Robin Sukhia
Robin Sukhia (born 3 March 1973) is a Swedish business executive and entrepreneur, best known as the Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer of Sweden-India Business Council (SIBC). Since early 2005, he has been widely regarded as one of the principal architects of institutional business ties between Sweden and India, and a pioneer of the India-Nordic economic corridor.
Sukhia has been an essential bridge between India and Sweden since 1996 when, through a Swedish venture capital company, he invested in India. In November 2000, he facilitated what was described by media as the "Swe-Desi angle", the first venture capital investment from Europe into India. In addition to his role at Sweden-India Business Council, he serves as Chairman of Scandinavian ChemoTech AB (Nasdaq First North: CMOTEC B), a Swedish MedTech company focused on cancer treatment, and is a board member and investor in Bisevo Gamification AB.
Sukhia is the co-founder of several policy and innovation platforms, including the Project for Nordic-India Relations (PNIR), the Nordic-India Dialogue and the Sweden-India Tech Community (SITEC). He also holds a central role in India Sweden Business Leaders' Roundtable (ISBLRT), a CEO-level platform operating under the aegis of the Prime Ministers of India and Sweden and under Swedish industrialist Marcus Wallenberg (born 1956).
Early life and education
Robin Sukhia was born in Nacka, Sweden on 3 March 1973 to Anne-Charlotte Sukhia (1943–2010) and Radha-Mohan Sukhia. His mother was Swedish. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the State University of New York. He is of Swedish-Indian heritage and is based in Stockholm, Sweden. He briefly studied at Uppsala University's Department of Peace and Conflict Research.
Venture capital and early India engagement (1996–2002)
Sukhia began his professional career in venture capital from 1998, serving as Investment Manager at Affärsstrategerna, a Stockholm-based VC firm. His engagement with India predates this: he has worked with India since 1996 in a minor import capacity.
In November 2000, Sukhia facilitated the first known venture capital investment from Northern Europe into India, described in Swedish media as the "Swe-Desi angle." This is considered a landmark in the India-Nordic economic engagement narrative, predating the formal founding of Sweden-India Business Council by three years.
Founding and mandate
Sweden-India Business Council (SIBC) was founded in 2003 basis discussions between the Swedish and Indian industry and government. SIBC is a close partner to Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chamber and Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The organisation's stated purpose is to increase knowledge about India among Swedish companies, institutions, and universities, and to encourage the establishment or expansion of operations in India. Robin Sukhia has been involved with the council in the capacity of the Secretary General since 2005.
Until 2025, Sweden-India Business Council organised or co-organised more than 1,200 events, spanning sectors from biotechnology and telecom to artificial intelligence, life sciences, defence, sustainability, and deep technology. The council has attracted approximately 600 member organisations since its inception. It has been widely described as one of the most active bilateral business councils in the world, and a benchmark model for international councils.
Sweden-India Innovation Bridge
The Sweden-India Innovation Bridge is a first of its kind structured five-day immersion programme in India, launched in 2023 with three annual editions (2023, 2024, 2025). Documented outcomes include Epiroc establishing an innovation centre at T-Hub, Hyderabad; Nexular completing its India market entry; and member subsidiaries adopting collaborative innovation approaches with Indian counterparts.
India-Sweden Innovation Day
Co-hosted by SIBC, India Unlimited, and the Embassy of India in Sweden, the India-Sweden Innovation Day is described as one of the longest-running bilateral innovation conferences in the corridor. The annual event addresses themes including clean energy, AI, green manufacturing, global supply chains, sustainable mobility, and the circular economy.
Sweden-India Tech Community (SITEC)
Co-founded by Sukhia and Cecilia Oldne, SITEC is a 200-member innovation and tech network evenly split between Swedish and Indian participants (with 50% men and 50% women). Members include Volvo Group, Saab, KTH, Chalmers, Nasscom, Truecaller, Norrsken, and the Economic Times.
Sweden-India Transport, Innovation & Safety (SITIS)
Sweden-India Business Council is the secretariat for SITIS, a triple-helix road safety platform with partners including Autoliv, Siemens, Combitech, Ericsson, Saab, Volvo Group, IISc, IIT Delhi, Chalmers, RISE, ARAI, and VTI.
Project for Nordic-India Relations (PNIR)
Sukhia co-founded PNIR, a public–private business-geopolitical think tank anchored at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), built in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi.
Nordic-India Dialogue
Co-founded with UI and Ananta Centre, New Delhi, two editions have been held: Oslo (August 2024) and Reykjavík (September 2025).
Security Political Group
Sukhia co-founded a Security Political Group to deepen India knowledge within Sweden's defence establishment, creating a structured platform for Swedish-Indian defence dialogue.
Scandinavian ChemoTech AB
On 16 May 2023, Sukhia was elected Chairman of the Board of Scandinavian ChemoTech AB(Nasdaq First North: CMOTEC B), a Lund-based medtech company whose TSE (Tumour Specific Electroporation) technology platform treats cancer in humans and animals. Sukhia had served on the board as a director from 2020, where he also holds shares.
ARTPARK
Between May 2021 and December 2025, Sukhia has served on the Innovation Program Investment Committee at ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park) at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru.
Bisevo
Sukhia is a board member and investor in SaaS company Bisevo Gamification AB, focused on gamification for behaviour change with instant rewards and incentives for organisations.
Advisory and state engagements
Documented high-level engagements include:
- Advising Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén ahead of his visit to India for the inaugural Make in India exhibition (February 2016).
- Organising the business leaders' summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Stefan Löfvén during Modi's state visit to Stockholm (April 2018).
- Co-organising the first foreign Make in India event at the Grand Hotel, Stockholm, as a partner to DPIIT and CII.
- Representing Swedish industry in EU-India Free Trade Agreement facilitation meetings, including a meeting with Mr Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry, Government of India in Brussels (2025).
- In April 2026, Sukhia and Business Region Göteborg (BRG) jointly developed and presented an India Strategy for Business Region Göteborg. The strategy is focused on attracting Indian companies to Gothenburg, supporting local businesses expanding into India, and deepening trade, investment, and partnerships between the two markets.
Indian Ambassador Programme
Sukhia designed and runs the Indian Ambassador Programme in Sweden, introducing Indian Ambassador to Swedish cities and regional industrial ecosystems. Visits have covered Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Lund, the Gnosjö Region, Luleå, Kiruna, and Örebro.
See also
- Sweden-India Business Council
- Observer Research Foundation
- Confederation of Indian Industry
- Make in India