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Alan AtKisson is a writer, speaker, and strategic advisor, as well as a musician, songwriter, and artist, living in Stockholm, Sweden.
Alan is a former Director at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). He is also a former adviser to the United Nations, the President of the European Commission, and numerous governments and government agencies, and was a long-term strategic consultant to global corporations and international NGOs.
Parallel to his career as a strategic consultant and government official, focused on bringing together science and policy for sustainability, Alan has also published eight books and released six albums of original music as a singer, songwriter and guitarist. A dual citizen of Sweden and the United States, he is currently working on his ninth book, while also writing articles for “Words and Music” (his blog and Substack) and also calling attention to some of his older songs on social media, such as 2014’s “American Troubadour“, which has recently been called “an anthem … for anyone concerned about the state of political discourse in America today.”
Alan has worked in a consulting or training capacity in over 50 countries and has trained hundreds of officials in the principles and practice of sustainability and sustainable development. He is a recognised pioneer in sustainability, applying a systems-based approach that has contributed to advances in city planning, education and training, economic policy development, and business management. Alan was formally recognized as a leading contributor to the field with his induction into the International Sustainability Hall of Fame in 2013.
At Sida, Alan was responsible for directing Swedish development aid on the themes of strengthening civil society, advancing scientific research, building institutional capacity, and mobilising private finance, as well as for fostering innovation for sustainable development throughout the agency. In this position, he acted as a deputy to the Director-General of Sida, participating in the overall leadership of the agency and representing the Government of Sweden in a diplomatic capacity at international fora, such as those convened by the World Bank and the United Nations.
Alan’s professional history has followed the history of sustainable development itself. In 1988, he began editing one of the first journals on sustainability and cultural change, In Context, just one year after the United Nations launched the concept in a groundbreaking report (“Our Common Future”, 1987). In 1990, Alan co-founded one of the first city-based sustainability planning initiatives (Sustainable Seattle), which introduced the concept of sustainability indicators and was copied in cities around the world. In 1992, he founded one of the world’s first sustainability consultancies, AtKisson Group, and began providing strategic advice to global clients in business, government, the non-profit sector and the United Nations. Tools and methods he developed along the way have spread globally, including the Sustainability Compass and the VISIS Method for strategic planning in a sustainability context.
Alan has also served as chair or chief executive officer for several other organisations, including an economic policy think-tank developing new measures of well-being (Redefining Progress), a global NGO focused on environmental and social ethics (Earth Charter International), an international network of sustainability and systems researchers (aka the Balaton Group), and a multi-nation intergovernmental partnership promoting global water security (Global Water Partnership). For more information, please see his detailed professional biography.
Alan is currently working on “Gaia’s Dreams: An Optimist’s Guide to Creating Positive Futures,” the third and final book in his “Optimist Trilogy” (expected to be completed in 2026). The series began with his environmental bestseller Believing Cassandra (1999, revised 2012) and continued with The Sustainability Transformation (2012). Alan is also the author of Sustainability is for Everyone (2014, revised 2017), a small, widely read book designed to introduce and demystify the topic for people of all ages and backgrounds. He has also published two books of poetry, an essay collection, and a book on organisational change with the German coaching expert Axel Klimek (Parachuting Cats into Borneo, 2017). Many of his books, published in English, have also been translated into other languages.
His personal interests run widely. While continuing to speak and write on sustainability and public affairs for professional audiences (again, at his blog and on Substack), Alan also writes poetry, fiction, essays and criticism. As a songwriter, he is known for mixing music into his presentations, and his songs have been featured and used in public settings by both the United Nations and the European Commission. His musical albums cover a wide range of styles and are available on all streaming services. As an amateur artist, Alan also enjoys painting and sculpting, often making use of scrap, found objects, and the natural landscape.
Alan is available on a limited (and strictly voluntary) basis to speak, or to advise on strategic and leadership-related matters. Please use the Contact tab to send him an inquiry via email. You can also follow or contact him via LinkedIn. You can follow his other writing, music, and art on Facebook or Instagram.
For information about Alan’s books and writing, click here >>
For information about Alan’s music, albums and songs, click here >>
Alan AtKisson 