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Blue Board Leadership Programme

Created by the CBS Board Leadership Education and Blue MBA Alumni Association

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 Programme 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 Programme 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 programmes.
  • 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 programme 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 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

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

  • 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
  • Jim Hagemann Snabe, Chairman of the Board, EU
  • Lars Jensen, Senior Advisor and Analyst, Global Shipping & Logistics Industry/ Board Member
  • Niels Smedegaard, Chairman of the Board, Denmark & Norway
  • Sverre Lodgaard, Senior Research Fellow Emeritus, NUPI (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs)
  • Tommy Thomsen, Chairman of Board, Denmark and Singapore
  • Thomas Thune Andersen, Chairman of the Board, Denmark
  • Alan McKinnon, Professor of Logistics, Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg
  • Amir Alizadeh-Masoodian, Professor, Bayes Business School
  • Andreas Rasche, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Jan Damsgaard, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Jette Steen Knudsen, Professor, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
  • Ken Bechmann, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Photis Panayides, Professor in Shipping and Maritime Economics, Department of Shipping, Cyprus University of Technology
  • Steen Thomsen, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Thomas Plenborg, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Thomas Ritter, Professor, Copenhagen Business School
  • Tom Jacobsgaard, CEO, CBS Board Leadership Education and Board Leadership Society of Denmark

 

Resources:

A Ship Management International Webinar – sponsored by Copenhagen Business School –

What makes a good company board of directors and what processes and practices should be in place to ensure correct decisions can be made at the right time? Global maritime leaders will debated this and other crucial issues. Watch the video here.