the world, was their admiration for Astrid. ‘How can you have such a fantastic coordinator? Astrid is phenomenal!’ they said. This always made me very proud, a feeling I was privileged to experience many times”. That kind of a reference, a fool would never get.