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.
Management
Ida Bratting Kongsted
Ida Bratting Kongsted is CEO of the Danish Management Society and represents the Society at a number of events transcending all VL groups, including the Annual Danish Top Executive Summit, Årstemaet (Annual Theme), etc.
In cooperation with the Governing Board, Ida sets the forward-looking strategy for the Danish Management Society to ensure the continued success and exclusivity of the Annual Danish Top Executive Summit, which have been its hallmarks ever since it began in 1965.
Ida Bratting Kongsted left a position at AS3 Executive to take up her duties at the Danish Management Society in 2018.
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 51 51 98 01
The Secretariat
Mette Tingskov
Project Manager
T: +45 35 43 92 92
M: +45 93 94 65 30
Email: mt@vl.dk
Mette Tingskov
Mette er ansat som Projektleder og arbejder med at skabe større projekter som Årstema, VL Døgnet og andre aktuelle events, der går på tværs af alle VL-grupperne.
Mette har i 10 år arbejdet som Projektleder med rådgivning og afvikling af store projekter i AS3. Hun har senest boet og arbejdet i Indonesien og i Californien (Silicon Valley), hvor hun har haft opgaver indenfor rådgivning, formidling og konceptualisering. Udover relevante kurser i projektledelse, projektkoordinering, test tilbagemelding mv. har Mette en baggrund som Cand. Comm. og er efterfølgende certificeret Psykoterapeut.
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 er ansvarlig for koordinering og kommunikation i forbindelse med nyhedsudgivelser samt arrangementer i Selskabet.
Som uddannet cand.mag. med en bachelorgrad i erhvervssprog og 10 års erhvervserfaring har Tinne skarpe kompetencer inden for sprog, oversættelse, koordinering og service, både på tværs af fag, sektorer og kulturer. Ud over freelance-arbejde med oversættelse har Tinne senest arbejdet som Personal Assistant hos ingeniørfirmaet Arup og tidligere haft samme titel ved den tyrkiske ambassade i København.
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
Anders Monrad Rendtorff
Anders er parallelt med arbejdet for VL associeret partner for RelationsPeople. Udover at være senior-kommunikationsrådgiver er Anders en af hovedkræfterne bag et forskningsprojekt med Københavns Universitet om Toplederkommunikation og Fremtidens Rådgivning.
På CBS er Anders tilknyttet som ekstern lektor, hvor han underviser og vejleder kommunikationsstuderende.
Anders er uddannet cand-scient.soc. fra RUC og Executive MBA fra CBS.
Anders har tidligere bl.a. været kommunikationsdirektør hos Vestas, HR- og Kommunikationsdirektør hos Coloplast og en årrække kommunikationsansvarlig for Ericsson og Telia. Endelig er Anders bestyrelsesformand for K1 og GAME.
The Supervisory Board
Lisbeth Knudsen
Chairman
Strategy Director Altinget and Monday Morning, former Editor in Chief and commentator.
Member of VL 1, Copenhagen
Lisbeth Knudsen
Lisbeth is a seasoned executive who has previously held the position of CEO at the Berlingske Media group and she has been the editor-in-chief of the Berlingske newspaper.
In addition, she has been the news director of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), as well as a member of its management team. She has also held the position of CEO and editor-in-chief of A-pressen and the newspaper Det Fri Aktuelt.
Lisbeth has served as both chairman and board member of the Danish Media Association and she has also been the chairman of the Royal Danish Theatre.
Today, Lisbeth is the chairman of the Danish school of journalism DMJX, as well as a board member of NIRAS Group A/S, the communications museum ENIGMA, and the Illum Foundation. She is also member of the board of representatives at the Danish Marketing Association.
A professional journalist who brings more than 40 years of leadership experience to the table, Lisbeth has boardroom experience from nearly all kinds of companies, ranging from start-ups to politically owned companies and traditional businesses, including both international private ownership and private equity.
Anja Monrad
Vice Chairman
Board professional | Keynote Speaker | Angel Investor | Ex-Dell executive
Member of VL64, Copenhagen
Anja Monrad
Anja Monrad is a professional board member and previously Senior Vice President at Dell Technologies & head of the company’s Eastern European region. She is an executive sponsor for Dell’s entrepreneurship initiatives in EMEA, with a special passion for promoting female entrepreneurship.
Anja is a recognised profile among the most inspiring women on the northern technology stage, having won several prizes and being a popular keynote speaker on topics such as digitalisation, diversity, and female business leaders.
In 2000, Anja started her career at Dell as their Nordic marketing director, leading to an international career in several different regional and global positions within the company. Since 2013, Anja has been responsible for Dell’s business in Central- & Eastern Europe.
She has also held different management positions in companies such as Unisys, Compaq and Digital.
Appointed by the European Commission as chairman of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Governing Board, she is also a board member of Digital Europe and of the Danish ICT Industry Association (IT-Branchen).
Anja holds an MSc in Economics from CBS (1989). Born in Poland, she has lived in Copenhagen for most of her life.
Carsten Topholt
Finalcial director (CFO) for TV 2 Danmark A/S
Member of VL17
Carsten Topholt
Christina Hvid
CEO, Molio
Member of VL46
Christina Hvid
In 2019, Christina Hvid joined Molio as CEO. Molio is a gathering hub for the development of shared digital tools, standards, and knowledge within construction, which streamlines construction processes and increases digitalization as well as a green transition.
Christina has dealt intensively with management, board work, innovation, and digitalization in her well over 20 years as CEO in Danish business life. She has, among other things, been CEO of Symbion A/S and Rejseplanen A/S, and as CEO of Danske Slagterier, Christina was instrumental in the formation of the Danish Agriculture and Food Council.
Christina also has more than 20 years of active board work behind her and is currently Chair of the Board of Fonden Hornbæk Kunstmuseum and Board Member of the IT University in Copenhagen. In addition, she is active in a number of advisory boards, steering groups, boards of representatives, etc. and often speaks at conferences and congresses with messages about digitalization and standardized methods as a prerequisite for more sustainability and a green transition in construction.
Christina holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen and has since supplemented with management courses from i.e., Insead, Wharton and Copenhagen Business School. In 2008, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Helle Borup Friberg
CEO, Økologisk Landsforening
Member of VL28
Helle Borup Friberg
In 2017, Helle Borup Friberg joined Økologisk Landsforening – Organic Denmark – as CEO. She is the leading force behind the organization’s development from a niche organization to a broader interest organization for ecology and sustainable transition. She is Chair of the Innovation Centre for Organic Farming and Deputy Chair of ØkologiRådgivning Danmark. In addition, she is on the boards of Aarhus School of Architecture and Juliana Drivhuse, just as she was on the board of CARE Denmark until 2022.
Helle is an active debater both nationally and internationally in the area of sustainable transition of the food system and has, among other things, been appointed to the Danish government’s Climate Partnership for Food and Agriculture.
She has held a number of international management positions, e.g., from the LEGO Group, as Head of Operations and Digital Platform in LEGO Education, from ScanCom based in Ho Chi Minh City, and from Georg Jensen Damask as responsible for the German market.
Helle holds a Master of Science degree in Business, Language and Culture from the University of Southern Denmark and also studied International Business and Marketing at the University of San Francisco. In 2017, she also completed an Executive Board Leadership programme at Copenhagen Business School.
Jesper Nygård
CEO, Realdania
Member of VL2, Copenhagen
Jesper Nygård
In addition, he holds the position of chairman of the board at Realdania By & Byg, as well as at the Homeowners Knowledge Center A/S (Bolius). He is also the vice chairman of Fondenes Videncenter.
Jesper is a member of the board at C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40 Cities), as well as at the Danish Architecture Centre (DAC) and Brøndby IF A/S.
He became a member of the board at Realdania in 2003 and became the chairman in 2009 – but he withdrew from the board in 2013, when he became CEO of the company.
Prior to joining Realdania, Jesper was the CEO of KAB (Københavns Almindelige Boligselskab) for 17 years. He was also the chairman of the National Building Foundation (Landsbyggefonden) from 2000-2013, as well as a board member of Boligselskabernes Landsforening (today BL – Danmarks Almene Boliger) for 23 years.
Jesper is 57 years old and has more than 25 years of leadership experience. He holds a Master of Science in Public Administration from Roskilde University in 1989.
John Wagner
CEO, De Samvirkende Købmænd, and former secretary-general of Denmark’s Conservative Party
Member of VL9, Copenhagen
John Wagner
John has served on the boards of the Danish Broadcasting Company and the graphic design company Formula Holding A/S, and he is currently chairman of the foundation ‘Fonden af 1. oktober 1959’, a member of the board of Nordsjællands Center for Lokale Fødevarer (North Zealand Centre for Local Foods), a member of the board of representatives of Dansk Markedsføring (Danish Marketing) and a member of the Trade Committee under the Danish Chamber of Commerce. He is an expert assessor for the Copenhagen Maritime and Commercial Court.
John has gained experience of the interplay of the public sector with the business community as a member of several commissions and partnerships, most recently the Partnership for Vibrant Urban Centres and the Retail Trade Partnership, set up by the Danish Minister for Business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
John is also a network coordinator for organisation executives and a regular commentator in the magazine Mandag Morgen and on TV2’s News & Co. He recently authored Schlüters Politiske Testamente (Schlüter’s Political Testament) (Gyldendal, 2019).
He is also a qualified journalist, having served as political editor of the Danish newspapers Jyllands-Posten, Weekendavisen and Børsens Nyhedsmagasin, after which he was debate editor and editorialist for Berlingske Tidende, before becoming secretary-general of Denmark’s Conservative Party from 1988 to 1992.
Lars Sander Matjeka
Member of VL 91, Copenhagen
Lars Sander Matjeka
Lars has many years of business experience as the former CEO of Aller Media A/S from 2017 to 2020. Prior to this, he held the position of CEO at two of Aller’s subsidiaries and has also been the marketing and communications director at SAS Institute.
Lars began his career at A.P. Moller-Maersk, where he obtained his first leadership position at the age of only 21. Later, he took on the position of marketing manager with Cognos (Today IBM Cognos Analytics) and with the advertising company Gorm & Larsen as their business unit manager.
Lars is 47 years old and holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from CBS in 2000.
Merethe Eckhardt
Director of Development, Danish Courts Agency
Member of VL47
Merethe Eckhardt
Peter Kaas Hammer
CEO, Kemp & Lauritzen A/S.
Member of VL73, Copenhagen
Peter Kaas Hammer
Peter launched his career with the consulting firm Qvartz (now Bain & Company) in 2001. He began working for MT Højgaard (now MTH) in 2006, where he served as a member of the executive management team for several years, tasked with developing the affiliated subsidiaries, among other duties, and served on several of the boards. Peter became managing director of Ajos A/S (MTH-owned company) in 2011 and managing director of Lindpro A/S (MTH-owned engineering company) in 2013.
Peter’s career in a low-margin sector is based on his sound analytical and practical approach, which focuses on strategic, tactical and operational aspects.
Peter received his master’s degree in economics from Aarhus University in 2001 and attended the Cranfield School of Management as part of his studies.