President

Stefan Löfven was Prime Minister of Sweden from 2014-2021 and Leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) from 2012-2021. He led SAP to victory at both the 2014 and 2018 general elections in Sweden. He was elected President of the Party of European Socialists on 14 October 2022, at the PES Congress With Courage For Europe. 

Known for his strong commitment to democracy, European values and human rights, as Prime Minister of Sweden Stefan Löfven was the driving force behind the proclamation and signing of the European Pillar of Social Rights at the Gothenburg Social Summit for fair jobs and growth in 2017. Thanks to his leadership, this remains a defining moment for a more social, fair and sustainable Europe.

Adopted as an infant, Stefan Löfven grew up in a working-class family in the small town of Sunnersta, Sollefteå, in northern Sweden. He joined SAP as a teenager and was active in the Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. He studied social work at university and worked as a welder for a manufacturer of railcars, before becoming a trade union representative, and ultimately the President of IF Metal (2006–2012), a Swedish trade union for industrial workers and metalworkers.

Stefan Löfven is also Chair of the Board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) as well as Chair of the Board of the Olof Palme Memorial Fund. In February 2022 he was appointed by UN Secretary General António Guterres to lead a UN High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism. In Fall 2022, he took up a position as a resident fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics.