Leading with Innovation: Sweden's Path to Smoke-Free

Date: December 4th, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Venue: “The Events Hub” at Sustainable Ventures, County Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PB

Registration on Eventbrite is mandatory

In-person event only (not available online/virtually)

Organized by:

We Are Innovation

Quit Like Sweden

About the event:

Join us for an exclusive evening celebrating Sweden's remarkable public health achievements and innovative approaches that have led to historically low smoking rates - among the lowest in the world.

Join us as we gather experts, researchers, and policymakers to celebrate Sweden's achievement as it approaches the milestone of becoming the world's first smoke-free nation - a journey that demonstrates the power of forward-thinking innovations and consumer choice.

Featured speakers are World Health Organization medal recipient Dr. Karl Fagerström (SWE) , Swedish Parliament Member Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (SWE), International Public Health Expert Clive Bates (UK), Director of Quit Like Sweden Suely Castro (BRA), CEO We Are Innovation Federico Fernandez (ARG), and Director of Considerate Pouchers Carissa Düring (SWE). The evening will include engaging presentations, interactive Q&A sessions, and networking opportunities.

Space is limited. Register now to secure your place at this landmark event.

Agenda:

6 pm Guests Gathering & Greetings Cocktails 

6.30 pm Welcome remarks, by Tetiana Rak 

6.40 pm “Missing Opportunities to Save Lives,” by Suely Castro 

6.50 pm “Innovation, Choice, and Sweden as a Role Model,” by Federico N. Fernández  

7.05 pm Keynote Speech “From Research to Reality: Sweden’s Path to Becoming Smoke-Free,” by Dr. Karl Fagerström

7.30 pm Panel: “From 5.3% to Zero: Lessons from Sweden's Smoke-Free Journey,” featuring Clive Bates, Carissa Düring, MP Jesper Skalberg Karlsson

8.15 pm Dinner & Cocktails

About the Speakers:

Clive Bates (UK) is a versatile professional with extensive experience spanning the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors who currently leads Counterfactual Consulting Limited, a consultancy focused on sustainability initiatives. Through his work, he addresses critical issues in energy, environment, public health, and governance while providing advocacy expertise. Bates has become particularly prominent in the field of tobacco harm reduction, championing the use of lower-risk alternatives to cigarettes as a public health strategy that could potentially prevent millions of premature deaths and severe illnesses, despite facing significant ideological opposition. Operating independently without industry ties to tobacco, nicotine, or pharmaceutical companies, he shares his insights and advocacy work through his website, The Counterfactual, where he continues to contribute to the discourse on harm reduction strategies and broader sustainability challenges.

Suely Castro (BRA) is a passionate advocate for harm reduction, who has worked on assessing the impact of international approaches to Tobacco Control, focusing on the experience and real-world effectiveness of alternatives to smoking. She has dedicated nearly two decades to researching and travelling the world advocating for alternative nicotine products to be Accessible, Acceptable, and Affordable to those seeking to quit cigarettes. Suely works tirelessly to foster collaboration and dialogue across borders. Inspired by her personal experience with the impact that smoking and the absence of alternatives can have on families, she set up Quit Like Sweden after witnessing first-hand Sweden’s incredible achievement. Her goal is to bring the Swedish Experience to the world to help save and improve the lives of millions of people.

Carissa Düring (SWE) is the Director of Considerate Pouchers in Sweden, a consumer advocacy group dedicated to promoting a smoke-free world and consumers’ rights to alternative products. She also studies clinical psychology at Uppsala University in Sweden. As an advocate, she brings attention to how successful nicotine pouches have been in helping Sweden achieve the lowest smoking rates in the European Union, and how the rest of the world can follow in its footsteps.

Dr. Karl Fagerström (SWE) earned his PhD in nicotine dependence and smoking cessation in 1981. He is best known as the inventor of the Fagerström Test for Cigarette Dependence, a widely used diagnostic tool. As a founding member of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT), he has made significant contributions to tobacco research and currently serves as a deputy editor of Nicotine & Tobacco Research. His outstanding work in tobacco control earned him the World Health Organization medal in 1999, and in 2013, he received the Award on Clinical Science from SRNT.

Federico N. Fernández (ARG) is a visionary leader dedicated to driving innovation and change. As the CEO of We Are Innovation, a global network of 45+ think tanks and NGOs, Federico champions innovative solutions worldwide. His expertise and passion for innovation have earned him recognition from prestigious publications such as The Economist, El País, Folha de São Paulo, and Newsweek. Federico has also delivered inspiring speeches and lectures across three continents, authored numerous scholarly articles, and co-edited several books on economics.

Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (SWE) currently serves as a Member of Parliament representing Gotland County and chairs the Moderate Party on Gotland. Elected to Parliament in 2022 with strong voter support, he serves on the Social Affairs Committee, is a deputy member of the EU Committee, and represents the Moderate Party on the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Committee. He also holds positions on several supervisory boards, including the Swedish Health and Social Care Inspectorate and the Gotland County Administrative Board. Previously, he served as group leader in the Gotland regional council (2018-2022) and as a Member of Parliament (2015-2018), where he was recognized as Gotland's most active parliamentary representative.

About the Moderator:

Tetiana Rak (UKR) is the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at We Are Innovation. A journalist and freedom activist with 8 years of experience, Tania has worked with renowned media outlets including CNN, TechCrunch, Fox News, HackerNoon, the BBC, and Radio Free Europe, among others. Her unwavering dedication to championing the ideas of technological advancements and global digital transformations has earned her a distinguished reputation in the field. Through her work, Tania promotes the ideas of liberty, and individual rights as a cornerstone of any rights-respecting society. Strengthened by the experience of war in Ukraine, Tania’s beliefs also stand for promoting technological advancements as the transformative tool to advance liberty, giving people the opportunity to speak, act, and pursue happiness without unnecessary external restrictions.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Sustainable Ventures, Belvedere Road, London, United Kingdom