Gunnar Hedlund, born 14 December 1949 in Skellefteå, Sweden, passed away on Friday 18 April 1997 at a hospital in Stockholm. Gunnar studied at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), where he received his Master's degree in 1972. He finished his PhD at the age of 27, in 1976. The same year a new institute was formed at SSE; The Institute of International Business, IIB, founded by the leading Swedish industrialists Ruben Rausing and the two brothers Marcus and Jacob Wallenberg. Gunnar was tied to the institute from the very beginning, and in 1980 he became the Director of IIB, a post he held for ten years over the 20 year period he was active at IIB. Gunnar became "Mr. IIB", leading the Institute to the internationally renowned position it enjoys today.
Gunnar became full professor at SSE in 1988. He always took an active role in developing the school. Among other things, he actively participated in creating two other important institutes at SSE.
Managing Relationships with Foreign Subsidiaries: Organization and Control in Swedish MNCSs