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]
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]
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 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.
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]
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.
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 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 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:
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]
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]