Jan Carlzon

Fomer president and CEO of the Scandinavian Airlines Group


Jan Carlzon, is a sought after expert on strategic leadership, leadership development and service management in customer-driven organisations. As a market oriented innovator, Jan Carlzon uses his experience as a corporate leader to educate decision-makers on the importance of strategic leadership and staff motivation.

If 1967, Jan Carlzon joined Vingresor, one of Europe's largest tour operators, and became CEO of the company in 1974. In less than one year he turned the troubled company back into profit. After taking the reins at the loss making Swedish domestic airline, Linjeflyg, in 1978, he returned the company to profit before moving to SAS as President and CEO in 1981. He rapidly turned SAS into a moneymaker and customer favourite when he took the helm and he was a pioneer with his radical views on the free competition within the European airline industry.

The three turnarounds of the airlines were orchestrated during a period of eight years, and were all made by applying totally different strategies and business models related to the different situations of the three companies.

Jan Carlzon is the President of the Swedish Tennis Federation and a member of the board of the International Tennis Federation. He holds honorary doctorates from Pepperdine University in California and Pacific Lutheran in Washington. He is a commander with Star of Royal Norwegian order of Merit and was awarded H.M. the King of Sweden's Medal of the 12th dimension with the ribbon of the order of the seraphim.