At Digital Futures, we are proud to announce Annika Szabo Portela as our new Executive Director.
Annika Szabo Portela brings over two decades of international experience from leading medical, technical, and business-oriented academic institutions in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and France. With a PhD in medical science from Karolinska Institutet, she has combined her background as a speech-language pathologist and researcher with a passion for strategic innovation and digital transformation.
“We are delighted to welcome Annika as Executive Director. Her international experience and proven ability to connect diverse stakeholders will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen Digital Futures’ role as Sweden’s leading research centre in digital transformation,” says Karl H. Johansson, Director of Digital Futures.
Most recently, Annika served as Managing Director of EIT Health Scandinavia and, ad interim, as Chief Partnership Management Officer with pan-European responsibility. In these roles, she established and developed collaborations across academia, industry, and the public sector, while driving organizational transformations to enhance efficiency and economic sustainability.
“I am excited to join Digital Futures at such a exciting time for digital transformation. I look forward to working closely with our partners to foster collaboration and create innovation environments that will help shape a sustainable and competitive future,” says Annika Szabo Portela.
At Digital Futures, Annika leads the centre’s work alongside Karl H. Johansson. She is responsible for coordinating and advancing collaborations with partners, strengthening research programmes, and organizing strategic activities that promote interdisciplinary collaboration in areas such as AI, digitalisation, and sustainable societal development. Annika is passionate about building innovation environments that enable the digital solutions of the future and enhance competitiveness.
