Helle Bank Jorgensen

Helle Bank Jorgensen

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ESG and Sustainable Business Practice Expert, One of Canada’s Most Powerful Women and Influencers

Board members and executives in over 55 countries hold the Global Competent Boards Designation (GCB.D) and Certification in Sustainability, ESG, Climate and Biodiversity thanks to Helle’s visionary online and bespoke education programs.

Her vision is that board members, investors, and those advising them need to be informed about sustainability and other material issues that shape the business of today and tomorrow – How can you make informed business decisions if you aren’t informed? Helle founded Competent Boards with the support of a handful of business leaders, including Paul Polman, Jim Snabe, Annette Vershuren and Torben Möger Pedersen.

Helle is an internationally recognized expert on sustainable business practices, with a 30-year record of turning environmental, social, and governance risks into innovative and profitable business  opportunities. She works with many global Fortune 500 board members and executives, as well as smaller companies and investors.

In addition to Competent Boards, Helle has a few other brainchildren, including the world’s first green account, the first integrated report, the first holistic supply chain program and many innovative business solutions, and latest The Future Boardroom.

Helle is a business lawyer and accountant by training. She was a partner at PwC for many years based in Europe and later the US. She serves at the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence, the World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network, and Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) established by HM King Charles III, among other roles.

Originally from Denmark, she now lives in Canada, where she was recognized in 2023 as a Global Changemaker by The Globe and Mail and one of the Top 50 Influencers to Follow by Onalytica.

In 2022 she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network and received the SustainabilityX® Magazine’s Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award, among other recognitions.

Her Amazon bestseller, Stewards of the Future: A Guide for Competent Boards, was published in 2022, and she’s currently working on her next book.

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Speaking topics

The Boardroom Survival Guide: Advanced Sustainability Governance for the Modern Enterprise

Dive into the transformative world of business and corporate sustainability, where integrating sustainability isn’t just a strategy but a competitive necessity. With Helle as your guide, discover how sustainability can elevate your competitive edge, engage stakeholders, spark innovation, and shield against risks. Helle shares insights from leading organizations that have mastered embedding long-term thinking into their DNA.

Audience takeaway:

  • Actionable Insights: Gain practical strategies to seamlessly blend sustainability into business operations.
  • Competitive Advantage: Stand out in a crowded marketplace by embracing sustainability as a differentiator.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Build unbreakable trust with stakeholders by mastering the art of engagement, transparency and reporting.
  • Innovation: Use sustainability to drive innovation and unlock new business opportunities.
  • Risk Mitigation: Learn to anticipate and confidently navigate potential risks.

The Future BoardroomTM : Preparing for Tomorrow’s Governance Challenges and Opportunities

Dive into an exploration of the evolving world of corporate governance with The Future BoardroomTM

Master the art of steering organizations towards unparalleled success amid today’s complexities and learn how to be a steward of the future. This keynote covers governance best practices, how to future-proof your board career, the importance of diverse boards, and how to oversee ESG initiatives for a bright future.

Audience takeaways:

  • Governance Gold Standards: Equip yourself with pioneering practices that are defining the future of governance.
  • Board Diversity: Understand how a diverse and inclusive board drives innovation and safeguards resilience.
  • ESG Oversight: Elevator your ESG strategy with insights on effectively overseeing ESG initiatives.
  • Future-Proofing: Prepare for emerging governance challenges and opportunities with foresight and agility.

Riding the Sustainability and ESG Wave: Future Trends and Just Transition

Unravel the future of Sustainability and ESG trends that are set to redefine the business landscape. Discover the pivotal drivers steering the Sustainability and ESG agenda towards demands for business transformation, the need for innovation and adaptability, including how to embrace regulatory changes, surging investor expectations, and revolutionary technological advancements, and the principles of just transition. Helle provides a roadmap to navigate and leverage these trends to secure the licence to operate and achieve sustainable growth.

Audience takeaways:

  • Trend Awareness: Stay ahead of the curve with the inside scoop on sustainability and ESG trends.
  • Regulatory Insights: Understand upcoming regulations and their impact on your business.
  • Stakeholder Expectations: Master aligning your sustainability and ESG performance with the demands of more than just investors.
  • Technological Advancements: Discover how technological innovations can enhance your sustainability and ESG efforts.
  • Just Transition: Integrate just transition principles to ensure a fair and inclusive shift to a sustainable economy.

Leading the Change: Transformational Leadership

Take a transformative journey outlining the critical role of leadership in driving change and fostering a culture of sustainability. Uncover if you have the qualities and skills required for effective leadership in today’s complex business environment. This session is a roadmap packed with inspiring stories of leadership triumphs, essential competencies for tomorrow’s decision-makers, and actionable strategies to cultivate a leadership style that champions sustainable success.

Audience takeaways:

  • Leadership Skills: Sharpen your leadership edge to spearhead sustainability and change.
  • Cultural Transformation: Forge a culture that embraces sustainable practices.
  • Inspirational Examples: Draw inspiration from leaders who have made remarkable strides in sustainability.
  • Actionable Strategies: Receive actionable tips on leading your organization through change.

No Weak Links: Ensuring Ethical Practices in the Supply Chain

Transform your business into a beacon of ethical practices and environmental stewardship with this groundbreaking keynote on human rights and environmental issues in the supply chain. Dive into the pressing challenges and unparalleled opportunities that await businesses eager to elevate their supply chain ethics and sustainability. As one of the pioneers in responsible supply chain practices, Helle will guide you through actionable strategies to ensure transparency, accountability, and resilience across your operations.

Audience takeaways:

  • Ethical Practices: Enhance human rights standards in your supply chain to elevate your operations, relationships, and reputation.
  • Environmental Stewardship: Discover innovative approaches to dramatically reduce your environmental footprint. Gain valuable insights into promoting sustainability in your supply chain operations and setting new industry standards for environmental care.
  • Risk Mitigation: Confidently identify and manage human rights and environmental risks in your value chain
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Learn how working with stakeholders can drive unparalleled success, fostering a culture of transparency, trust, and shared achievement.
  • Effective Incentives: Understand how to structure – and not structure – incentives to promote ethical practices
  • Modern Slavery Awareness: Grasp what is truly at stake with modern slavery and other human rights and environmental violations

Video clips

Helle Bank Jorgensen - Competent Boards

FORTUNE Impact Initiative 2022

Closing the Supply Chain Gap

The Increasing Demand for ESG and Climate Literacy | Nasdaq Spotlight: Helle Bank Jørgensen

Why do directors need upskilling on ESG?

Speaker testimonials

Helle possesses the trademarks of being a true trendsetter, innovator and trailblazer. She looks to the future and asks the kind of questions that help leaders and board directors think and reflect.

Altas Partners, Hospital for Sick Children

Helle Bank Jorgensen and her team at ESG Competent Boards do an amazing job of keeping Directors up to date on the most cutting issues facing management today. On a personal note, I cannot think of a professional who I have enjoyed working with more than Helle – she is a total professional and an ace in every way. She is very deserving of the peer recognition she has received.

Chair of the Board of Directors, Teck

Not many have the insight and foresight of Helle Bank Jorgensen to see the risks and opportunities of the future that will help you ask the right questions.

Chair of The Mission Possible Partnership; Former Chair, Royal Dutch Shell and Bank of America

Invaluable guidance on what boards must do if the businesses they guide are to respond successfully to today’s enormous economic, environmental and social challenges.

Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times

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