Purpose

The demands upon, and expectations of, future ‘blue’ board members are continuously rising, and active board membership is constantly faced with dealing with increasing complexity, unpredictability and volatility, alongside areas such as risk management and the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) agenda. The global maritime industry is undergoing dramatic changes in the areas of digitalisation, cyber risks and security; de-carbonisation is transforming the industry and international regulations are imposing new rules of the game. All of these are topics which ‘blue’ boards need to be able to navigate skilfully.

The purpose of The Blue Board Leadership Program is to improve the competencies of future and present ‘blue’ board members’ in handling challenges such as those mentioned above with exceptional strength and board management skills.

Studies show that companies with a holistic focus on the interaction between owners, board, and management can grow faster, increase yields and realise the market opportunities. Among a range of key topics, it is essential for ‘blue’ board members to gain knowledge about the corporate governance system, value creation, company law, and board dynamics.

The Blue Board Leadership Program will endeavour to;

• Set the bar high, offering a robust impact board leadership training programme based on the well-established and reputed CBS Board Leadership Education programs.
• Be anchored in, be relevant to and add value to the global maritime segment and its needs.
• Be global by nature.
• Incorporate sound principles and best practices for effective board membership, stewardship, and governance through case studies.
• Showcase examples of high performance boards operating in key global governance regimes.
• Show how boards can navigate accelerated change, the growing ESG agenda and increased complexity within the global ambit of the maritime sector.
• Discuss examples of business success and learn from failures, mitigate risk, and demonstrate how to maximise business opportunities, growth, and shareholder value through strategic board involvement.

This board education program is developed by CBS Board Leadership Education in partnership with the Blue MBA Alumni Association and experienced professors (from CBS and other international universities and business schools), board members, and partners from EY (annual reports and finance issues) and Kromann Reumert (legal issues).

Topics

• Corporate Governance & Corporate Law
• Board Dilemmas, Legal Responsibilities and the ABC of Board Membership
• Board Leadership, Board Profiles, Composition and Competencies
• Evaluation of Boards and CEO Succession
• Board Dynamics, Diversity and Decisions
• Accounting and the Annual Report
• Trends in Reporting of Board Management and ESG
• Financial Management
• Creating Value, Capital Base and Corporate Finance
• Risk Management
• Global Outlook for the Maritime Industry
• Geopolitical Trends / Societal Trends
• Sustainability, UN Sustainability Goals
• Shareholders, Stakeholders and Society and the Public
• Strategy – Digitalisation, Innovation and Disruptive Business Models
• Cyber Risk, Cyber Security and Cyber Governance
• The Supply Chain – Trends and developments

The target group is board members, C-suite managers and owners who look after the company’s interests. It can be future or current board members in the maritime sector, who operate in a global context. Our experience is that the participants are often one or more variants of the following archetypes:

1) Current board members with board positions in the maritime sector and/or other closely related sectors

2) Future board members who want to start a board career often as a supplement to their management career

3) Top management or leaders who do not necessarily want a board career, but want the board perspective, so that they can increase interaction, value creation and the relationship with their own board in a maritime global perspective.

Teaching approach

Led by a world-class faculty of some 25 experienced professors, board leaders and advisors as well as industry experts, participants will work on more than 20 industry relevant cases during the eight days focusing on the most important issues and challenging dilemmas faced by boards of directors of global maritime and logistics companies.

Each case discussion will be initiated by a short introduction of the topic, followed by breakout group discussions in which the groups act as boards of directors. The boards’ decisions will be summarised, and challenged by the faculty team during the concluding classroom discussion. The programme is in English to accommodate international participants.

Faculty team

• Alan McKinnon Professor of Logistics, Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg
• Andreas Rasche, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Andreas Sohmen-Pao, Chairman of the Board, Asia
• Birgit Aagaard-Svendsen, Chairman of the Board, Denmark
• Bo Cerup Simonsen, CEO, Denmark
• Eivind Kolding, Chairman of the Board, Denmark
• Henrik Elsig Andersen, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles
• Henrik Udh Christensen, CEO, Viking Life Saving Equipment
• Jacob Erhardi, Partner, EY
• Jan Damsgaard, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Ken Bechmann, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Kirsten Hede, Program Director, Cybersecurity for Corporate Boards
• Kristin Holth, Non Executive Director, Norway and EU
• Lars Petersson, CEO, Velux
• Lotte G. Lundberg, CEO, The Danish Maritime Fund
• Malou Aamund, Chair and Non Executive Director, Denmark and EU
• Martin Jes Iversen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Niels Smedegaard, Chairman of the Board, Denmark & Norway
• Steen Thomsen, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Sverre Lodgaard, Senior Research Fellow Emeritus, NUPI (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs)
• Thomas Kaas, Partner, Kromann Reumert
• Thomas Ritter, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Tine Roed, Director, CBS Board Leadership Education
• Tommy Thomsen, Chairman of Board, Denmark and Singapore

Advisory Board

• Andreas Nordseth, Director General, Danish Maritime Authority
• Anne H. Steffesen, CEO, Danish Shipping
• Irene Rosberg, Programme Director, Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics
• Jenny Braat, Managing Director/CEO, Danish Maritime
• Johannah Christensen, Chief Executive Officer, Global Maritime Forum
• Kim Pedersen, Program Director, CBS Board Leadership Education
• Martin Jes Iversen, Associate Professor, Copenhagen Business School
• Michael P. Elwert, Senior Executive & Advisor, Global Shipping & Logistics Industry
• Peter Appel, Partner, Gorrissen Federspiel
• Peder Gellert Pedersen, Freelance Board Member, Monjasa Holding A/S & Northern Industries A/S
• Tina Chérie Eskildsen, Program Manager, CBS Board Leadership Education
• Tine Roed, Director, CBS Board Leadership Education