Bo Hedfors ny hedersmedlem/new honorary member

[På Svenska längre ned]

Bo Hedfors was born and raised in Karlshamn, Sweden, and he started studying electrical engineering at Chalmers in 1963.

He had a long career in the Ericsson sphere from 1968 and in 1983 he moved to California to become president of a joint venture between Honeywell and Ericsson. Bo returned to Sweden and was appointed Group CTO at Ericsson 1990. He moved back to the US in 1994 as President and CEO of Ericsson Inc. He left Ericsson in 1998 and moved to Chicago to join Motorola as EVP. After retiring in 2002, he started Hedfone Consulting Inc USA with a global clients base and ran the company until its dissolution in 2010. Since then, Bo has served as an advisor, mentor, and business angel. He has held several board positions in both public and private companies in the US and Sweden. Currently, Bo is Board of Director at Smoltek Nanotech Holding AB, a Chalmers spinoff in Gothenburg.

Bo is a loyal member of CING and has been involved in CING USA/Canada from the mid-1990s as a Board member. He organized the annual event in Dallas 1997. He has also been an advisor to American universities and saw that Chalmers had a lot to learn from their alumni activities.

Following an investigation in 2001, Chalmers wanted to involve Alumni in the US and Canada in fundraising activities. Bo proposed a 501©(3) organization to be formed allowing tax-deductible donations. Together with Conny Kullman and Erland Magnusson, US Friends of Chalmers University of Technology, Inc. was incorporated in May 2002 with the mission of marketing Chalmers in North America. Bo was chairman of US Friends and for 17 years there were 2 organizations in North America, CING USA/Canada, and US Friends. Bo was responsible for planning the CING US/Canada Annual Meeting in San Diego in 2014. That same year, Bo received the Chalmers Medal.

In 2018 it was clear that it was not sustainable with 2 organizations in the US. CING needed US Friends and US Friends needed CING and at an annual meeting in Seattle 2018, Bo argued for a merger which was later launched after talks and decisions with Stefan Bengtsson. Under the leadership of Arne Dunhem and Åke Hellström, the Chalmers Alumni Association, Inc., was formed, where Bo serves as advisor.

 Bo is a donor to both Chalmers and Chalmers Student Union.

[Svenska]

Bo är en trogen medlem i CING och har från mitten av 90-talet varit engagerad i lokalavdelning USA/Canada som Styrelsemedlem. Bo organiserade årsmötet 1997 i Dallas. Han har även varit rådgivare till amerikanska universitet och såg då att Chalmers hade mycket att lära av deras alumniverksamhet.

Efter en konsultutredning 2001 önskade Chalmers engagera Alumni i USA och Canada i fundraisingaktiviteter. Bo föreslog att en 501©(3) organisation skulle bildas för att kunna donera avdragsgillt. Tillsammans med Conny Kullman och Erland Magnusson startades US Friends of Chalmers University of Technology, Inc i maj 2002 med syfte att marknadsföra Chalmers i Nordamerika. Bo var ordförande i US Friends och under 17 år fanns det 2 organisationer i Nordamerika, CING USA/Canada och US Friends. Bo ansvarade för planering av CING US/Canadas årsmöte i San Diego 2014. Samma år fick Bo mottaga Chalmersmedaljen.

Under 2018 stod det klart att det inte var hållbart med 2 organisationer i USA. CING behövde US Friends och US Friends behövde CING och på årsmötet i Seattle 2018 argumenterade Bo för en sammanslagning som sedan sjösattes efter samtal och beslut tillsammans med Stefan Bengtsson. Under ledning av Arne Dunhem och Åke Hellström bildades Chalmers Alumni Association, Inc, där Bo idag är advisor.

Bo är vidare donator till Chalmers och Chalmers Studentkår