Alumnus of the Year 2023

Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Rosened, Chief of the Army Headquarters Operations Section in Enköping, and Jacob Birkenland, Global Head of Press and Public Affairs at Skanska, are Alumnus of the Year 2023 at the Swedish Defence University.

Rewards for efforts for society

The Swedish Defence University's Alumnus of the Year award recognizes the contributions that alumni make to society. This year, the prize goes to two alumni: Marcus Rosened and Jacob Birkeland.

Justifications

Jacob Birkeland's great interest in society and the choices we face together, both nationally and internationally, serves as the foundation for an impressive career. He has worked with defence and security policy issues in the Swedish Parliament (Riksdag), done military service, deployed to the Swedish Armed Forces' mission in Afghanistan, been a press officer at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and held senior positions in the press and public affairs in multinational companies. The intersection between the public and private sectors is the common thread in his commitment and assignments,

Marcus Rosened is a pioneer for the officer corps in general and for alumni of the Advanced Command Programme at the SEDU. As head representative in the coordination of the Swedish Army’s support to Ukraine, he demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the objectives, guidelines, and working methods of the different levels of command. Marcus Rosened is characterized by cognitive resilience, staff ethics, staff discipline, and the ability to combine military and administrative logic. He has fully mastered the two core attributes of the Advanced Command Programme – the pen and the sword.

The Alumnus of the Year award is presented to one or two alumni per year. A jury consisting of the Vice-Chancellor's management team assesses the nominations and appoints the Alumnus of the Year. The Vice-Chancellor is the chairman of the jury and has the casting vote in the event of disagreement.

Criteria and nomination