Who are we?
We are an independent Danish enterprise foundation. Characterised as a non-profit organisation, we support philanthropic purposes using funds deriving from our ownership of and investment in companies and other financial assets.
Ownership
Through our philanthropic and enterprise activities, we want to contribute to advancing the health of people and the sustainability of society and the planet.Governance
Our history dates back to 1922, when Nobel laureate August Krogh returned home from the United States and Canada with permission to produce insulin in the Nordic countries.This marked the beginning of the development of world-class diabetes medicine and a subsequent Danish business and export venture. It also led to the establishment of several foundations that, many years later, merged into today’s Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Executive Management
Led by the Foundation’s CEO, our Executive Management is responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the Board of Directors are implemented and for monitoring and following up on the Foundation’s activities.Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Foundation has ten members, of which seven are elected annually under the Articles of Association, and three are employee board members elected every four years.Employees
Do you need to get hold of one of our colleagues in the Foundation? Click here to see our contact list.
Values
We award grants based on three established values:
Goals and values
We strive for a purpose-driven work culture where individuals and teams are encouraged to bring new innovative ideas to life. We are ready to take risks and committed to learning from whenever we do not succeed. We strive for excellence and quality and we believe that making a difference and creating a better society can only be achieved if great minds work together. We dare to dream that we can help change the world and that we can achieve this in partnerships with others.
We strive to drive positive change in society in order to fulfil our vision. We seek to continuously develop our skills, challenge ourselves and remain curious in order to excel in a changing world. We bring together colleagues and external stakeholders in order to realise the full potential of our projects. We are devoted to following up on our projects in the long term, while remaining adaptable to changing circumstances.
We are always accountable for what we do, while respecting the views of others. We recognise that time is of the essence in the fight against big challenges, so we ensure early engagement of colleagues and stakeholders in the best possible way. We acknowledge that we have a unique potential to help improve people’s lives and our society, and as a consequence hereof, we also have a great responsibility to make the best use of this mandate. We always pursue an open dialogue internally, as well as externally. Being curious about other people’s views and always open to challenge our own understanding of things is essential to evolve our learning company culture.
