Mercuri Urval Appoints Non-Executive Director
June 23, 2026 – Stockholm, Sweden-based executive search firm Mercuri Urval (MU) has announced that Jan Sasse, partner at AlterInvest, was named as non-executive director to the MU group board. He will join the current board members Cecilia Strand, Mieke Weijenberg, Cecilia Beer, Richard Moore, and chairman Roger Hagafors.
“We are pleased to welcome Jan Sasse as non-executive director of the MU group board,” said Mr. Hagafors. “I very much look forward to work together with Jan in the continuous development of MU as a leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm.”
Mr. Sasse brings extensive experience from the investment and professional services industries in both executive and non-executive roles. He has a background in commercial strategy, finance and professional services and his expertise is expected to support the board’s work and contribute to constructive discussion on growth, performance, and long-term value development.
In his position as partner at AlterInvest, Mr. Sasse works with private market investments and capital raising for foundations, private equity investors, and family offices. Before this, he was CEO of Tesi, Finnish Industry Investment. During his time there, he led a major investment organization and improved performance through partner selection, investment decisions, and management team development.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Sasse held roles at Accenture, Deloitte, and Norvestia, where he built broad expertise in financial advisory, consulting, digitalization, investment strategy, portfolio management, and business development. He has also served as both board member and chair across several organizations, working closely with leadership teams on investment decisions and organizational growth. In addition to his strong professional network in Finland, Jan brings valuable international connections in Germany, the UK, and the US, and he is fluent in English, German, Swedish, and Finnish.
“With his strong international network, broad board and leadership experience, and deep expertise in strategy, finance, and organizational development, Jan will bring valuable perspective to the MU group board,” the search firm said. “His skill set and experience will strengthen our continued development as a leading international executive search and leadership advisory firm, supporting our ambition to drive long-term growth, deliver excellence to clients, and remain at the forefront of leadership and talent advisory in a rapidly changing world.”
Related: Mercuri Urval Expands Senior Staff
“I am excited to join the board of MU in a time where geopolitical and technological change make leadership and talent development strategically relevant for all organizations.” Mr. Sasse said.
Mercuri Urval is a global executive search and talent advisory firm. The firm was founded in 1967. Today, Mercuri Urval works with more than 3,000 clients – across all sectors – in over 70 countries every year. It is the only global executive search and leadership advisory firm based in the Nordics.
Recent Additions
MU recently appointed Lene Juul Pedersen as group director. Ms. Pedersen is the firm’s global head of compliance and data protection, where she leads compliance strategy and ensures high standards in data protection and operational excellence across the firm’s global executive search and talent advisory services.
In her role as role as global head of compliance and data protection, Ms. Pedersen is responsible for defining, upholding and developing processes, methods and reporting for ensuring that company standards are well implemented and complied with globally in MU. With more than 35 years of experience at MU, having joined the company in 1989, she blends deep institutional knowledge with a commitment to integrity and trust in client and candidate interactions. Based in Aarhus, Denmark, Ms. Pedersen is known for cultivating robust compliance practices that support trusted, ethical partnerships worldwide.
“I have worked with MU for quite many years, and I’ll say there are two main reasons why I have worked here as long as I have, the first reason is the opportunity to grow and develop that I am offered in MU,” Ms. Pedersen said. “I have worked in many different roles in MU, and through those different roles, I have grown and developed my skills in many different areas. If you perform well, and you wish to expand your role, MU offers that opportunity. You could say that in MU, we are offered opportunities without limits. I started in the Danish business unit working in various roles, and now I work in HQ as global head of compliance & data protection, plus I’m heading our global specialist team.
MU also recently named Ulf Hillstedt as global practice lead for the construction practice. “Ulf has been working with clients from the construction industry for so many years, that he is the obvious choice to coordinate our activities in this industry globally,” said Andreas Frische, CRO at MU. “We know his passion for the construction Industry, and we are sure our services will benefit many more customers under his management of the construction practice.”
Based in Malmö, Sweden, Mr. Hillstedt has a previous background as management consultant for nearly 30 years, controller, and CEO in Sweden, Denmark and Norway as well as director positions within business development and innovation. Furthermore, he has held positions as a board member in Sweden and Denmark and engaged in mentorships for startups. Mr. Hillstedt also has a background as a teacher at IHM Business School from 1997-2000.
“After 25 exciting years in the market research industry, I strived for doing something new, becoming a leader within a completely new business-to-business sector, within the traditional industry,” Mr. Hillstedt said. “I met a number of recruitment companies and there was only one match for me – MU was clearly state-of-the-art, way ahead all competitors. To me it is important that the MU way of working is based on scientific knowledge and facts. For me it is essential to be able to deliver reliable leadership advice, over time. The approach is based on precisely tailored services and not standard solutions i.e. one size fits all-concept.”
Related: Mercuri Urval Group Appoints Sector Leader
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
