Mats Malm resigns as head of the Nobel-awarding Swedish Academy, with author Ingrid Carlberg set to take over the role in June 2026.
STOCKHOLM: The Swedish Academy announced on Saturday that its permanent secretary, Mats Malm, is stepping down after seven years leading the institution that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Academy member Ingrid Carlberg, an author and journalist, will take over the role on June 1, 2026.
“It has been a privilege to work for the Academy as Permanent Secretary,” Malm said in a statement.
“Seven years is a reasonable term of office, and as part of my assignment, I have therefore prepared a handover of the role.”
Malm took over the prestigious position in June 2019, a time when the 18-member Academy was recovering from a major scandal.
The institution, founded in 1786, had been rocked by allegations of scheming, conflicts of interest, harassment and a culture of silence.
The crisis began in 2017 over the Academy’s handling of its ties to Frenchman Jean-Claude Arnault, who was later convicted of rape.
Arnault is married to former Academy member Katarina Frostenson, who resigned over the scandal during the #MeToo movement.
The debacle left the Academy in tatters and forced it to postpone the 2018 literature prize, the first such delay in 70 years.
Seven members ultimately quit, including then-permanent secretary Sara Danius.
Malm was tasked with repairing the literary body’s damaged image.
Under his leadership, the Academy was revamped with new members and statutes, vowing to broaden the prize’s geographical and linguistic reach.
“I am extremely honoured by the great trust that the Academy has shown in me,” incoming secretary Carlberg said in a statement.
“Being its Permanent Secretary is a responsibility that I take on with joy and a large slice of humility.”
