The Society (VL)
The Danish Management Society (VL) VL is the leading Danish non-profit network for Industry Leaders; C-suite executives, board members, politicians and opinion leaders. The purpose of the Danish Management Society is based on the objects clause articulated for the founding of the Society on 8 April 1965:
The purpose of the Society is to promote modern, responsible leadership and management by means of sharing knowledge and engaging in dialogue and, in so doing, contribute to the sustainable, financial progress and general improvement of the standard of living in Denmark and the world we live in.
The Society conducts its activities primarily through the VL Groups, which meet at regular intervals to share experiences, knowledge and ideas across industries and sectors of Danish society – preferably with international vision.
The Society is non-profit, and we work to enhance our members’ ability to shoulder not only managerial tasks, but also the unique responsibility instilled in business leaders as fellow citizens. We have about 4,000 members, organised into network groups (VL-groups) of roughly 30–40 each.
Membership is by invitation only. In other words, it is not possible to buy access to the Society.
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What we do
VL works particularly through the VL-groups, which meet at regular intervals to share experiences and viewpoints across industries and sectors of Danish society. We endeavour to inspire the dialogue within the individual groups to not only deal with management issues, but also general societal conditions and the roles of executives relating to this.
We also arrange events for members across the groups. In addition, we take part in national and international organisations to the extent defined by the Governing Board and disseminate lessons learned and information obtained to our members and, if relevant, to others.
What we do not do
We do not run a commercial business which seeks to earn a profit; we do not have a political goal, and we do not represent any of our members’ special interests. VL being non-profit, income and assets may solely be used to advance the Society’s purpose which is to promote modern, responsible leadership by means of sharing knowledge and engaging in dialogue and thereby contribute to the sustainable, financial progress and general improvement of the standard of living in Denmark and the world we live in.
The Society
Ida Bratting Kongsted
Ida Bratting Kongsted is CEO of VL – The Danish Management Society and represents the VL Society at a number of events transcending all VL groups, including the Annual Danish Top Executive Summit, VL’s annual theme, etc..
In cooperation with the Supervisory Board, Ida sets the forward-looking strategy for the Danish Management Society to ensure the continued success and exclusivity of VL, which have been its hallmarks ever since its formation in 1965.
Before joining in 2018, Ida had been at the forefront of building the AS3 Executive brand for more than 10 years – from a small subsidiary to a market-leading company.
Ida graduated with a HD in Organization and Management from CBS in 1996, supplemented with relevant continuing education from Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD Business School and most recently completed CBS Executive’s board education in 2021. In addition, Ida is a certified executive coach and transition advisor.
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 51 51 98 01
Mette Tingskov
Project Manager
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 93 94 65 30
Email: mt@vl.dk
Mette Tingskov
Mette is employed as project manager and works on creating major projects such as VL’s annual theme, VL’s podcast VL Insights, the Annual Danish Top Executive VL Summit and other current events across all the VL groups.
Mette has worked as a project manager for 10 years with consulting and handling large projects in AS3. She has most recently lived and worked in Indonesia and in California (Silicon Valley), where she has handled tasks within consulting, communication and conceptualization. In addition to relevant courses in project management, project coordination, test feedback, etc., Mette has a background as an MA. in Communication Studies and is subsequently a certified psychotherapist.
Tinne Lilholt-Grøne
Executive Coordinator
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 21 80 45 22
Email: tlg@vl.dk
Tinne Lilholt-Grøne
Tinne is responsible for coordination and communication in connection with news releases and events in the VL Society.
As a Master of Arts with a bachelor’s degree in business languages and +10 years of professional experience, Tinne has strong skills in language, translation, coordination and service – across disciplines, sectors and cultures. In addition to doing freelance translation work, Tinne most recently worked as a Personal Assistant at the engineering firm Arup and previously held the same title at the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.
Anne-Sofie Rahbek Wendelboe
Members & events
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 51 94 29 67
Email: asw@vl.dk
Anne-Sofie Rahbek Wendelboe
Anne-Sofie is responsible for membership service, support and coordination in connection with the annual theme and other events in the VL Society.
Anne Sofie holds an MA in International Business Communication within the English language from CBS and most recently came from a position as Executive Assistant at Egon Zehnder.
The Supervisory Board
Peter Kaas Hammer
Board Chair
CEO, Kemp & Lauritzen A/S.
Member of VL73, Copenhagen
Peter Kaas Hammer
General presentation
Current employment: CEO, Kemp & Lauritzen A/S
Business experience and positions of trust: Almost 15 years of experience as CEO/CEO in Kemp & Lauritzen A/S, Lindpro A/S and Ajos A/S
VL group and seniority: VL 45, member of VL since November 2009. Member of the Supervisory Board since 2021.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- CEO/CEO of Kemp & Lauritzen A/S. Kemp & Lauritzen is 100% owned by the commercial foundation Axel Muusfeldts Fond.
- Previous three years as CEO/CEO of Lindpro A/S and two years for Ajos A/S
- Member of the board of directors of the trade organization Tekniq and the industrial company Priess A/S as well as the VL Society.
- Additional board experience from Lindpro A/S, Ajos A/S, and previous chairmanship experience from Venair AB and Aarsarnerit A/S.
- Extensive experience within the interaction and cooperation between the management and the board.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Active member of various industry-related committees under Danish Industry.
- Former vice-chairman of the Climate Partnership for Construction.
- Visionary and communicative CEO who manages to make things happen.
- Driven extensive change journey in Kemp & Lauritzen resulting in significant growth in both revenue and profit.
- Considerable experience in managing companies where human resources constitute the company’s competence base, etc. – including extensive experience with the DEI agenda.
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
Passionate member of VL for 15 years with great managerial and personal benefits and contributions. Views VL as the strongest network for leadership development based on its members’ commitment, skills, experiences and social insight.
Anja Monrad
Vice Chair of the Board
Board professional | Keynote Speaker | Angel Investor | Ex-Dell executive
Member of VL64, Copenhagen
Anja Monrad
General presentation
Current employment: Board professional, Keynote Speaker, Angel Investor, Ex-Dell Executive
Business experience and positions of trust: Digital, Unisys, Compaq and Dell Technologies. Various board positions.
VL group and seniority: VL 64, member of VL since June 2009. Member of the Supervisory Board since 2020.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- More than 30+ years of international IT industry experience.
- Globally responsible for consumer marketing, SME marketing and marketing operations, followed by 13+ years as regional responsible for Dell’s business in Eastern and Western Europe.
- Lecturer at the CBS Board Education and Center for Cyber Competences.
- Vice Chair of the Board of the Danish Management Society, Board member of Unit IT A/S, GladTeknik A/S, Bunker Holding A/S, Advisory Board Member of ATP-LDK.
- Several previous board positions.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Social debater on technology, AI, cyber, leadership and diversity.
- International experience from top management.
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
Experience as a Business Angel.
Anders Rex
CEO, Naviair
Member of VL16, Copenhagen
Anders Rex
General presentation
Current employment: CEO of Naviair
Business experience and positions of trust: Chairman of the Board of Directors of Danske Flyvere, Board member of COOPANS Alliance, The Danish Aviation Association and Aireon LLC. Member of The Government’s Climate Partnership for Aviation.
Major General, former Commander of the Danish Air Force.
VL group and seniority: VL16, previously VL7 and VL37, member since November 2017
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- Responsible for strategic management, operational optimization, cooperation with authorities and international partners, as well as further development of the organization’s technical and operational capabilities in Naviair.
- Representation of Denmark and the Danish Armed Forces as Defense Attaché in the USA.
- Responsible for the Defence Forces’ strategy, international cooperation, capacity development and operational plans as Chief of the Development and Planning Staff in the Defence Command.
- Led the implementation of new capabilities, strengthened readiness and international operations as Chief of the Air Force.
- Leadership in various major positions in the Defence Forces.
- International experience & leadership through effective implementation of national and international missions, management of air operations and command structure for deployed forces, responsibility for planning and coordination of international deployments.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Participates in strategic decisions in collaboration between European suppliers of air traffic services.
- Contributes to the development of Danish aviation policy and cooperation on sustainability.
- Oversees strategic development of satellite-based surveillance systems for global air traffic.
- Participates in the development of solutions to reduce aviation’s CO₂ emissions.
- Completed board training at CBS
Carsten Topholt
Chief Digital Officer, Djøf
Member of VL17, Copenhagen
Carsten Topholt
General presentation
Current employment: Chief Digital Officer, Djøf
Business experience and positions of trust: CFO, Chief Digital Officer, Consultant, Office Manager, Chairman of the Board and Board Member.
VL group and seniority: VL 17, Member of VL since May 2021. Member of the Supervisory Board since 2023.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- CFO and Chief Digital Officer – TV 2 Danmark.
- Associate Partner, McKinsey & Co.
- Office Manager and Chief Consultant, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Affairs.
- Political Consultant, the Danish Parliament.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Management roles in both private companies, public organizations and associations.
- Board experience from both private companies and associations.
- Financial competencies.
- Digital competencies.
- Strategic competencies.
- Experience working in and collaborating with public administration and the political decision-making system.
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
- Active citizen as chairman of a newly started college project with a focus on classical education for young people and younger people.
- Publicist – co-publisher of a number of books on technology, philosophy, natural science and natural philosophy as well as poetry.
- Author – has published a highly regarded book himself.
- Entrepreneur – co-investor and board member in a number of smaller international companies.
Carsten With Thygesen
Founder and CEO, Cresco Capital Services
Member of VL6, Aarhus
Carsten With Thygesen
General presentation
Current employment: Founder and CEO, Cresco Capital Services and professional board member
Business experience and positions of trust: Broad management experience from both private companies, commercial foundations and public institutions and councils.
VL group and seniority: VL 6, member of VL since November 2010. Member of the Supervisory Board since 2024.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- Group CEO and CEO of Hedeselskabet and HedeDanmark (now Dalgas) respectively in the period 1999 to 2015.
- Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Realdania in the period 2009 to 2020.
- Chairman of Aarhus School of Architecture from 2020.
- Chairman of private equity-owned Mobilhouse (now Conrum) 2019 until exit in 2022.
- Founder, main shareholder and CEO of the asset management company Cresco Capital Services, which I own together with the Lundbeck Foundation.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Extensive experience from association-owned social actors in the form of Hedeselskabet and Realdania.
- Experience from top management in both family-owned, private equity, foundation and publicly owned companies and institutions.
- Experience with management of both established social institutions as well as startup and scaleup companies and as employed CEO and owner respectively.
- Experience from financial, production as well as service companies.
- Experience in starting and developing companies internationally.
Christina Hvid
CEO, Molio
Member of VL46, Copenhagen
Christina Hvid
General presentation
Current employment: CEO, Molio
Business experience and positions of trust: CEO for 25 years in several companies, e.g. Danske Slagterier, Rejseplanen A/S, AVT Business School and the research park Symbion A/S. 20 years of board experience.
VL group and seniority: VL 46, member of VL since March 2006.
Member of the Supervisory Board since 2022.
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- CEO for 25 years in several companies, e.g. Danske Slagterier, Rejseplanen A/S, AVT Business School and the research park Symbion A/S, the Symbion Foundation and the innovation environments with associated pre-seed funds.
- 20 years of board experience.
- Member of the board of the IT University and buildingSMART International.
- Experience as chairman of the board, among others, of the DLH Foundation and the Hornbæk Art Museum Foundation.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Has always worked with networks – among other things, was involved in establishing the Danish branch of Women Corporate Directors with the aim of getting more women into top management and boards.
- Active in the public debate about management, innovation and tech.
- Contributed to the Advisory Board leading up to the VL Summit 2025 “Do we have a unique Danish growth model and key to the future?”
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
- Work with digital transformation and green transition.
- Management of complex collaboration constellations and public/private interplay.
- Experience from multiple sectors and multiple types of ownership.
- Changed the culture and communication at Axelborg, merged several organizations and ultimately contributed to the merger at Axelborg into the Danish Agriculture & Food Council.
- Strong at driving development, change and co-creation through partnerships.
- Can activate a broad network in both Denmark and internationally.
Helle Borup Friberg
CEO, Anker Andersen A/S
Member of VL28, Trekanten
Helle Borup Friberg
General presentation
Current employment: CEO, Anker Andersen A/S
Business experience and positions of trust: Organic Denmark, LEGO, VELFAC, etc., appointed to the Climate Partnership for Food and Agriculture and a consulting party to the Green Transition negotiations.
VL group and seniority: VL 28, member of VL since November 2018. Member of the Supervisory Board since 2022.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- CEO of the cleantech company Anker Andersen A/S specializing in returnable packaging and deposit systems.
- Director of Organic Denmark with a focus on sustainable transformation of the Danish food system.
- Head of Operations and Digital Platform and part of an international management team at LEGO Education.
- Board member of the Aarhus School of Architecture and Juliana Drivhuse A/S.
- 3 years as chairman of the Innovation Centre for Organic Farming and vice chairman of ØkologiRådgivning Danmark.
- Member of the board of representatives of Merkur Cooperative Bank.
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Experience with strategy, business development, innovation, and sustainability.
- Social debater on agriculture and the food system.
- Experience with member democracy, representative bodies and boards.
- 25 years of management experience from small and large companies.
- Previously group leader for VL28.
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
- Lifelong experience working in voluntary organizations.
- Great interest in politics and social development at home and internationally.
- Lived and worked abroad for 6 years (USA, Germany, Vietnam).
Jakob Riis
Board Member & President and CEO, Falck A/S
Member of VL46, Copenhagen
Jakob Riis
General presentation
Current employment: President and CEO, Falck A/S
Business experience and positions of trust: Novo Nordisk, various executive positions
VL group and seniority: VL 46, member since March 2019
Presented by: Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activity at board and executive level
- The last 8 years at Falck and more than 25 years of experience in the international healthcare industry
- International and commercial career as Head of Global Marketing and member of Novo Nordisk’s Executive Team. Particular experience from North America, which is Novo’s largest market.
- Vice-Chairman, Danish Chamber of Commerce, H. Lundbeck A/S’ Board of Directors
- Member of H. Lundbeck A/S’ Scientific Committee
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competences for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Societal debater on public and private interaction and cooperation, healthcare innovation, etc.
- Experience with innovation in healthcare services and research.
- Reversed negative developments in Falck by increasing focus on Falck’s core areas such as fire, health and ambulance, while less profitable areas were sold off.
- Changed the culture in Falck with greater emphasis on ethics and responsibility and strengthening management.
- Management experience from the military.
- Participation in professional events held by the VL Society – e.g. the panel debate at the VL Summit 2025: ‘What can the Danish model do for Danish companies – in a new era?’ and participation in another panel at VL’s Annual Theme Kickoff 2024 ‘Do we have a unique Danish growth model and key to the future?’
John Wagner
Board member and political commentator
Member of VL9, Copenhagen
John Wagner
General presentation
Current employment: Board member and political commentator
Business experience and positions of trust: Journalist, Secretary General and CEO, boards, committees and commissions, expert judge.
VL group and seniority: VL 9, member of VL since February 1999. Member of VL’s Supervisory Board since 2021.
Presented by: The Supervisory Board
Competence profile
1. General management experience and competences from business activities at board and executive level
- 27 years as CEO of De Samvirkende Købmænd
- 3 years as CEO of A-kassen for Selvstændige Erhvervsdrivende
- 5 years as Secretary General of the Conservative People’s Party
- 10 years as a journalist at the Parliament
2. Particularly relevant management experience and competencies for the work of the Danish Management Society
- Political insight – is currently a political commentator at Altinget and head of a network on leadership with political acumen.
- Board experience from, among others, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, KFI Erhvervsdrivende Fond, VANA, Madkulturen, Aveny-T, etc.
- Experience with collaboration between authorities, organizations and companies – among others, chairman of the Minister of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs’ Recommendation Committee for Sustainable Urban Development.
3. Other criteria that contribute to creating a broad and well-founded perspective on the company’s members, activities, the environment and the work of the board
Has experience as a former long-standing “chairman” of VL9, is currently a network leader under the auspices of Altinget and is generally concerned with cross-border collaboration between the public sector and the business sector, sectors in the business sector and communication about the business sector’s relationship with political decision-makers and citizens.
Merethe Eckhardt
Director of Development, Danish Courts Agency
Member of VL47
Merethe Eckhardt
Merethe Eckhardt is director of development at the Danish Courts Agency, former deputy director at the Danish Broadcasting Company and former lawyer at Plesner.
With a legal degree and +25 years of leadership experience behind her, Merethe Eckhardt has worked with strategy, innovation, execution and top management as well as with digitalisation and artificial intelligence in the public and private sector in and outside Denmark. She has a large international network and has worked with organisations, companies and people in large parts of the world and is often a speaker at conferences and congresses abroad.
Merethe Eckhardt holds a post-graduate at MBA level from Warton, Insead and Stanford Research Institute, just as she has completed board training on commercial foundations at Copenhagen Business School and the Global Board Leadership Masterclass at CBS Executive Fonden.
Over the past several years, she has sat on boards within design, culture, media and the judiciary, including Knud Holscher Design (chair) and Dubberman (chair).
Merethe Eckhardt is currently board chair in Dansehallerne and Teatergrad, as well as a board member in Zetland, Danner, ERA (Academy of European Law), an expert in the Council of Europe, a member of CEPEJ in the same place and a member of the radio and television board.