Stockholm university

“The Erasmus year set the course for my outlook on life”

Even though it’s been 18 years, the imprint the Erasmus year left on Stuart Penney remains. Among other things, it opened his eyes to working internationally, which is what he does today.

How come you chose to study an Erasmus year at Stockholm University?

– Perhaps unusually, I knew from an early age, that I wanted to study in Sweden. After spending some time at a very young age living in Uppsala courtesy of my father’s work in the life science sector, I had a deep-rooted passion to return to Sweden to study during my degree. The Erasmus programme gave me the ideal chance to combine my International Business degree in the UK and integrate my studies with a year at the Stockholm University Business School.

Stuart Penney
Photo: Teresa Walton

What do you remember most from your Erasmus year?

– This will age me, but it is 18 years since I spent my Erasmus year in Stockholm, however the memories are as fresh and profound as ever. There are many memories that stand out, that I could talk endlessly about, but a select few I believe might be relevant to any prospective students considering a year, or even their full studies, in Stockholm;

  • The blend of nationalities, backgrounds and personalities of other students I met was hugely enriching. I met and befriended people from Canada, China, France, Netherlands, the US and more.
  • The quality of the facilities, the level of teaching and the experience of the lecturers was impressive, and I must admit a level above that which I experienced natively in the UK.
  • Stockholm as a city is a wonderful place to be, a fantastic contrast of culture, history, nature, business and education. It has pretty much everything you need in a great package, without being as overwhelming as major cities like London.

In what way did the Erasmus year affect you, personally or professionally?

– My year living in Stockholm and studying at Stockholm University has profoundly impacted my life in many positive ways it is genuinely hard to quantify. Personally, it was enriching, meeting people from all round the world but also meeting and engaging Swedes and immersing in the culture, which itself is hugely inclusive, forward thinking and welcoming. I found myself making friends both within the Erasmus programme, but also with Stockholmers, forging lifelong friendships. Professionally, it has shaped my outlook and ambition to work internationally, which is what I do for a living now working with life science and biotech companies across Europe, the US and the UK.

Are you still in touch with people you got to know during that time?

– I can honestly say that the networks forged 18 years ago remain in place. Life will create some distance physical between friendships, however I have established friendships both near and far from my time in Stockholm. The best example I can share is from when I got married 5 years ago, some very good friends made during my year in Stockholm were by my side for that important day. Of course, professionally, those people I call friends are now in successful careers and those contacts are of course always relevant, and I suspect will remain so for the rest of our careers.

What is your relationship to Stockholm and Sweden nowadays?

– Although my spoken Swedish was ok when I arrived in Stockholm, it evolved during my year there and allowed me to become at least competent verbally, although with my written Swedish left some big room for improvement. I do still maintain some friendships in Swedish, so that really does help. The tough thing for any visitor to Sweden will always remain that Swedes speak excellent English! I always found however that everyone was very willing to let you practice your Swedish and make mistakes, without always diverting back to English. 

To be honest, my fondness for Sweden is incredibly high, however that hasn’t equated to spending anywhere near as much time there as I would like, but I have returned several times over the past 18 years. Sweden is fantastically seasonal, however not much beats a Swedish summer!

What would you like to tell students who are thinking about doing an exchange abroad?

– One would say I have some benefit now reflecting back over 18 years, being settled in both professional and personal life. With that perspective of time, I can wholeheartedly say that my time in Stockholm, both studying at the University, but also living in Stockholm during that year, set the course for my outlook on life in so many ways. Many of my friends and even colleagues, know how much I talk (probably too much) about that time favourably, but it would be an understatement to say it made me who I am. To me, that Erasmus year was lifechanging. 

If anyone even has a remote glimmer of interest in an international exchange year, whether it is in Stockholm or not, it will be something that will enrich your life on all levels and you will not regret.

Stuart studied a Honours degree in International Business Management during 2001-2006 at the University of Plymouth in the UK, with an Erasmus exchange year in 2004 at Stockholm University in Sweden. Hailing from Cambridge, UK, post-graduation Stuart forged a career working within executive search within the life science and biotech industry. Today Stuart resides as Co-Owner and Senior Partner of a leading executive search business partnering with growth-stage biotech and life science organisations to appoint their executive and non-executive teams across the Nordics, Europe, US and the UK.

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