About CBS Leadership Centre

CBS Leadership Centre equips present and future leaders to set direction and create results through others and in collaboration. Our aim is to put a light on the type of leadership that has developed in the Nordic countries and encourage leadership principles that build on involvement and participation.

Photo: Emma E. Fanøe (2023)

Responsible leadership is key to value creation and prosperity in companies and organizations. It is essential for the ability of businesses and the public sector to successfully assume their growing responsibility for responding to societal challenges that face individual countries and the planet as a whole.

CBS Leadership Centre wants to facilitate these advancements in leadership practice. We are a meeting place for leadership researchers and leadership professionals in Denmark as well as internationally. We assemble, strengthen and communicate CBS leadership research and we facilitate interaction with practitioners in the private and the public sector – to inspire the transformation that is needed to address important societal agendas of geopolitical risk, sustainability, digitalization, diversity and much more.

Combining business economics and an understanding of societal dynamics is at the core of CBS, and every day, CBS educates future and current leaders to set direction and deliver results in cooperation with others. The CBS Leadership Centre draws from this pool of knowledge and interaction. We work cross-disciplinary and bring together capabilities from all levels of our organization.

With the CBS Leadership Centre, CBS wants to make CBS the Nordic Centre for leadership knowledge and inspiration by strengthening and mobilizing CBS leadership research, education and outreach. This is all part of our narrative below:

PURPOSE

We develop insights on new leadership frontiers to inspire leadership for a positive future.

RAISON D'ETRE

We support CBS’ ambition to inspire and support responsible leadership through knowledge, education, and engagement with practice and society.

VISION

To become a nexus for novel leadership insights in Denmark and the Nordic countries, and globally acknowledged.

OUR WORK

We convene a vibrant community of researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to encourage research, strengthen education, and create opportunities for development and sharing of insights on new leadership frontiers.

WHERE YOU’LL MEET US

CBS Leadership Centre is a portal for accessing leadership research and knowledge produced in different areas of our university.

We post articles, podcasts and events that promote leadership learning and inspiration, and inspire partnering and cross-disciplinary collaboration across knowledge centres at CBS.

Core Team

	Eva Fog Bruun Eva Fog Bruun Centre Director at CBS Leadership Centre. With over 25 years of experience in business development, innovation, and marketing, primarily within the private sector, and with a solid background as a leadership practitioner, Eva is bridging the academic approach with the perspectives of the business professional. Eva is also an external lecturer at the Department of Marketing at CBS. She is a board member at Fischer Lighting and part of the advisory board at Realdania's initiative 'Innovation til Marked' (Innovation to Market).
	Silviya Svejenova Silviya Svejenova is Academic Co-Director at the CBS Leadership Centre and Professor of Leadership and Innovation at the Department of Organization at CBS. With over twenty years’ experience in research, her work focuses on C-suite transformation and creative leadership for sustainable futures.
	Thomas Ritter Thomas is Academic Co-Director at the CBS Leadership Centre and professor of Strategy and Business Development at CBS. He is a well-published and frequently cited expert in strategy, business model development and customer insight. Most recently, Thomas has developed the CBS Leadership Dilemma Index that helps organizations and leadership teams discuss strategic dilemmas and strategic alignment. Thomas is teaching at CBS on MBD and EMBA programs and he is associated with the CBS Board Education Programs and other leadership programs at the CBS Executive Fonden.
	Casper Nicolas Friis Bruun Casper is Student Assistant at CBS Leadership Centre. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and organizational communication from CBS and is currently pursuing a master's degree in the same field. At CBS Leadership Centre, he contributes to website development, organizing and executing events, as well as various communication tasks. His passion for communication and organizational processes drives him to create effective and engaging solutions.

Affiliates with special responsibilities

	Christian Bason Christian will be a key player in our efforts on Collaborative Leadership. His research interest is how leaders can navigate complex societal challenges to develop impactful businesses. During his residency, he will explore the need for leaders to rethink their roles and positions, moving from a focus on hierarchical control to fostering collaboration and innovation inside and across organizations and within wider ecosystems. Christian has a diverse background in innovation, strategic design and leadership and is the author of numerous books in those fields. He is co-founder of Transition Collective and the former CEO of the Danish Design Center. He holds an M.Sc. in political science from Aarhus University and a Ph.D. from CBS.
	Dan Kärreman Dan Kärreman is a Professor at Department of Management, Society and Communication. He the Co-Lead of our Leadership Papers Series which is an initiative dedicated to stimulate cross departmental discussions on leadership research that is in the making. Dan is a leading researcher in the field of critical management studies and is also known for his research on knowledge work, organizational control, organization culture and leadership in organizations. Among others, Dan teaches leadership of change and digital management in various programs at CBS.
	Laura Empson Laura Empson is a Professor at Department of Organization at CBS. She is the key driver of our new “Leadership &” initiative which will be launched during 2025. Laura is renowned for her pioneering work on collective leadership in the context of professional organizations and her dedication to bridging the gap between academic research and practical application. With over 30 years of experience in leadership and professional organizations, Laura brings a wealth of knowledge to our community. Besides her affiliation to CBS, Laura Empson is Professor in Management of Professional Service Firms at Bayes Business School, University of London. She also holds Research Fellowships at Harvard Law School and Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
	Natalie Shefer Natalie Shefer is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Department of International Economics, Government and Business and a Co-Lead of our Leadership Papers Series. Her research explores how leadership dynamics—particularly around gender and social influence—shape organizational decision-making. Natalie’s work skillfully combines innovative methodologies to offer fresh insights into executive leadership.