Beyond The welcome Gate 2026

Much of today’s national dialogue focuses heavily on marketing and attraction, getting international talent to Sweden. Beyond the Welcome Gate shifts the focus to what happens next: lived reality, sustainable inclusion, and long-term retention on the job.

“Attraction opens the gate. Reception and workplace culture build the anchor.”

Organised in connection with the national Work in Sweden conference, this half-day seminar and collaborative fishbowl brings together regional developers, municipal leaders, employers, legal experts, and union representatives. Together, we explore practical solutions to bridge the gap between initial arrival and thriving workplace integration.

Featured Opening Session Block 1: Rights, Ethics & Legal Realities

The opening dialogue brings together leading experts in human rights, migration law and workplace inclusion to explore what happens after international talent arrives in Sweden

Verenice Bengtsson: Human Rights Lawyer 

Verenice will draw on her own journey of building a life and career in a new country to share perspectives on the challenges immigrants and international talent can face during recruitment and in the workplace.

Charon Kopp Söderstorm: Immigration Consultant & Co-Founder,

Welwitschia Consulting AB, in collaboration with Vedette Legal 

Charon's work is grounded in close attention to Sweden’s evolving immigration rules, helping clients navigate the process with greater clarity and certainty.

Adib Hosseini: Legal Professional & Founder, Vedette Legal

Adib is a jurist based in Gothenburg and founder of Vedette Legal, specializing in Swedish and EU migration law as well as business law. Through Vedette Legal, he advises international professionals, start-ups, entrepreneurs, and employers on residence and work permits, including pathways for founders and their families. His work provides a practical perspective on how Sweden can better attract, support, and retain international competence.

Block 2: From soft landing to holistic approaches to retention

Exploring cross-border strategies and local solutions for sustainable retention past Day 100.

Featuring practical insights from Austria, Finland, and Skellefteå on inclusive HR, family support, and community integration.

Alexandra Truppe-Zeillinger: Managing Director Carinthian International Center, Austria / Board Member International School Carinthia, Austria / HRM Lecturer IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria

Alexandra works at the intersection of international talent attraction, labour mobility and regional integration. She develops and leads programmes supporting international professionals, accompanying partners and employers, with a strong focus on sustainable retention and successful integration into the labour market and society. She also works on international skills mobility initiatives and regularly contributes to research, policy discussions and practitioner networks on demographic change and global recruitment.

Raisa Suominen: Senior Specialist, HR

Raisa is an internationally minded HR professional working at Tampere University as a Senior HR Specialist and national coordinator of the EURAXESS Finland network. She supports international researchers and their families through career guidance, coaching, mentoring, and community-building activities, while contributing to the development of inclusive and responsible HR practices.

Karl-Henrik Burlin Dagman: Head of Marketing at Skellefteå Municipality

Karl-Henrik works with place branding, talent attraction and retention in one of Sweden’s most rapidly transforming regions. His work focuses on how a place can move beyond attraction and create the conditions for people to arrive, settle and build a life. This includes the development of Skellefteå’s Welcome House and broader initiatives connecting international talent with employers, public services and the local community.

Block 3, Part 1: Employer Readiness & Workplace Anchoring

Examining what it takes for employers to bridge the gap between initial recruitment and long-term retention. Featuring practical onboarding toolkits and global R&D site leadership perspectives from Move to Gothenburg, AstraZeneca and New to Sweden.

Siyana Sokolova: Head of Training & Employer Engagement, Move to Gothenburg

Leading employer training across Western Sweden with over a decade of strategic experience in inclusion and mentorship. Equipping organizations to move from recruitment to retention through practical tools and e-learning platforms.

Ramon Nogueras: Site Director, AstraZeneca Gothenburg R&D

Bringing 28 years of global life-science leadership across multiple countries to the strategic development of AstraZeneca’s Gothenburg site. Focusing on anchoring international specialists and fostering deep engagement within the regional innovation ecosystem.

Greg Fernando: Director at New to Sweden 

Greg is the founder of the non-profit New to Sweden and co-founder of the 30-organization 1046 Inclusion Initiative, Greg has coached dozens of employers across the country on workplace inclusion and supported over 1,500 skilled jobseekers through the Ready to Work program. As an international professional himself, he brings vital first-hand perspective to the realities of navigating a career in Sweden.

Rather than looking solely at routine onboarding checklists, Greg will lead a deeper dive into the critical importance of employer and community inclusion in talent retention and the broader systemic pitfalls where integration efforts fall short. He will unpack why the intersection of workplace belonging and local community support determines whether specialists stay or leave.

Block 3, Part 2: Entrepreneurial Pathways

Exploring self-employment and expat entrepreneurship as powerful drivers for long-term regional retention, moving beyond traditional employment structures.

Annamalai Ramanathan: Founder, Sweden Expat Tax & Accounting AB

An established entrepreneur in Gothenburg, Annamalai provides a practical roadmap for international professionals and accompanying partners considering self-employment, while advising employers and municipalities on how to effectively guide talent toward these pathways.

Joshua Joseph Idiong: Quality/Sustainability Consultant & Founder, Josult Sweden AB

Moving from Nigeria to Sweden on a prestigious Swedish Institute Scholarship for his Master’s degree at Linköping University, Joshua built a thriving career in Sweden's industrial sector and now contributes directly to major green industrial projects in Northern Sweden.

Block 4: The Swedish Labor Model & Structural Security

Focusing on collective agreements, union collaboration, and trade union support as fundamental pillars for ensuring workplace security and the long-term retention of international specialists in Sweden.

Boel Callermo: Head of Policy Analysis at TCO (the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees)

Boel works on issues related to skills supply, labour market transition, working conditions, occupational health and safety, and sustainable working life. she has extensive experience in a variety of roles within the fields of labour market and working life policy, and has a background at the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) as well as in the executive management of the Swedish Work Environment Authority.

Event Highlights:

Practical Information:

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2026

Arrival & check in: 8:00 - 8:15
Program: 08:15 – 12:30 CET 
Venue: Clarion Hotel Draken, Gothenburg (Drama Hall)
Language: English

Although we are currently fully booked,  we warmly encourage you to join our waiting list, spots frequently open up, and we would love to have you with us!