Prior to her appointment as a cabinet member she was Chief executive officer of the Swedish Free Enterprise Foundation [sv], and Director of Timbro, a neoliberal, free-market think-tank.
Cecilia Stegö Chilò left the Moderate Party in 1995 in protest after the expulsion of the EU-critic Björn von der Esch - this happened in connection with his being against the EMU and against the vision of a tighter federalism in EU affairs.
However, during the period 7 to 16 October 2006, a series of media revelations into the newly appointed minister led to her resignation after ten days in office.
[1] On 7 October 2006, the day after the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt was announced two of the ministers, Cecilia Stegö Chilò and Maria Borelius, admitted that they had previously employed persons to take care of their children without paying the appropriate taxes.
Neither Stegö Chilò or Borelius face any criminal or administrative consequences since the events took place more than five years ago, outside of the statute of limitations.
However, on 12 October 2006 Radiotjänst i Kiruna AB, a private agency tasked with collecting the licence fees, filed criminal charges against Stegö Chilò together with two other ministers in the Reinfeldt Cabinet: Tobias Billström and Maria Borelius.
[6] Lars Leijonborg, Minister for Education and Research in the Cabinet of Fredrik Reinfeldt, took over the responsibilities for Stegö Chilò's portfolio until her successor Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth was appointed on 24 October 2006.