More than 100 qualified candidates have been screened before the Board of Directors decided to offer Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen the position.

“Mads is one of the most competent and committed persons I know, and I am extremely happy that he has agreed to take on the important task of leading the activities of the Foundation in the years to come,” says Lars Rebien Sørensen, Chairman of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

“For many years, I have been following the incredible development of the Novo Nordisk Foundation at close range, and it is both with a sense of enthusiasm and humility that I now take over the reins after Birgitte,” Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen notes. “Today, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is among the three biggest foundations in the world, and over the last couple of years it has built a highly experienced and competent organization, which I look forward to working with. The ambition is to support even more initiatives and projects that benefit people and society.”

The organization has expanded

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has been undergoing a significant development over the last ten years. When Birgitte Nauntofte was appointed as its CEO in 2009, the Foundation had three employees and awarded approximately DKK 200 million in grants each year. By the end of 2020, the organization had expanded to 211 employees, and approximately DKK 5.5 billion had been awarded in grants that year.

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“I would like to thank Birgitte for her incredible effort in building up the Foundation from a small organization with a limited number of grants to becoming one of the world’s largest and most professional foundations. It has been an incredible journey with Birgitte at the helm,” says Lars Rebien Sørensen. “We will of course continue to draw on her experience and expertise in connection with various activities.”

To ensure a smooth transition and thorough handover to Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, Birgitte Nauntofte will stay with the Foundation until the end of March. After this, she will continue to be available to the management for a period of time. In addition to this, she has been appointed as board member of both LIFE and BII, which the Novo Nordisk Foundation established as independent foundations in December 2020.

“It is of course hard to say goodbye to the Novo Nordisk Foundation and to all my competent colleagues after all these years, but I am very glad to be able to hand over the reins to Mads, who I have known for many years,” says Birgitte Nauntofte. “I am equally pleased that I can maintain a connection with the Foundation as a member of the boards of BII and LIFE. Both of these foundations will in the coming years be able to make significant contributions for the benefit of society.”

Retires from Novo Nordisk

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, who has been CSO at Novo Nordisk since 2000 and started at the company all the way back in 1991, has also announced that he is retiring from the company.

Photo of Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen: Novo Nordisk