Kristina Risom Jespersen Karina Schmitt Lund Torben M. Andersen Jens Riis Andersen Michael Jensen Nick Melgaard Kasper Vinther Olesen Henrik Lind
Website
aarhus-symposium.org
Aarhus Symposium is an annual leadership conference taking place at the University of Aarhus, Denmark, on the first Friday in November. The aim of the event is to connect leaders of today with leaders of tomorrow.[1] To do so, a wide range of key decision-makers are invited to share their experiences and engage in discussions with students from various universities. Hereby, the symposium allows students to relate their academic insights to the broader business society.[2]
Aarhus Symposium is a non-profit organisation, and all symposia are organised by voluntary students together with a pro bono board of directors.[5][6]
History
Four students at Aarhus University established Aarhus Symposium in 2011: David Scherer, Jens Riis Andersen, Kasper Vinther Olesen, and Andreas Emmertsen. They gathered support from other students to organise the very first Aarhus Symposium with the objective of building a bridge between students, i.e. the future leaders, and leaders in today's businesses and society.[7][8]
The first annual Aarhus Symposium welcomed renowned speakers from the business society such as Carsten Bjerg (then CEO of Grundfos), Lars Rohde (then CEO of ATP), and Maria Rønn (CEO of Danmarks Radio).[9] Throughout the years, the programme has extended to include prominent speakers such as His Royal Highness The Crown Prince of Denmark,[10] Lars Rebien Sørensen (president and CEO of Novo Nordisk),[11] and the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.[12]
Aarhus Symposium has grown through the years as a result of wide support from students, speakers, partners, and others.[3] In 2012, the Organising Committee introduced Battle of the Economists; an event to take place on Monday in the week of Aarhus Symposium. It provided a national focus to the overall theme of Aarhus Symposium.[13] The event was renamed Aarhus Symposium Focus in 2016 to broaden the possibilities for topics that exceed economic issues.[14]
In 2013, Aarhus Symposium Challenge was established to strengthen the connection between students and the leaders of today.[4] Aarhus Symposium Challenge is an essay competition in which selected speakers put forth a challenge for students to solve. Through their essay, students obtain a seat at both Aarhus Symposium and Aarhus Symposium Focus, and they potentially qualify for Leaders’ Forum. Since its initiation in 2013, an increasing number of students have participated in Aarhus Symposium Challenge, making it the primary sign-up for Aarhus Symposium and Aarhus Symposium Focus.[15]
Aarhus Symposium
Aarhus Symposium takes place on the first Friday in November. Here, business executives and key decision-makers are invited to share their experiences and insights regarding a specific theme. They do so with different perspectives that reflect the tracks, i.e. subtopics, of the event.
Past symposia
Year
Theme
Speakers
2011[9]
Growth in Distressed Economies: The Role of Ownership Structures
Carsten Bjerg, CEO of Grundfos
Ditlev Engel, CEO of Vestas
Flemming Lindeløv, Deltaq
Frederik Lotz, CFO of Arla Foods
Kim Fournais, CEO of Saxo Bank
Kurt Pedersen Kaalund, CEO of Cheminova A/S and Auriga Industries A/S
Lars Seier Christensen, Founder & CEO, Seier Capital, Chairman of The Board, Concordium
Nicolai Moresco, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Dell Technologies Central & North Europe
Aarhus Symposium Focus
Formerly known as Battle of the Economists
Aarhus Symposium Focus is an annual conference which takes place on Monday in the week of Aarhus Symposium. Here, experts with various backgrounds are invited to share their thoughts on a topic related to the overall theme of Aarhus Symposium. The event provides a national focus as the topic strives to reflect one of Denmark's most critical challenges.[23]
Lars Frederiksen, Professor of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Strategy, Aarhus University
Aarhus Symposium Challenge
Aarhus Symposium Challenge is an essay competition where selected speakers put forth a challenge for students to solve. By submitting a qualified essay, students obtain a seat at both Aarhus Symposium and Aarhus Symposium Focus. Additionally, the participating students compete for the Aarhus Symposium Award and a spot in Leaders’ Forum.
Year
Speakers and topics of Aarhus Symposium Challenge
2013[17]
Jim Hagemann Snabe, co-CEO at SAP AG: Facing global challenges with IT innovation
Thomas F. Borgen, group CEO of Danske Bank: Transformation through leadership
2015[19]
Christian Stadil, CEO of Thornico: Ensuring the success of a startup
Connie Hedegaard, chairman of the board at KR Foundation: Initiatives securing our future
Robert Uggla, CEO of Svitzer: Leader in the digital age
2016[20]
Jimmy Maymann, president of AOL Content and Consumer Brands: The influence of digitalisation
Morten Albæk, co-founder and CEO of Voluntas: Investing for impact
Peder Holk Nielsen, president and CEO of Novozymes: Partnering for success
2017[21]
Bjarne Corydon, global director of McKinsey Center for Government: The challenge facing public institutions
Helle Valentin, global chief operating officer of Watson Internet of Things: How technology can create positive change
Janina Kugel, chief human resources officer and member of the managing board at Siemens: Successfully leading the employee of tomorrow
2018[22]
Niels B. Christiansen, CEO, The Lego Group: How a company can enjoy the advantages of collaborating with others while protecting its core values
Afshan Khan, Regional Director Europe & Central Asia, UNICEF: One area in which every child does not have equal opportunities and one way to address this issue
Ulrik Juul Christensen, Founder and Executive Chairman, Area9 Group: How to achieve a specific competence that will be important on the future labour market
2019
Susanne Mørch Koch, CEO, Danske Spil: How established companies can uncover their entrepreneurial potential and reinvent themselves
André Rogaczewski, CEO & Co-Founder, Netcompany: How a specific industry can be radically changed by introducing a creative technology
Henrik Andersen, CEO, Vestas: A way for businesses or governments to combat climate change and the benefits of doing so
2021
Joe Kaeser, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, SIEMENS ENERGY, Siemens Energy: How economic growth can be more just and sustainable
Helle Østergaard Kristiansen, CEO, Danske Commodities: One area where automation can cause dilemmas for businesses and how to deal with them
Kim Fournais, CEO & Founder, Saxo Bank: How organisational agility can improve adaptiveness in dynamic markets
2022
Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, President & CEO, Novo Nordisk: Whether and how diversity and inclusion can provide increased nordic competitiveness
Laurits Bach Sørensen, Partner & Co-founder, Nordic Alpha Partners: How nordic countries can contribute to an effective global green transition
Jean Hedayat, Head of LinkedIn Sweden: How the North can develop and maintain a competitive workforce
Leaders' Forum
Leaders’ Forum is an exclusive and intimate session where selected students discuss their essay contribution with the leader that put forth the respective challenge. Only the best essay contributions under each challenge topic qualifies for this informal session.[24]
Throughout the years, Leaders’ Forum has attracted much attention from the media inasmuch as it is unique in a Danish context and provides both the attending students and the top leaders the opportunity to learn from each other.[25][26]
The Aarhus Symposium Award
The most extraordinary essay contribution in Aarhus Symposium Challenge will be rewarded the Aarhus Symposium Award on stage at the very end of Aarhus Symposium. Prior winners of the Aarhus Symposium Award are:
2013: Bastian Stemann Lau[27]
2014: Moma Vujisic[28]
2015: Oskar Harmsen[29]
2016: Luke McGinty[30]
2017: Bastian Emil Jørgensen[31]
2018: Soraya Redondo Mezmizi[32]
2019: Morten Thinggaard Pedersen[33]
2021: Christian Nyegaard Lambertsen
2022: Lasse Daabeck
Other events
Besides facilitating Aarhus Symposium and Aarhus Symposium Focus, Aarhus Symposium also hosts a variety of other events that takes places at Aarhus University. Most notable are Aarhus Symposium Theme Announcement and Aarhus Symposium Challenge Launch; both of which are closely linked to the three key elements of Aarhus Symposium.[34][35]
Organising Committee
The Organising Committee of Aarhus Symposium consists of approximately 41 voluntary students,[36] who have the responsibility for planning, funding, promoting, and executing all events.[37] The Organising Committee is divided into smaller groups with specific focus areas:[38]
Steering Committee
Programme Group
Business Relations Group
Marketing Group
Essentials Group
University Alliances
IT Group
Finance Group
Business Development
External links
Official website
Aarhus Symposium
Aarhus Symposium Focus
Aarhus Symposium Challenge
References
^ ab"What Is Aarhus Symposium?".
^"Danske topledere ruster AU-studerende til barsk virkelighed".
^ ab"Studerende og topledere mødes i faglig debat - Netværksportalen - Vejen til nye netværk! Foreninger og netværk i Danmark". www.netvaerksportalen.dk.
^ ab"FAKTA Aarhus Symposium Challenge". borsen.dk. 12 November 2014.
^"Leder-event udsolgt på 90 sekunder". jyllands-posten.dk. 7 November 2014.
^"Become a Partner". Archived from the original on 2012-10-04.
^"Corydon: Tiden er knap, og vejen til rettidig handling stadig skræmmende lang – reformvejen er den eneste farbare". 9 August 2021.
^"Erhvervslivets tunge drenge yder studiehjælp". stiften.dk. 4 October 2011.
^ ab"Growth in Distressed Economies". Archived from the original on 2020-02-15.
^"Åbning af Aarhus Symposium 2014". Kongehuset. 7 November 2014.
^"Studerende har hyret verdens bedste chef". jyllands-posten.dk. 28 October 2015.
^"Nutidens og fremtidens ledere mødes til Aarhus Symposium" – via jyskebank.tv.
^Henriksen, Thomas Bernt (29 October 2013). "Battle of the Economists". borsen.dk.