Since graduating from Chalmers, Hampus Lewis-Lück has taken on increasing responsibility for artificial intelligence at Zenseact, a company developing software for self-driving cars. For his leadership and ability to combine technical understanding with business acumen, he receives the Alumni of the Year – Rising Star 2026 award.
Hampus Lewis-Lück is named Alumni of the Year – Rising Star for 2026. Photo: Josefin Hardinger.
Since graduating in 2017, Hampus Lewis-Lück has worked with software for autonomous vehicles and AI, holding several senior positions at Zenseact – most recently as both Chief Financial Officer and Chief Digital Officer. The award citation highlights his rapid professional development and his work with AI and software that make the future of mobility safer.
The news of the award came as a surprise and took him back to his student days, when his future was still uncertain.
‘When you're studying at Chalmers, you're relatively untested in terms of your career. You're constantly exposed to new things, surrounded by lots of intelligent people. But you have no proof of how things will turn out in the real world.’
The award gave him an opportunity to reflect on his journey from student to leader in a business at the very forefront of technology.
‘Being able to connect where I am today with my time at Chalmers – it really touched me.’
No fixed plan
Hampus Lewis-Lück began studying Industrial Engineering and Management in 2009. After completing his bachelor's degree, he lived and worked in the United States for around four years before returning to Chalmers in 2015 to study for a master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Design at Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, graduating in 2017. A career in self-driving cars was by no means an obvious next step.
‘After the School of Entrepreneurship, I didn't want to join a really large company, but I didn't want to continue in an organisation with just two or three people either. The opportunity to join Zenseact, which was a newly established company with capital, technology and knowledgeable employees, appealed to me,’ he says.
He gradually took on greater responsibility, both in Sweden and abroad. Each new role brought tasks he had yet to master.
‘During the first six to eight years of my career, I constantly felt that I was being given roles that were far too big for me, where I lacked the specialist knowledge.’
To meet the demands of these roles, he worked hard and sought out knowledgeable colleagues.
‘Much of my technical development has taken place alongside experienced technical managers, through discussions and exchanging ideas.’
‘Hampus Lewis-Lück (I17) receives the Alumni of the Year – Rising Star 2026 award for his rapid professional development and outstanding leadership in AI, digitalisation and the future of mobility. Through courage, drive and a strong ability to combine technical understanding with business acumen, he has quickly taken on significant responsibility in one of Sweden's most advanced technology companies.
Having secured a senior position as CFO and CDO at Zenseact so early in his career demonstrates a high level of competence, strategic judgement and mature leadership. Through his work, he contributes to the development of AI and software that make the future of mobility safer. Beyond his operational leadership, he is actively involved in the development of Swedish industry and innovation, including through the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences' (IVA) Industrial Research Group, and is a respected voice on issues relating to AI and digitalisation.
Hampus Lewis-Lück is an inspiring role model for current and future Chalmers students. He demonstrates how the combination of technical expertise, entrepreneurial drive and leadership developed at Chalmers can be translated into innovation that shapes the future.’
Chalmers taught him to see the bigger picture
Continually having to acquire new knowledge became part of his work from the outset. His education, however, had given Hampus Lewis-Lück a useful foundation.
‘During my five years at Chalmers, I got to dip my toes into many complex areas, learn to understand contexts quickly and connect them to the bigger picture. That's something I've benefited from enormously.’
As his technical knowledge has grown, he has also made greater use of the business perspective he gained from studying Industrial Engineering and Management. The combination is essential when deciding what the company should invest in, how resources should be allocated and when the organisation needs to change.
‘It requires a deep technical understanding of where you are today. You need interest, curiosity and the ability to very quickly form a picture of where you think the technology will be tomorrow. What do we need to invest in to keep pace with the cutting edge of technology?’
As AI takes over more specialised work, Hampus Lewis-Lück believes that the ability to combine knowledge from different fields will become even more important.
A network to return to
Knowledge is not the only thing he has taken with him from Chalmers. Over the years, the connections he made as a student have also become increasingly valuable. Former fellow students now work for potential customers, partners and investors, or at companies that could offer the next step in his career.
‘Your network becomes like a Rubik's Cube. There are always several people you studied with at Chalmers who are relevant to talk to, depending on the problem you're trying to solve at that particular moment.’
But neither education nor contacts can replace the need to keep learning. His advice to today's students is to remain curious and continue trying new things, even once they have found their place in working life.
‘It never hurts to be ambitious and try new things,’ says Hampus Lewis-Lück.
The Alumni of the Year – Rising Star award will be presented at Chalmers Annual Academic Ceremony on 5 November.