Leif Johansson

Leif Johansson
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Business executive, corporate director
Known for	Chairman of AstraZeneca (2012–2023), Chairman of Ericsson (2011–2017), CEO of Volvo Group (1997–2011)

Leif Johansson (born 1951) is a Swedish businessman and corporate leader who has held senior positions at several of Sweden's largest and most internationally significant companies. Over a career spanning more than four decades, Johansson served as the chief executive officer of Volvo Group from 1997 to 2011, as chairman of the board of Ericsson from 2011 to 2017, and as non-executive chairman of the board of the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca from 2012 to 2023. His tenure at AstraZeneca coincided with a period of significant transformation for the company, including the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2025, Johansson was appointed to the board of directors of SweGaN, a Swedish semiconductor company specializing in gallium nitride technology. Throughout his career, Johansson has been a prominent figure in Swedish and European business circles, serving on multiple corporate boards and contributing to discussions on industrial policy, corporate governance, and innovation.

Early Life

Leif Johansson was born in 1951 in Sweden. Details regarding his family background, childhood, and upbringing are not extensively documented in publicly available sources. He came of age during a period of considerable industrial growth in Sweden, a country known for its strong manufacturing base and export-oriented economy, factors that would shape his subsequent career trajectory in the corporate sector.

Career

Volvo Group

Johansson's most prominent executive role was as chief executive officer of Volvo Group, the Swedish multinational manufacturing company specializing in trucks, buses, construction equipment, and marine and industrial engines. He served as CEO from 1997 to 2011, a tenure of fourteen years that encompassed both periods of expansion and significant economic turbulence, including the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. Under Johansson's leadership, Volvo Group navigated the complexities of the global automotive and commercial vehicle markets. His long tenure at the helm of one of Sweden's most important industrial conglomerates established him as one of the most recognized business leaders in the Nordic region.

Chairman of Ericsson

Following his departure from Volvo Group, Johansson transitioned into a role in corporate governance as chairman of the board of Ericsson, the Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company. He assumed the chairmanship in 2011, taking on responsibility for overseeing the board of one of the world's largest suppliers of telecommunications infrastructure.

Johansson's time as Ericsson chairman was marked by a period of considerable challenge for the company. The telecommunications equipment industry was undergoing rapid transformation, with intensifying competition from Chinese rivals such as Huawei and pricing pressures across global markets. Ericsson faced declining revenues and profitability during several years of Johansson's chairmanship, prompting scrutiny from investors and analysts.

In July 2017, Johansson announced that he would step down as chairman of Ericsson. The decision came amid pressure from activist investors who had grown increasingly vocal about the company's performance and the direction of its board. The Financial Times reported that Johansson's departure was influenced by pressure from one of Europe's activist shareholders, who had called for changes to the company's leadership and governance structure. His departure from the Ericsson board marked the end of a six-year period during which the company underwent significant strategic reassessment, including leadership changes at the CEO level.

Chairman of AstraZeneca

Johansson's longest and arguably most high-profile board chairmanship was at AstraZeneca, the Anglo-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company. He was appointed non-executive chairman of the AstraZeneca board in 2012, succeeding in a role that placed him at the center of one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies.

During his eleven-year tenure as chairman, AstraZeneca underwent a significant period of transformation. The company shifted its strategic focus toward oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and respiratory and immunology therapies. The period saw the company recover from a phase during which several key drug patents had expired, leading to revenue declines and questions about the company's pipeline. Under the executive leadership of CEO Pascal Soriot, who was appointed during Johansson's early years as chairman, AstraZeneca rebuilt its drug pipeline and pursued a strategy of research-driven growth.

Perhaps the most consequential period of Johansson's chairmanship came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when AstraZeneca partnered with the University of Oxford to develop and manufacture one of the first widely distributed COVID-19 vaccines. The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine became one of the most broadly used vaccines globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, owing to AstraZeneca's commitment to supply the vaccine on a not-for-profit basis during the pandemic. The vaccine program brought the company unprecedented public visibility and placed both the executive team and board under intense scrutiny regarding manufacturing timelines, supply commitments, and regulatory approvals in different jurisdictions.

In June 2019, reports emerged that AstraZeneca had begun searching for a potential successor to Johansson as chairman. Fierce Pharma reported that the company was scouting replacements, noting that Johansson had at that point served seven years in the role and had navigated both challenging and more positive periods for the company. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and AstraZeneca's central role in the global vaccine response likely extended the timeline for succession planning.

On 22 February 2022, AstraZeneca formally announced that Johansson planned to retire from his position as chairman following the company's annual general meeting in 2023. Reuters reported that Johansson would step down after serving eleven years in the role, making it one of the longer chairmanships at a major European pharmaceutical company. The announcement noted that a process to identify his successor was underway, managed by the board's nomination and governance committee.

In July 2022, AstraZeneca announced that Michel Demaré had been appointed as the chair-designate of the board, succeeding Johansson. The company's press release confirmed that Demaré would succeed Johansson as non-executive chair, ensuring an orderly transition of board leadership. Johansson formally stepped down following the 2023 annual general meeting, concluding an eleven-year chairmanship during which AstraZeneca's market capitalization and strategic position had changed considerably.

SweGaN Board Appointment

In June 2025, Johansson was appointed to the board of directors of SweGaN AB, a Swedish semiconductor company focused on the development and manufacturing of epitaxial gallium nitride (GaN) wafers for applications in power electronics, radio frequency devices, and other advanced technologies. He joined the board alongside Pontus de Laval and Gerry Maguire, as part of a reorganization that saw David Lam step down as interim chairman. The appointment signaled Johansson's continued activity in the Swedish and European technology sector following his retirement from AstraZeneca.

Other Board Roles and Industry Involvement

Throughout his career, Johansson has been associated with multiple corporate boards and industry organizations beyond his principal roles at Volvo, Ericsson, and AstraZeneca. His profile as a veteran of Swedish industry made him a sought-after figure for board positions at major European companies and organizations. Details of his full portfolio of board memberships beyond those documented above are not fully captured in the available source material.

Recognition

Johansson's career at the helm of multiple major Swedish and multinational companies brought him recognition as one of Scandinavia's most prominent business leaders. His eleven-year chairmanship of AstraZeneca, in particular, placed him at the center of global attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, when AstraZeneca's vaccine program became a matter of worldwide public interest. The succession process upon his retirement from AstraZeneca was closely followed by financial media and industry analysts, reflecting the significance attached to his role.

His departure from Ericsson in 2017, though prompted by activist investor pressure, did not diminish his standing in European corporate governance circles, as evidenced by his continued chairmanship at AstraZeneca through a period of major strategic and operational significance. His subsequent appointment to the board of SweGaN in 2025 demonstrated his ongoing engagement with emerging technology sectors.

Legacy

Leif Johansson's career is notable for the breadth of industries in which he held leadership positions—from commercial vehicles and heavy industry at Volvo Group, to telecommunications infrastructure at Ericsson, to pharmaceuticals and biotechnology at AstraZeneca, and most recently semiconductor technology at SweGaN. This range of experience across major sectors of the Swedish and global economy distinguishes him among his contemporaries in European corporate leadership.

His fourteen-year tenure as CEO of Volvo Group provided a foundation of industrial management experience, while his subsequent chairmanships tested his abilities in corporate governance during periods of significant industry disruption. At Ericsson, he faced the challenge of guiding a legacy telecommunications company through an era of rapid technological change and intensifying global competition, ultimately departing under pressure from shareholders seeking a change in direction. At AstraZeneca, his chairmanship spanned a period that saw the company transition from patent-cliff challenges to pipeline-driven growth, culminating in the company's role as a central player in the global pandemic response.

The AstraZeneca chairmanship, in particular, is likely to define Johansson's legacy in the broader public consciousness, given the global significance of the COVID-19 vaccine effort and the unprecedented level of scrutiny that pharmaceutical companies faced during the pandemic era. His orderly transition to Michel Demaré as successor chairman, following a planned retirement announced more than a year in advance, was noted as an example of deliberate succession planning in corporate governance.

As of 2025, Johansson remained active in the Swedish business community, taking on new board responsibilities in the semiconductor sector and maintaining a presence in discussions about technology, industry, and corporate governance.