Lars Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue (biology), tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy), ...

Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

Lund, Sweden Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the

, Leksell is second youngest of five children of Professor

Lars Leksell Lars Leksell (24 November 1907 – 12 January 1986) was a Swedish physician and professor of Neurosurgery at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. He was the inventor of radiosurgery. Life and career Lars Leksell was born in Fässberg Pa ...

(1907–1986), professor in neurosurgery at the

Karolinska Institute The Karolinska Institute (KI; ; sometimes known as the (Royal) Caroline Institute in English) is a research-led medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area of Sweden and one of the foremost medical research institutes globally ...

in Stockholm. Lars Leksell invented the

Gamma knife Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue (biology), tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy), ...

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 The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

, 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 The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

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

Academic career

After graduating

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

in 1974 Laurent Leksell commenced an academic career as researcher and teacher with his alma mater at the institute for corporate management (today IFL Executive Education). He served there between 1974 and 1981. 1978-1979 Laurent Leksell served as assistant Professor in international finance at the University of Hawaii, USA. 1978-1979 he spent time as a visiting scholar at Harvard Business School, Boston, USA. In 1979 Laurent Leksell presented his doctor's thesis “Management of subsidiary-headquarter relationships in Multinational Corporations” at the management school

Insead INSEAD ( ; French: ''Institut européen d'administration des affaires'') is a non-profit business school with locations in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and North America (San Francisco, USA ...

, Fontainbleu, France and consequently awarded Doctor of Economics at Stockholm School of Economics in 1979. He served as assistant professor in business strategy and management at Insead between 1979-1980. The same year he left his academic position at Stockholm School of Economics to found an international consultancy for management, finance and strategy, Nordic Management AB.

Entrepreneurship

Laurent Leksell founded Nordic Management AB in 1981 together with Kjell Spångberg and Ulf Lindgren, serving a Swedish as well as international clients. Laurent Leksell sold his shares in the firm in 1986 to the other Partners in order to focus on developing Elekta AB. At the time Elekta had a yearly turnover of 2 million SEK. That same year, the first Elekta

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue (biology), tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy), ...

was installed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The enterprise had 4 employees at the time. In 1994 Elekta was listed on the OMX

Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

. In 2017 the turnover was 10,7 billion SEK and the organization employed 4000 people. In 2015 Laurent Leksell handed over the reins as CEO to Tomas Puusepp, Laurent Leksell retaining his seat on the board, becoming chairman in 2013. Laurent Leksell and Family made Bonit Capital (AB Bonit Invest, 1955) their family office. The organisation invests internationally across sectors and asset classes with a focus on innovation and sustainability in the private sector. Laurent Leksell and Family founded the philanthropic arm of Bonit Capital, Leksell Social Ventures AB, in 2014. In 2018 Laurent Leksell published his autobiography “Radiant Times – How I turned Elekta into an international enterprise” (Sv. “Strålande Tider - Hur jag gjorde Elekta till ett världsföretag”). The book depicts the Leksell Family history, his academic career and the founding of Elekta and other enterprises.

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 Impact investing refers to investments "made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate a measurable, beneficial social or environmental impact alongside a financial return". At its core, impact investing is about an a ...

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 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. ICC represents over 45 million businesses in over 170 countries who have interest ...

(ICC Sweden) – Member of the Board since 2015 *

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

– 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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leksell, Laurent 1952 births Swedish people of Armenian descent Swedish business executives Living people People from Lund

Biography

Academic career

Entrepreneurship

Philanthropy

Board roles

Awards

References