Leif Pagrotsky

Leif Pagrotsky, born October 20, 1951 in Gothenburg, is a Swedish Social Democratic politician, who had various posts in the government of Göran Persson between 1996 and 2006.

Pagrotsky has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Science in economics from Gothenburg University. Before joining the Cabinet, Pagrotsky worked at the Central Bank of Sweden and in the Ministry of Finance.

In 1997 Prime Minister Göran Persson made Pagrotsky Minister of Trade and in 2002 Minister for Industry and Trade. One of his most publicly known activities during this period was his efforts to promote Swedish popular music export; the opposition viewed it as an attempt to promote himself by appearing in public with successful bands such as The Cardigans and The Hives. He switched posts November 1, 2004 with former Minister of Education Thomas Östros. At the same time, the responsibility for cultural matters, previously belonging to a separate ministry, was added to Pagrotsky’s portfolio.

Pagrotsky lives in Saltsjö-Boo, in Nacka in Stockholm County. He has been very open about his "angina pectoris", a condition stemming from insufficient oxygen supply to the heart. He has had heart surgery twice and has shared his experience in order to increase awareness about this condition ( [http://www.karolinska.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=40900] ).

Trivia

* Pagrotsky is 1.61 meters (5'3") but claims he has never suffered from discrimination because of his height ( [http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,771959,00.html] ).
* Pagrotsky is a well known supporter of the Gothenburg fotball team Örgryte IS.
* As a minister, Pagrotsky decided to stop shaving as a time-saving measure.Fact|date=February 2007

External links

* [http://www.karolinska.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=40900 Pagrotsky on angina] , where he shares his experience of living with "angina pectoris".