Alan AtKisson

Alan AtKisson has been a leading voice in sustainability and sustainable development for over 30 years. Today he works as a senior government official in Sweden, representing the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ("Sida"). Prior to joining Sida, he worked principally as a strategic advisor to governments, companies, and the United Nations.

AtKisson's books have often been adopted by schools, universities, companies and professional training programs around the world. He has given hundreds of speeches and seminars on sustainability and transformative change, in over 50 countries. He co-founded or -led several of the pioneering initiatives that helped lay the foundations for the modern practice of sustainable development, and the planning and teaching tools he developed — the "Sustainability Compass", the "Pyramid" workshop method, the "Amoeba" model of planning for change — are in wide use internationally.

AtKisson is also an accomplished singer-songwriter, with six albums and several singles released over a long career that started in New York in the 1980s. By sometimes blending music into his speeches and seminars, AtKisson became known as an inspirational presenter, and some of his songs have been used in television programs and international conference events.

He is a past president of the Balaton Group, a full member of the Club of Rome, a former Executive Director of the Earth Charter Initiative, and was elected into the International Sustainability Hall of Fame in 2013. A dual citizen of Sweden and the USA, he lives in Stockholm. For more information please see his website: AlanAtKisson.com