STOCKHOLM — Sweden has nominated Jesper Brodin, the outgoing chief executive of IKEA’s Ingka Group, to serve as the next United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, describing him as a leader whose business expertise could help address the agency’s mounting financial challenges.
Brodin, 56, will step down in November after seven years at the helm of Ingka Group, which owns most IKEA stores worldwide. He joined the world’s largest furniture retailer three decades ago, beginning his career as a purchase manager in Pakistan and later serving as assistant to IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad.
In announcing the nomination, the Swedish government said the U.N. system would benefit from a leader skilled in managing budgets and delivering operational efficiency. “That’s why someone who knows how to keep hold of the purse strings and deliver efficient operations is needed,” the statement read. The selection comes amid sharp cuts in international humanitarian funding, driven by major donor governments, including the United States and other Western nations, shifting budget priorities toward defense.
Aid agencies, including UNHCR, are increasingly courting private sector donors to offset the shortfall, with the refugee agency set to reduce its 2025 budget by nearly 20%.Brodin cited his collaborative work with UNHCR in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan and in response to the displacement crisis after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I would love to explore how the corporate community could be a stronger link and partner, in the way that I’ve learned from the IKEA side so far,” he told Reuters.
Current High Commissioner Filippo Grandi will step down at year’s end as his term concludes. The 193‑member U.N. General Assembly is expected to elect his successor later this year. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres declined to comment on the nomination, and UNHCR did not immediately respond to requests for reaction.
If elected, Brodin’s appointment would mark a rare move for the agency to place a business leader at its helm, a recognition of the growing need to combine humanitarian leadership with corporate-style resource management in an era of constrained global aid.