My name is Sune Ågren and I have been living in beautiful Örgryte in Gothenburg for many years. I have a life story that stretches from the vast forests of Norrland to the pulsating city life in Gothenburg with stops on the road in Stockholm, Kramfors and Holmsund. My upbringing was characterized by hard work and self-sufficiency on the small farm where my parents combined work in agriculture and forestry with work in industry. This is where I learned the value of hard work and taking care of myself.
My educational journey took me to the City of Learning, Härnösand, at the time with the epithet "The Athens of the North", where I spent four instructive years at the Latin high school as an accredited student in the city. It was during this time that I came across Bertrand Russell's work "The Philosophy of the West", which ignited a spark of curiosity and interest in philosophy that would follow me throughout my life. The world of philosophy, especially its connection to natural science, especially quantum physics, fascinated me and I have continued to delve into these subjects as a fun hobby. Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher who already about 2,500 years before the scientists of the 20th century in quantum physics described existence as being in constant change - expressed with the term "Panta rhei" - became one of my favorite philosophers.
The interest in languages from the Latin high school led me to the Defense Interpreting School, where I studied Russian for a year to train as a front-line interpreter when the world during the post-war period was filled with conflicts with an iron curtain that divided Europe. Economics became another of my interests, born from my childhood experiences of limited resources. I chose to immerse myself in the subject and spent four years at the School of Economics in Stockholm. A number of years later, I continued my education for two years at the Executive Management Institute at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, Paris.
My working life began at Svenska Utvecklings AB, where I worked with market analysis and market planning and was involved in structural investigations for some of the problem companies of the 70s. Then I was employed as a company manager in two industrial companies, Nylands Mattfabrik AB and Holmsund Golv, which specialized in the manufacture of floor coverings. I also had the opportunity to work in the offshore industry as a company manager for Götaverken Modul AB in Gothenburg.
Eventually, the desire to work for myself took over, after which I have worked as a serial entrepreneur buying, developing and selling companies that I owned. The latest company in the chain, Vadsbo LightTech AB, active in power supply and power control of LED lighting, was divested and sold on the stock exchange in 2016 where it is still (September 2023) alive and thriving.
My life's journey has been an exciting journey from growing up in the northern countryside to becoming a serial entrepreneur with an international field of work and a passion for philosophy and science. My commitment to understanding the fundamental questions of life has always guided me, and I continue to embrace change, just as Heraclitus once taught.