UMC’s Executive Management Team
Steering an organisation, and ensuring that multiple focus areas share a common direction, requires teamwork backed by a clear internal governance and decision-making structure.
At UMC, the Director leads the operations together with the Executive Management Team (EMT) under the supervision of the board. The Director and the EMT are responsible for developing long-term strategic plans, governance and organisational coordination, annual objectives and the budget framework, reporting, and follow-up of key internal and external activities throughout the year.
The EMT is supported by steering committees, which are, in turn, informed by cross-functional teams for each of UMC’s core areas.
Peter Hjelmström
Director
Peter has overall responsibility for the strategy and operations of the centre and relationships with many other organisations. He leads the team in Uppsala and represents UMC worldwide. Peter has an academic background as a physician and scientist, with MD and PhD degrees. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University and was an associate professor at Karolinska Institutet before working in the pharmaceutical industry for 17 years. His most recent role before joining UMC in 2023 was as Chief Medical Officer at a Swedish pharmaceutical company. He has published over 45 manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals mainly within immunology and the pharmacoepidemiology of opioid dependence.
Anders Gräns
Head of External Engagement
Anders leads UMC’s External Engagement department, focusing on managing the customer journey, from creating first awareness of UMC products to maintaining high customer retention and delivering excellent value to the global pharmacovigilance community. Anders has worked at UMC since 2015. Prior to his current role, he managed the UMC Customer Engagement and Licence Coordination teams. Before UMC, Anders worked as a consultant, focusing on analytics. He holds a master's degree (MSc) in forestry industrial economics.
Olof Lindberg
Head of Finance
As Head of Finance, Olof is responsible for developing and executing the organisation’s financial strategy. He leads the financial planning and budgeting processes. He conducts financial analysis, supports decision-making, and provides insights to management regarding financial performance and risk management. He is also responsible for internal and external financial reporting and compliance with accounting standards and regulatory requirements. Olof joined UMC in 2022. He has a master’s degree in economics from Uppsala University. He has previously worked as an auditor at EY and Deloitte and in management roles at biotech companies.
Birgitta Lindner
Head of Staff
Birgitta leads and contributes to UMC's overall stability, security, and efficiency. This specifically involves developing and implementing UMC's investment policy for long-term financial stability and coordinating activities that develop, promote, and maintain UMC’s legal and organisational stability and sustainability. Her team contributes to establishing and maintaining an efficient, high-quality administration. Birgitta’s background includes leadership positions in finance within both the pharma and IT sectors, and she has been with UMC since 2007. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Pinelopi Lundquist
Head of WHO Liaison
Pinelopi oversees the WHO Liaison department that has overall responsibility for UMC’s services in its capacity as a WHO Collaborating Centre. WHO Liaison includes the Signal Management and Education & Training functions as well as the coordination of UMC’s role in helping new organisations that are joining the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. Pinelopi is a clinical pharmacist and holds a PhD in pharmacokinetics from Uppsala University. She joined UMC in 2020, having previously worked for more than 10 years in Swedish government agencies; first the National Board of Health and Welfare and then the Swedish Medical Products Agency..
Niklas Norén
Head of Research
Niklas Norén has served in UMC’s executive management team and led its research function since 2009. Before that, he was a data science specialist with UMC and an affiliated company. He studied engineering physics at Chalmers University of Technology and mathematical statistics at Stockholm University, with MSc and PhD degrees. While at UMC, Niklas has held leadership roles in several international collaborative projects. His research on duplicate detection and subgroup discovery has been internationally awarded. He has published more than 60 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences, mainly on machine learning and statistical pattern discovery in observational medical data.
Gerard Ross
Head of Communication
As Head of Communication at UMC, Gerard is responsible for the organisation’s overall communications function, developing and implementing UMC's communication strategy. His team plays a key role in promoting the importance of pharmacovigilance and patient safety worldwide through publications, social media, and web presence. Gerard has a long career as a professional communicator in international non-profit organisations, as well as experience in commercial communication agencies. He joined UMC in 2019, originally serving as the editor of Uppsala Reports magazine. He holds bachelor’s degrees in law and arts, and a graduate diploma in communication.
Jonas Rylander
Head of Digital Services & Solutions
Jonas serves as Head of the Digital Services & Solutions department at UMC. He leads UMC staff working on the IT systems, aiming for continuous improvement and business growth. He has a background in leadership and agile methodologies, and experience in driving development projects. These include e-commerce work and roles as head of development in product companies. Jonas, who joined UMC in 2022, holds a master's degree in applied physics and computer science, and has also completed programmes such as the Executive Master of Strategy from Swedish management association Mgruppen.
Katarina Tillgren
Head of Human Resources
Katarina is responsible for all human resources (HR) related questions within the organisation. The HR team works on everything from branding UMC as an attractive employer, recruitment, employment law, collective agreements, payroll, work environment and more. Katarina joined UMC in January 2022, and has an extensive career in HR and as a manager and leader in both the private and public sector, including roles at organisations such as Cap Gemini and the Karolinska Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science (political science and sociology).
Helena Vesterberg
Head of Portfolio & Product Management
Helena drives product vision and strategy at UMC, leading the development of the WHODrug dictionary and our medical coding and pharmacovigilance product portfolios in line with customer needs and organisational goals. Helena has a master’s degree in biochemistry from Uppsala University. She joined UMC in 2023. Previously, she was Portfolio Manager for Automation Digital and Learning at Cytiva, formerly GE Healthcare. She brings with her over 20 years of experience in product development and management at Cytiva, GE Healthcare, and before that Biacore.