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Gunilla Girardo

  • Principal Nordic Desk
  • Email: gunillagirardo@yer.com
  • Mobile: +1 571 488 0426
  • Location: Washington D.C
  • Languages: Swedish | English
  • Country: Sweden
Gunilla Girardo
Specializations

Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Energy & Renewables, Aerospace & Defense, Medical & Biotech

About Gunilla

Gunilla Girardo is a Swedish-American executive with over 25 years of experience in the U.S.-Nordic business relations, specializing in executive search and strategic matchmaking. Most of her clients are small to medium-sized Nordic companies across various industries, including energy, manufacturing, consumer goods, machinery, software, and medical technology.

Raised in rural Sweden, Gunilla brings a global mindset, entrepreneurial drive, and deep knowledge of the U.S. market to every client engagement. As President for the Swedish-American Chambers of Commerce (SACC-USA) she grew the organization into the second-largest European chamber in the U.S. As CEO of Mentor Foundation USA, founded by H.M. Queen Silvia, she expanded it into a nationally recognized leader in youth drug prevention.

Gunilla joined YER USA in 2017 as a consultant and was promoted to Principal of the Nordic Desk in 2021. She also serves as Senior Advisor – Scandinavia at National Strategies and as a board member of SWEA Washington, D.C., and the STS Foundation. Gunilla holds a B.A. in communications from Gothenburg University and a Mindfulness Intelligence (MQ) certification.

Gunilla is a sought-after international speaker on topics such as cross-cultural leadership, mentoring, women’s leadership, and professional development. She is a recipient of the 2016 SmartCEO Brava Award and was named a Profile in Success by Bernhard Wealth Management the same year. Gunilla is also active in the Nordic-American community through roles at Nordic Innovation House, SWEA DC, and the STS Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys working out, home improvements, gardening, cooking, and mentoring young professionals.

Awards and Publications 

Awards:

  • 2016 Brava Award by SmartCEO
  • 2007 Ambassador of Bollebygd, Sweden

Publications:

  • Co-author of Mentor Foundation USA’s research paper on the Living The Example program
  • Published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR Publications)

Active in the community, Gunilla is a strategic partner at Nordic Innovation House in Silicon Valley and a board member of SWEA Washington DC and the STS Foundation. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, home improvement, cooking, sewing, and mentoring young professionals.