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Executive Management

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.

Organisation

Our organisational structure

Here you can get an overview of the organisational structure of our management.

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen

Chief Executive Officer, Professor, DVM, PhD, DSc

Flemming Konradsen

Chief Scientific Officer, Health, Professor

Lene Oddershede

Chief Scientific Officer, Planetary Science & Technology, Professor

Søren Nedergaard

Chief Portfolio Officer - Portfolio, People & Partnerships

Erika Söderberg Johnsson

Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Operations

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Steffen Pierini Lüders

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Corporate Affairs

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen

Chief Executive Officer, Professor, DVM, PhD, DSc

Novo Nordisk Foundation

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen was appointed as CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation in March 2021.

Novo Nordisk

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen joined Novo Nordisk in 1991 as Head of Growth Hormone Research. In 1994, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Diabetes R&D, and in November 2000 he became Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. In this capacity, he was responsible for global drug and device research, CMC and global development, medical affairs, regulatory and safety within Novo Nordisk. During this tenure, he oversaw the development and approval of more than 20 medicinal products.

Other positions and management duties

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen is currently a member of the board of BB Biotech AG. He has been chairman of the board of the University of Copenhagen as well as President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, and served on the editorial boards of several international, peer-reviewed journals. In addition to this, he has been Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen since 2000.

Education

1991: DSc (Veterinary Science), the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark)

1989: PhD, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark

1986: DVM, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen

Contact

PA Heidi Toft
[email protected]
+45 3079 0250

Flemming Konradsen

Chief Scientific Officer, Health, Professor

Overall responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s development and implementation of research and development programmes within health and global health.

  • To honor the legacy of the Foundation in cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) research and care for people living with diabetes
  • To foster significant advances and equity in the prevention and management of CMDs, infectious diseases and other key health outcomes through basic research, clinical research, innovation, implementation as well as health economics and policy analysis
  • To advance the Foundation’s engagement with international partners working within global health
  • To improve nutritional health, food security and local food systems in LMICs and humanitarian settings
  • To support the building of NNF as a world-leading philanthropic organization

Joined the Foundation in 2022.

Contact
Senior PA to CSO, Trine Barenkopf
[email protected]
+45 2888 1991

Lene Oddershede

Chief Scientific Officer, Planetary Science & Technology, Professor

Overall responsible for the establishment and allocation of Novo Nordisk Foundation’s grants and activities within natural sciences, technical sciences, and interdisciplinary research, including the areas of quantum and data science. The activities include:

  • Strategic initiatives such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP), Quantum Foundry Copenhagen, DCAI, and the Challenge programmes within natural and technical sciences.
  • Competitive grants, such as the NERD Programme, Project Grants, the recruitment programmes RECRUIT and Start Packages, as well as the foundation’s open competition programmes within interdisciplinary research, data science, and infrastructure.
  • Collaboration with stakeholders in the national and international research landscape, including international universities and companies.

Joined the Foundation in 2019.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
Senior Manager, PA Pernille Julø Risegaard
[email protected]
+45 3527 6603

Søren Nedergaard

Chief Portfolio Officer - Portfolio, People & Partnerships

As Chief Portfolio Officer, Søren Nedergaard plays a central role in ensuring that the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Strategy 2030 is effectively translated into action through the Foundation’s portfolio management. His task is to bridge strategic ambition with operational execution, ensuring that all portfolio activities are aligned with long-term goals.

A key part of his mandate is to lead the transformation of the Foundation into a truly project-centric organisation. This involves embedding project thinking into the core of how the Foundation operates—shaping structures, processes and culture to support project-based planning, execution and evaluation.

Søren is also responsible for driving the Foundation’s internationalisation efforts. He oversees the implementation of the global strategy, working to expand NNF’s presence and partnerships internationally, and ensuring that the Foundation’s global activities are coherent and strategically aligned.

In parallel, he is tasked with fostering a strong and unified organisational culture across all geographies. This means supporting the development of a shared identity and values that bind the global NNF community together, regardless of location.

Finally, Søren is committed to advancing excellence in Education and Outreach within Denmark, while also promoting international collaboration in education. His work supports the development of high-quality educational initiatives that not only serve national priorities but also contribute to global knowledge exchange and capacity building.

Erika Söderberg Johnsson

Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Operations

Erika Söderberg Johnsson was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Novo Nordisk Foundation in November 2023.

Prior experience

Erika Söderberg Johnsson has a broad financial, strategy and operational background from more than 20 years of CFO experience in life science companies, Biotage AB (2012-2020) Karo Bio AB (2007-2011), Affibody AB (2005-2007) and Global Genomics AB (2002-2005). Most recently before joining Novo Nordisk Foundation she was Senior Advisor to the investment company Kinnevik AB (2022-2023) where she also was CFO (2020-2022). Before she took on her first CFO assignment in 2002, she worked for 10 years in investment banking at SEB. In addition to this, Erika also has extensive board experience with prior board positions in Sectra AB (2007-2017), MedCap AB (2014-2017), Qliro Group AB (2017-2020), Lunar Group A/S (2020-2023) and Mabtech Holding AB (2023-2024).

Other positions and management duties

Erika Söderberg Johnsson is currently a member of the board of directors of Saab AB, Camurus AB, and Marley Spoon AG.

Education

MSc in Business and Economics, Stockholm School of Economics

Contact

PA Maia Cecille McCarthy
[email protected]
+45 2573 2204

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Overall responsible for Legal, IP, Governance, and Risk & Compliance at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

  • Additionally, Board Secretary and responsible for the Board Secretariat in both the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings A/S.
  • Lawyer.
  • Serves on the board of Danish Centre for AI Innovation A/S, Quantum Foundry P/S, and NIVI Development P/S.

Joined the Foundation in 2023.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2049 8910Contact PA
Senior PA Nina Rytter Nielsen
[email protected]
+45 4172 7936

Steffen Pierini Lüders

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Corporate Affairs

Head of Corporate Affairs in the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings.

  • Responsible for internal and external communication activities
  • Responsible for stakeholder relations of the Foundation and Novo Holdings
  • Responsible for public affairs in the Foundation and Novo Holdings

Joined the Foundation in 2016.

Health

Health

Flemming Konradsen

Chief Scientific Officer, Health, Professor

Tanja Xenia Pedersen

Vice President, Biomedical Research , MSc, PhD

Marie-Louise Hartoft-Nielsen

Vice President, Clinical Medicine & Endocrinology

Rasmus Borgquist

Director, Cardiovascular Diseases, MD, PhD

Marianne Holm

Vice President, Infectious Diseases, MD, PhD

Mette Ide Davidsen

Director, Global & Public Health

Rikke Johannessen

Director, Global Development

Flemming Konradsen

Chief Scientific Officer, Health, Professor

Overall responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s development and implementation of research and development programmes within health and global health.

  • To honor the legacy of the Foundation in cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) research and care for people living with diabetes
  • To foster significant advances and equity in the prevention and management of CMDs, infectious diseases and other key health outcomes through basic research, clinical research, innovation, implementation as well as health economics and policy analysis
  • To advance the Foundation’s engagement with international partners working within global health
  • To improve nutritional health, food security and local food systems in LMICs and humanitarian settings
  • To support the building of NNF as a world-leading philanthropic organization

Joined the Foundation in 2022.

Contact
Senior PA to CSO, Trine Barenkopf
[email protected]
+45 2888 1991

Tanja Xenia Pedersen

Vice President, Biomedical Research , MSc, PhD

Leader of Biomedicine, one of three departments in the program area Medical Science, and member of the Medical Science leadership team. Responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation´s activities within biomedically focused open calls and strategic initiatives, e.g. Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Genomics Mechanisms of Disease at the Broad Institute, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, and the Microbiome Health initiative. Employed in the foundation since 2024. Contact [email protected] Contact PA PA & Team Coordinator Susanne Louise Petersen [email protected] +45 2069 5948

Marie-Louise Hartoft-Nielsen

Vice President, Clinical Medicine & Endocrinology

Rasmus Borgquist

Director, Cardiovascular Diseases, MD, PhD

Cardiologist and clinical researcher. Overall responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Cardiovascular Medicine department (part of Medical Science) and activities that relate to cardiovascular disease.

  • Responsible for large initiatives focusing on cardiovascular disease, including epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions
  • Responsible for contacts with external collaborations and stakeholdes such as professional organisations and research groups that are active in the cardiovascular field

Joined the foundation in December 2022.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2478 3165

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Susanne Louise Petersen
[email protected]
+45 2069 5948

Marianne Holm

Vice President, Infectious Diseases, MD, PhD

Head of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Infectious Diseases Programme area.

  • Support the development and implementation of new strategic initiatives and research programs within Infectious Diseases.
  • Develop partnerships and contribute to the global visibility and impact of the foundation’s activities within Infectious Diseases.

Joined the Foundation in 2022.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Susan Nielsen
[email protected]

Mette Ide Davidsen

Director, Global & Public Health

Responsible for the Partnership for Education of Health Professionals (PEP) and other global health initiatives.

Responsible for the establishment and management of Novo Nordisk Foundation Brach Offices in India and Kenya.

Joined the foundation in 2017

Contact
[email protected]
+45 3067 4856

Rikke Johannessen

Director, Global Development

Overall responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s engagement with humanitarian partners working within the health sector and/or food systems transformation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and in acute emergency situations.

  • Responsible for strategic initiatives and partnerships focused at creating positive humanitarian and development outcomes for vulnerable populations in LMICs.
  • Responsible for partnership and grantmaking via open humanitarian calls and acute responses.
  • Contact with partners and stakeholders in the above areas.

Joined the foundation in 2024.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2064 1038

Planet & Technology

Planetary Science & Technology

Lene Oddershede

Chief Scientific Officer, Planetary Science & Technology, Professor

Ulla Gro Nielsen

Director, Technical Sciences, PhD

Claus Felby

Vice President, Agri-Food, Professor, PhD

Mikkel Skovborg

Vice President, Innovation

Lene Oddershede

Chief Scientific Officer, Planetary Science & Technology, Professor

Overall responsible for the establishment and allocation of Novo Nordisk Foundation’s grants and activities within natural sciences, technical sciences, and interdisciplinary research, including the areas of quantum and data science. The activities include:

  • Strategic initiatives such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP), Quantum Foundry Copenhagen, DCAI, and the Challenge programmes within natural and technical sciences.
  • Competitive grants, such as the NERD Programme, Project Grants, the recruitment programmes RECRUIT and Start Packages, as well as the foundation’s open competition programmes within interdisciplinary research, data science, and infrastructure.
  • Collaboration with stakeholders in the national and international research landscape, including international universities and companies.

Joined the Foundation in 2019.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
Senior Manager, PA Pernille Julø Risegaard
[email protected]
+45 3527 6603

Ulla Gro Nielsen

Director, Technical Sciences, PhD

Responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s activities within research infrastructure, technology and interdisciplinary research programmes anchored within natural and technical science

  • Research grants in open competition within research infrastructure and interdisciplinary research programmes as well as research dissemination activities.
  • Strategic initiatives within research infrastructure and technology as well as interdisciplinary initiatives anchored within natural and technical science
  • Information meetings on the Novo Nordisk Foundations’s programmes in open competition
  • Contact with stakeholders within the areas above

Joined the foundation in 2023.

Contact
[email protected]

Claus Felby

Vice President, Agri-Food, Professor, PhD

Responsible for leading the activities in the Biotech area that covers biological solutions for agriculture, food systems and biomanufacturing.

  • He has been Professor of Biomass and Bioenergy at Copenhagen University (~20 years).
  • Claus Felby has a long academic and industrial career as researcher and professor. He has led large research programmes and is the inventor on several patents.
  • His previous work spans fundamental research on enzymes and microorganisms, industrial process development and scaling, international advisory committees and environmental impact assessment.

Joined the Foundation in 2019.

Mikkel Skovborg

Vice President, Innovation

Responsible for activities within the Novo Nordisk Foundation regarding innovation and entrepreneurship.

  • Mikkel drives activities in innovation and entrepreneurship. His team is a critical bridge between scientific programme areas, incubators (e.g. BII) and the early commercial activities of Novo Seeds.
  • Mikkel has a role in boosting the innovation and start-up ecosystem through diverse funding instruments (pre-seed investment)

Joined the Foundation in 2016.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Louise Hindenburg
[email protected]
+45 3142 6288

Portfolio, People & Partnerships

Portfolio, People & Partnerships

Søren Nedergaard

Chief Portfolio Officer - Portfolio, People & Partnerships

Stine Fehmerling

Chief HR Officer, People & Organisation

Berith Bjørnholm

Vice President, Education & Outreach, PhD

Søren Nedergaard

Chief Portfolio Officer - Portfolio, People & Partnerships

As Chief Portfolio Officer, Søren Nedergaard plays a central role in ensuring that the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Strategy 2030 is effectively translated into action through the Foundation’s portfolio management. His task is to bridge strategic ambition with operational execution, ensuring that all portfolio activities are aligned with long-term goals.

A key part of his mandate is to lead the transformation of the Foundation into a truly project-centric organisation. This involves embedding project thinking into the core of how the Foundation operates—shaping structures, processes and culture to support project-based planning, execution and evaluation.

Søren is also responsible for driving the Foundation’s internationalisation efforts. He oversees the implementation of the global strategy, working to expand NNF’s presence and partnerships internationally, and ensuring that the Foundation’s global activities are coherent and strategically aligned.

In parallel, he is tasked with fostering a strong and unified organisational culture across all geographies. This means supporting the development of a shared identity and values that bind the global NNF community together, regardless of location.

Finally, Søren is committed to advancing excellence in Education and Outreach within Denmark, while also promoting international collaboration in education. His work supports the development of high-quality educational initiatives that not only serve national priorities but also contribute to global knowledge exchange and capacity building.

Stine Fehmerling

Chief HR Officer, People & Organisation

Stine is responsible for the overall People & Organisation function at the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This includes Talent Acquisition, HR Business Partnering, HR Operations, Compensation, Rewards, and Learning and Development.

  • Experienced leader, HR professional, consultant, facilitator, and coach specializing in global leadership, DEI, cultural transformations, and virtual global collaborations.
  • Has led strategic HR agendas in organisational development, M&A’s, cultural transformations, globalisation, leadership development, L&D, talent acquisition, talent management, and more.
  • Advisory member of The Diversity Council in the Confederation of Danish Industry since 2020.

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Mia Hauge Linders
[email protected]
+45 2277 8550

Berith Bjørnholm

Vice President, Education & Outreach, PhD

Overall responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s distributions and activities within natural science education and outreach, within research in art and art history, and within social science research related to the green transition.

  • Responsible for strategic initiatives and grants in open competition within education and science communication as well as art and art historical research
  • Responsible for grants within interdisciplinary education and social sciences related to the green transition
  • Contact with stakeholders within the above areas

Joined the foundation in 2015.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 3067 4837

Contact PA
PA and Team Coordinator Malene Gildberg
[email protected]
+45 2213 9172

Finance & Operations

Finance & Operations

Erika Söderberg Johnsson

Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Operations

Niels Pærregaard

Director, Corporate IT

Mette Modvig

Vice President, Digital & Business Excellence

Andreas Hansen

Director, Finance

Ulrik Meyer

Director, Building Investments

Anne Kahr Hällman

Vice President, Grant Management, PhD

Erika Söderberg Johnsson

Chief Financial Officer, Finance & Operations

Erika Söderberg Johnsson was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Novo Nordisk Foundation in November 2023.

Prior experience

Erika Söderberg Johnsson has a broad financial, strategy and operational background from more than 20 years of CFO experience in life science companies, Biotage AB (2012-2020) Karo Bio AB (2007-2011), Affibody AB (2005-2007) and Global Genomics AB (2002-2005). Most recently before joining Novo Nordisk Foundation she was Senior Advisor to the investment company Kinnevik AB (2022-2023) where she also was CFO (2020-2022). Before she took on her first CFO assignment in 2002, she worked for 10 years in investment banking at SEB. In addition to this, Erika also has extensive board experience with prior board positions in Sectra AB (2007-2017), MedCap AB (2014-2017), Qliro Group AB (2017-2020), Lunar Group A/S (2020-2023) and Mabtech Holding AB (2023-2024).

Other positions and management duties

Erika Söderberg Johnsson is currently a member of the board of directors of Saab AB, Camurus AB, and Marley Spoon AG.

Education

MSc in Business and Economics, Stockholm School of Economics

Contact

PA Maia Cecille McCarthy
[email protected]
+45 2573 2204

Niels Pærregaard

Director, Corporate IT

Responsible for the Corporate IT department at the Novo Nordisk Foundation as well as several subsidiaries.

Joined the Foundation in 2017.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2682 6179

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Maria Olesen
[email protected]
+45 2092 3731

Mette Modvig

Vice President, Digital & Business Excellence

Overall responsible for digitalisation, AI and project management in the Novo Nordisk Foundation and head of the Digital & Business Excellence department.

  • Strategic initiatives within digitalisation and AI
  • Development and operation of NORMA, the foundation’s grant application and management system
  • Project management in the foundation, through internal consulting services, tools, training, and processes
  • Optimisation of processes and innovation through new technologies

Employed at the foundation since 2023.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Mia Vedel Meinfeldt
[email protected]
+45 9351 0838

 

Andreas Hansen

Director, Finance

Overall responsible for financial management of funds for the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The finance department’s responsibilities include:

  • Financial oversight and management of granting activities
  • Project portfolio planning
  • Planning and analysis of operational costs and efficiency
  • Partnering with programme areas to qualify funding of projects

Contact PA
PA Mia Vedel Meinfeldt
[email protected]
+45 9351 0838

 

Ulrik Meyer

Director, Building Investments

Responsible for the foundation’s major building investments (e.g. Establishment of new headquarters for the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Steno Centres in Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, facilities for NCQP, NIVI, Cellerator).

In charge of various managerial and operational functions at the foundation.

  • Member of the Board – SDCN and SDCA
  • Chairman of the Board at the Property Fund LIFE

Joined the foundation in 2015.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2673 3840

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Anni Nøhr
[email protected]
+45 2084 8880

Anne Kahr Hällman

Vice President, Grant Management, PhD

Head of the Grant Management area and managing all of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s active grants. Including responsibility for:

  • Managerial and organisational development of the Grant Management area
  • The primary point of contact for the Foundation’s grant recipients
  • Monitoring and follow-up on the Foundation’s active grants
  • Drafting grant agreements
  • Ongoing development of the internal and external processes related to the management of the Foundation’s active grants

Joined the foundation in 2021.

Contact
[email protected]

Contact PA
PA & Team Coordinator Gunnar Näsman
[email protected]
+45 2444 4405

Legal & Governance

Legal & Governance

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Mathias Dahlerup Krarup

Director, Legal Services, Lawyer, PhD

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Overall responsible for Legal, IP, Governance, and Risk & Compliance at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

  • Additionally, Board Secretary and responsible for the Board Secretariat in both the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings A/S.
  • Lawyer.
  • Serves on the board of Danish Centre for AI Innovation A/S, Quantum Foundry P/S, and NIVI Development P/S.

Joined the Foundation in 2023.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2049 8910Contact PA
Senior PA Nina Rytter Nielsen
[email protected]
+45 4172 7936

Mathias Dahlerup Krarup

Director, Legal Services, Lawyer, PhD

Responsible for leading the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s team of lawyers and in close collaboration with the General Counsel responsible for the legal efforts and direction of the Novo Nordisk Foundaton.

Joined the Foundation in 2025.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2682 2071

Corporate Affairs

Corporate Affairs

Steffen Pierini Lüders

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Corporate Affairs

Alexandra Lichtenstein Kaarsen

Director, Public Affairs

Christian Mostrup

Director, Public Relations

Jakob Wilms

Director, Digital & Design

Steffen Pierini Lüders

Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Corporate Affairs

Head of Corporate Affairs in the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings.

  • Responsible for internal and external communication activities
  • Responsible for stakeholder relations of the Foundation and Novo Holdings
  • Responsible for public affairs in the Foundation and Novo Holdings

Joined the Foundation in 2016.

Alexandra Lichtenstein Kaarsen

Director, Public Affairs

Responsible for supporting the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings with public affairs activities across program and investment areas.

  • In charge of the public affairs team.
  • The public affairs team covers activities in Denmark, the EU and globally. Currently, the team has presence in Copenhagen and Brussels.
  • Contact with a broad range of stakeholders relevant to the portfolio of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings.

Joined the foundation in 2016.

Contact
[email protected]
+45  3067 4864

Christian Mostrup

Director, Public Relations

Responsible for the Foundation’s communication with the media, including coordinating requests for interviews with the Foundation’s spokespersons.

Responsible for developing news stories about the Foundation’s activities, including publications and films.

Joined the Foundation in 2012.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 3067 4805

Jakob Wilms

Director, Digital & Design

Responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s and Novo Holdings’ digital communication activities as well as online and offline design and branding.

  • Responsible for the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s digital channels, including websites and social media.
  • Responsible for Novo Holding’s digital channels, including websites and social media.
  • Responsible for the overall online and offline design in the Novo Nordisk Fonden and Novo Holdings.
  • Responsible for digital campaigns and branding of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings as well as underlying activities and new projects.

Employed in the foundation since 2018.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2715 7075

Our board

Our board

Lars Rebien Sørensen

Chair

Lars Munch

Vice Chair

Christopher A. Voigt

Member

Jakob Müller

Member

Mads Grøn

Member

Nana Bule Sejbæk

Member

Steen Riisgaard

Member

Stig Strøbæk

Member

Lars Green

Member

Barbara Casadei

Member

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Lars Rebien Sørensen

Chair

Lars Rebien Sørensen serves as Chair of the Board of Novo Holdings A/S, Executive Chair of the Board of Ferring Pharmaceuticals (Switzerland) and Chair of the Advisory Board of Axcel Management A/S. Furthermore, he is a member of the Boards of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (USA), Essity AB (Sweden) and Jungbunzlauer Suisse AG (Switzerland). Lars Rebien Sørensenserves as Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen and Adjunct Professor at the Center for Corporate Governance, Copenhagen Business School (CBS).

Board competencies: Managerial experience from a large international company. Extensive knowledge of the Novo Group business standards and practices as well as knowledge of the international pharmaceutical industry. Board work experience.

Lars Rebien Sørensen is considered a non-independent board member, as he is Chair of the Board of Novo Holdings A/S.

Please contact the Chairman via   
EA Trine Sewohl
[email protected]

Lars Munch

Vice Chair

Lars Henrik Munch serves as Chair of the Board of The Politiken-Foundation and Politiken Holding A/S and as Chair of the Boards of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Museumsfonden, Louisiana Fonden, BRFfonden, BRFholding A/S, BRFinvest a/s, and Fonden for Håndværkskollegier.

Furthermore, Lars Henrik Munch is a member of the boards of Utzon Center A/S and the KUNSTEN Museum of Modern Art, Aalborg. Lars Henrik Munch is also a member of the World Association of News Publishers (Paris), as well as Chair of the Advisory Board for Master of Management Development, Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and Vice Chair of the Board of Axcelfuture. Lars Henrik Munch serves as Adjunct Professor at the Department of Organisation, CBS.

Board competencies: Experience with society and social conditions, art and culture, media and board work.

Lars Henrik Munch is considered an independent board member

Christopher A. Voigt

Member

Christopher A. Voigt is the Daniel I.C. Wang Professor of Advanced Biotechnology and Department Head in Biological Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as the co-director of the Synthetic Biology Center at MIT.

Christopher A. Voigt is a founding member of the U.S. National Science Foundation-funded Engineering Biology Research Center, former founding Editorin-Chief of the ACS Synthetic Biology journal, and co-founder of the companies Asimov (therapeutics bio-manufacturing) and Pivot Biotechnologies (agriculture).

Board competencies: Extensive scientific advisory experience. Expert knowledge within synthetic biology and genetic engineering as well as the translation of cutting-edge science into innovations and start-up companies.

Christopher A. Voigt is considered an independent board member.

Jakob Müller

Member

Employee representative, Environmental Consultant in Novonesis A/S.

Member of the board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation since March 2022. Last elected in March 2022 for a four-year term.

Mads Grøn

Member

Employee representative, Quality Auditor in Novo Nordisk A/S.

Member of the board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation since March 2018.  Last elected in March 2022 for a four-year term.

Nana Bule Sejbæk

Member

Nana Bule Sejbæk serves as Chair of the National Digital Council and Energy Crisis Staff, and as Chair of the Board of Carbfix. Furthermore, Nana Bule Sejbæk is a member of the boards of Arla Foods and Energinet, and works as an Operating Advisor with Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Board competencies: Senior Executive experience from a large international Tech company with a proven track record of driving transformation and delivering business growth. Board word experience.

Nana Bule is considered an independent board member

Steen Riisgaard

Member

Steen Riisgaard serves as Chair of the Board of New Xellia Group A/S, and as Vice Chair of the Board of Novo Holdings A/S. Steen Riisgaard is a member of the Board of Corbion and Vice Chair of Fugleværnsfonden.

Board competencies: Experience with management in general from a large international company. Knowledge of the Novo Group business standards and practices and extensive knowledge of international biotechnology industry and research within the private sector. Experience with innovation and entrepreneurship.

Steen Riisgaard is considered a non-independent board member, as he is Vice Chair of Novo Holdings A/S and Chair of New Xellia Group A/S.

Stig Strøbæk

Member

Employee representative, Electrician in Novo Nordisk A/S.

Member of the board of the Novo Nordisk Foundation since March 2022. Last elected in March 2022 for a four-year term.

Lars Green

Member

Lars Green was born in 1967 and holds a MSc (Business Administration).

Lars Green serves on the Board of Trustees of LEO Foundation, the Board of Directors of LEO Pharma A/S, H. Lundbeck A/S and Pharmacosmos A/S. Furthermore, Lars Green serves as Vice Chair on the Danish Committee for Corporate Governance.

Lars Green brings more than 30 years of experience from the health care and life science industries. He joined Novo Nordisk A/S in 1992 and held various financial leadership positions incl. regional CFO roles in Japan and North America as well as Group Finance before joining Executive Management in 2017 as EVP of Business Services. In 2019, Lars Green joined Novozymes A/S where he served as CFO until end 2023.

Lars Green is considered a non-independent board member due to his recent position in Novozymes A/S (Novonesis).

 

Barbara Casadei

Member

Barbara Casadei was born in 1959 and graduated in Medicine at the University of Pavia, Italy and moved to the University of Oxford, UK in 1989 where she was awarded a DPhil in 1995 and a Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine in 2006. She is currently British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Honorary Consultant Cardiologist, and Head of the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London.

Barbara is Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, holds the highest honour of the British Cardio-vascular Society (The Mackenzie Medal) and of the European Society of Cardiology (Gold Medal), and is Past President of the European Society of Cardiology (2018-20). She is the founder of EuroHeart, an initiative supporting the assessment and improvement of quality of cardiovascular care in Europe and a member/chair of several Scientific Advisory Boards, including the Leducq Foundation, the Netherland Heart Institute and the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. She was the Roman W. DeSanctis Visiting Professor, Harvard Medical School, in 2021; The Keith Reimer Distinguished Lecturer of the Inter-national Society for Heart Research in 2022; the Lucian Prize awardee, Canada in 2023; and the Paul Dud-ley White International Lecturer of the American Heart Association in 2024.

Barbara Casadei is considered an independent board member.

Pelle Munk-Poulsen

Board Secretary & General Counsel & Chief Legal Officer, Legal & Governance

Overall responsible for Legal, IP, Governance, and Risk & Compliance at the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

  • Additionally, Board Secretary and responsible for the Board Secretariat in both the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings A/S.
  • Lawyer.
  • Serves on the board of Danish Centre for AI Innovation A/S, Quantum Foundry P/S, and NIVI Development P/S.

Joined the Foundation in 2023.

Contact
[email protected]
+45 2049 8910Contact PA
Senior PA Nina Rytter Nielsen
[email protected]
+45 4172 7936