At the turn of the year, Margrethe Vestager will assume a new title when she takes over as Chair of the Board of one of Denmark’s most prominent universities - DTU.
During a long political career, the experienced top leader has held positions as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Economic Affairs and the Interior, and Minister for Education and Church Affairs. For the past ten years, she has been Denmark’s representative in the European Commission as Commissioner for Competition and since 2019 also as Executive Vice-President.
“Margrethe Vestager is a highly professional person with a large global network and extensive insight into social conditions, universities, and digitalization, including artificial intelligence,” says Chairman of the Appointment Committee Helle Vang Andersen, who is a management consultant and former SVP of Cowi.
DTU is Denmark’s largest educational institution for engineers and internationally recognized for its research. Helle Vang Andersen explains that Margrethe Vestager’s competences match DTU’s current strategic direction.
“She is an excellent fit as Chair of the Board of a technical university with an ambitious strategy, where objectives such as digitalization, Europe’s best engineering education, and sustainability are key priorities,” says Helle Vang Andersen.
Among the most relevant universities
Margrethe Vestager is looking forward to becoming Chair of the Board of a technical university that ranks among the best in Europe and the world. And which she believes will play an important role in the society of the future.
“There’s a need for new technology in relation to the challenges our planet is facing: Climate change, biodiversity, living conditions, and our security. But there’s also a need for us to leverage technology in a proper way that serves humanity best. I think that’s everything DTU stands for. It’s one of the most modern and relevant institutions imaginable. And it’s a great privilege to be appointed Chair of the Board of Governors,” says Margrethe Vestager.
On 1 January 2025, Margrethe Vestager will assume her duties as Chair of the Board, taking over the position from Swedish Professor Karin Markides, who is President and CEO of the Japanese University Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.
Read more about Margrethe Vestager's views on the role of the university in this interview.
