I am a writer and analyst. My current assignments include working as a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), as an associate at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) and as a columnist for the news site Altinget. Contact: matsengstrom65@gmail.com.
My professional career has included positions within the Swedish government, including deputy state secretary and director of the International Department at the Ministry for the Environment, as well as political adviser to Foreign Minister Anna Lindh from 1998 to 2001. I was an editorial writer at the Aftonbladet newspaper for seven years, editor-in-chief of Ny Teknik (the leading technology magazine in Sweden) and policy director at the largest Swedish trade union, Unionen.
I have also worked at the Swedish government agency Tillväxtanalys on issues related to innovation and sustainability transitions. From November 2015 to December 2017, I was a science and innovation counsellor at the Swedish Embassy in Tokyo, where I dealt with research and development policies in Japan and South Korea.
I have written extensively on European affairs, climate and the environment, and technology. As well as contributing to Swedish newspapers, I have had articles published in Euractiv, European Voice, EU Observer, Gazeta Wyborcza, Inside Story, Le Monde, New Statesman, NRC Handelsblad, Open Democracy, Politico, Tagesspiegel and World Politics Review, as well as on a number of other international websites. I have also been interviewed by media outlets such as Al Jazeera, AP, CNBC, Euronews, The Guardian, NHK, Nikkei Asia, Politico, Reuters, Der Spiegel, La Stampa and the Washington Post. I am the author of four books.
Earlier assignments: Sieps (2020–2024), Entreprenörskapsforum (2020), Klimatpolitiska rådet (2020), Global Challenges Foundation (2021), Stockholm Environment Institute (2021), Climate Catalyst (2022), Expertgruppen för studier i offentlig ekonomi (2022) and Tillväxtanalys (2022).
The views expressed on this website or in linked texts are my own (unless otherwise stated).