Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of six members elected by the shareholders at the Annual General Meeting each year in March, and three members elected every fourth year by the employees in accordance with applicable laws.

A highly competent Board of Directors with proven experience in key fields, is essential for the success and growth of NKT when striving to ensure that the Board of Directors has a mix of competencies that cover all critical aspects of the business and support NKT’s growth in new markets.

Therefore, annual Board evaluations are conducted assessing not only the Board’s efficiency and commitment, but also the Board’s experience and competencies which should reflect NKT’s strategy. NKT’s latest Board assessment was conducted in December 2021 and shows that the Board, collectively, has skills and competencies within the cables industry, sustainability, manufacturing, international management of business operations, as well as CEO and CFO experience. Not only are the Board evaluations used for identifying potential competency gaps, it is also used for succession planning of Board members ensuring that the Board always has the skillset as a group that match NKT’s needs.

  • Jens Due Olsen

    Chair
    Jens Due Olsen

    Born 1963, Denmark, MSc. Econ,1990

    First elected in 2006*

    Not considered independent*

    Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 1,125,000

    Number of NKT shares: 51,891

    NKT Committees:
    • ESG
    • NKT Photonics (working committee)

    Directorships:
    • KMD A/S, Deputy Chair
    • BørneBasketFonden (non profit foundation), Chair
    • Advantage Investment Partners A/S, Chairman
    • NIL Technology A/S, Chairman
    • European Energy, Chair

    Special qualifications: 
    • Industrial management
    • Management of listed companies
    • Economic and financial matters
    • Risk management

    *Not considered independent, cf. Danish Recommendations for Corporate Governance

    • René Svendsen-Tune

      Deputy Chair
      René Svendsen-Tune

      Born 1955, Denmark, BSc. Eng. (hon.) 1981

      First elected in 2016

      considered independent

      Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 750,000 

      Number of NKT shares: 6,666

      NKT Committees:
      • Nomination, Chair
      • NKT Photonics (working committee)

      Directorships and other positions:
      • Chief Executive Officer, GN Store Nord A/S and GN Audio A/S
      • Nilfisk Holdling A/S, Deputy Chair
      • Stokke AS, Chair

      Special qualifications:
      • International management
      • Management of listed companies
      • Specialist expertise in technology, service businesses and large account sales and strategy development with sustainability focus

      • Karla Marianne Lindahl

        Karla Lindahl

        Born 1981, Finland, MA in EC Competition Law 2009, Master of Laws (LL.M) 2005

        First elected in 2020

        considered independent

        Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

        Number of NKT shares: 0

        NKT Committees:
        • Audit

        Directorships and other positions:
        • Managing Director, KONE Finland and Baltics

        Special qualifications:
        • International and industrial management
        • Expertise in leading service and project business and operations
        • Specialist expertise in strategy development and execution as well as competition and corporate law

        • Andreas Nauen

          Andreas Nauen

          Born 1964, Germany, BSc. Mechanical Eng. 1991

          First elected in 2017

          considered independent

          Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000 

          Number of NKT shares: 0

          NKT Committees:
          • Remuneration, Chair
          • Audit, Chair

          Directorships and other positions:
          • Sandbrook Capital, USA, Operating Partner
          • Havfram AS, Chair

          Special qualifications:
          • International and industrial management
          • Management of listed companies
          • Special expertise in technology and large infrastructure projects, renewable energy and wind power

          • Nebahat Albayrak

            nebahat

            Born 1968, Turkey, LLM, International and European Law, University of Leiden, Netherlands, 1993

            First elected in 2022

            considered independent

            Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

            Number of NKT shares: 0

            NKT Committees: 
            • ESG, Chair

            Directorships and other positions:
            • Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Sustainability and Safety and Security. Fortum, Finland
            • Member of the Supervisory Boards of Nederlandse Spoorwegen
            • Member of the Advisory Board of Topvrouwen.nl

            Special qualifications:
            • Expertise in driving sustainability in international organizations
            • International and industrial management
            • Experience from the public and private sector Senior leadership experience from the energy industry
            • Specialist in corporate branding and reputational management

            • Anne Vedel

              Anne Vedel

              Born 1981, Denmark, MSc. International Technology Management, 2008

              First elected in 2023

              Considered independent

              Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

              Number of NKT shares: 0

              NKT Committees:
              • Audit

              Directorships and other positions:
              • Senior Vice President, Product Solutions and Integration, Vestas A/S

              Special qualifications:
              • Expertise in driving energy transition
              • Senior leadership experience in the renewable energy industry
              • International expertise in technology, sales and sustainable energy solutions

              • Stig Nissen Knudsen

                Stig Nissen Knudsen

                Elected by the employees, 2022

                Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

                Number of NKT shares: 125

                Senior Production Engineer
                NKT Photonics A/S

                • Christian Dyhr

                  Christian Dyhr

                  Elected by the employees, 2022

                  Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

                  Number of NKT shares: 0

                  Warehouse coordinator, NKT Photonics

                  • Pernille Blume Simonsen

                    Pernille Blume Simonsen

                    Elected by the employees, 2022

                    Board of Directors remuneration: DKK 375,000

                    Number of NKT shares: 0

                    Lean specialist, NKT (Denmark) A/S

                    Employee-elected Board members

                    NKT's Board of Directors includes three employee-elected members. They are elected as Group representatives as NKT A/S does not by itself meet the criteria for employee-elected Board members. The Group representatives are elected to the Board based on the number of votes available to the appointed electors in the Danish Group companies. The number of votes is in proportion to the size of the individual company.

                    Employee-elected Board members serve a four-year term and have the same rights, duties and responsibilities as shareholder-elected Board members, and may be re-elected.

                    The election is organised by an Election Committee responsible for the distribution of voting forms and counting of votes. If the number of candidates does not exceed the number of seats on the Board of Directors for Group representatives, the candidates are elected automatically. When the election has been completed the Election Committee publishes the results and ensures that the elected candidates are registered as company Board members with the Danish Business Authority. The employee-elected Board members take office on the date of the NKT Annual General Meeting.