Tomas Björkman

Tomas Björkman is a Swedish entrepreneur who has dedicated his
life to building a better world. He grew up in a
lower-middle-class family and was the first in his family to
attend university. His academic pursuits led him to study
mathematics and physics, subjects he found easy and intriguing.
However, the allure of the business world was too strong to
resist. He ventured into entrepreneurship, starting businesses in
property and banking. His experience in banking provided him with
an insider's view of the market.





In 2006, he sold his banking business to the fourth largest Swiss
banking group, the EFG group. This marked a significant turning
point in his life. After selling his business, Björkman set up
his own foundation, the ECR Foundation. The foundation was
established with the aim to explore the connection between
personal inner growth and societal development. Initially,
Björkman felt quite alone in this space, but over the years, more
people have started to recognize the importance of this
connection, especially in light of recent global events like
Brexit, the Trump presidency, the storming of the Capitol, and
the COVID-19 pandemic.





Björkman holds a strong belief that Sweden and the Scandinavian
countries could serve as an inspiration for societal development,
despite having lost much of their previous societal strengths. He
credits the Swedish society for providing him with the
opportunity to go to university and satisfy his curiosity about
the world.





After leaving the business world, Björkman wrote a book called
"The Market Myth". In it, he posits that the market, while a
beautiful human invention, is being relied upon for too many
things that it was never intended to handle. He also believes
that the market can only perform efficiently in limited instances
and that there are many instances where the market fails.


Björkman's drive is fueled by curiosity. He is interested in
understanding the world and creating things. He believes that
understanding the world requires a natural systems perspective
and that we must recognize that we are part of the natural world
and subject to planetary boundaries. He also believes that about
90% of our human world is socially constructed, and many of these
social constructs have become institutionalized over time.





Björkman strongly believes in the importance of lifelong inner
growth and development. He questions why society does not talk
about this more. He also believes that a good societal culture is
important for individual and collective flourishing, and that
governments should enable the positive development of a good
societal culture.