Inaugural reception: Winds of Change

The sun was shining outside and inside the Kiln Hall, the atmosphere was also warm and welcoming as CBS invited partners, employees and students to a reception on Wednesday to celebrate Peter Møllgaard as the new president.

Peter Møllgaard took on his position in June but chose to have his reception at the end of August due to the holiday season.

“You have used your first three months during the summer quite effectively to dive into most of the corners of our great university and establish good personal relationships to both internal and external stakeholders and partners. This is a wise priority as you will have to steer the ship in challenging waters in the coming years,” said Torben Möger Pedersen, Chairman of the CBS Board, in his welcome speech. 

MANY CHALLENGES

The world is changing and so will this university.

- Torben Möger Pedersen, Chairman of the CBS Board

Möger continued:

“The world is changing and so will this university. Globalisation and expanding global trade are challenged and we are looking into a multipolar world with geopolitics dominating the market. Trade-, energy- and tech-policies have become an integrated part of security policy with a new focus on sustainable supply chains and critical infrastructure and raw materials. 

The need for a global climate policy have become challenged by the new geopolitical tensions but is still an increasingly important part of the business conditions in the new world order.

The new digital technologies, not only but also the expansion of AI and supercomputers, will probably impact and disrupt all businesses and social life – maybe at a scale similar to the invention of electricity more than 150 years ago. 

This is an enormous challenge and a great opportunity for CBS – the biggest business school in Europe – and a university with very large ambitions for delivering high-quality research and education which can make a significant contribution to the development of our great society and businesses.”

GO WITH THE OLYMPIC MOTTO

The chairman pointed out that the CBS Board is strongly convinced that Peter Møllgaard is the right president for CBS and that he will be able to mobilise faculty, administration and students to seize the great opportunities in front of us.

“Peter, I have noticed that you in your welcome speech the other day to our new international students made a comparison between our students and the athletes from the Olympic Games.

You said correctly that the Olympic motto “Faster, Higher, Stronger” also reflect our expectations for our students: we want to exceed boundaries and go to new limits and that is actually what CBS’ Nordic Nine is all about. 

I think the CBS Board will take you up on it and also use this Olympic motto to describe our expectation for your work as our new president: Make CBS go faster, higher and stronger”, Torben Møger Pedersen said.

NAVIGATING IN THE WIND OF CHANGE

And while the wine and the light snacks were prepared the toastmaster, Vice President Inger Askehave, introduced the keynote speaker, Martin Paul, Rector at Ruhr-Universität Bochum:

“As a former President of Maastricht University, Martin Paul was Peter’s boss, and they both enjoyed having discussions and challenging each other while serving together at Maastricht University.”

And Martin Paul spoke about how universities navigate in the wind of change, and he said:

Universities have survived wars, disasters, the plague and one could have the feeling that they will continue to exist, no matter what is happening around them. However, I am afraid that this feeling of relative safety can lead us to have a blind eye on the current societal challenges of all over the world, which are complex and could threaten academic principles as well as academic institutions.

SIX IMPORTANT CHALLENGES

Martin Paul mentioned six points as the most important challenges. The man-made climate changes. The increasing complexity and volatility of geopolitical developments. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalisation. Demographic change. Fewer resources for the universities. And the fact that universities have no longer a monopoly of knowledge.

Martin Paul also pointed out that if he had to define the societal role of universities and other actors in higher education in one short sentence, he would say that their task is simply to serve the common good.

“Peter and I travelled together for a while in the world of academia, and I know that we share the same values in many aspects. I want to congratulate the Copenhagen Business School for appointing him as its president – and I want to congratulate Peter for taking on this exciting new challenge.

There is a great promise: a truly European citizen bringing in his Danish background into this new appointment to foster both, academic spirit and excellence while being dedicated to the great challenges of society, as evidenced by his outstanding work as chair of the Danish Climate Council,“ the keynote speaker said.

CBS TRANSFORMS SOCIETY WITH BUSINESS

Our aspiration for the future is to enhance our impact through academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, and responsible leadership.

- Peter Møllgaard, CBS' President.

Peter Møllgaard’s inaugural speech was titled “Forging the Future: Leadership, Learning and Responsibility at CBS”. 

“Today, we gather not only to celebrate Copenhagen Business School and our community but also to embark on a journey toward an even more impactful future. Our aspiration for the future is to enhance our impact through academic excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, and responsible leadership.

It is with great enthusiasm that I begin this new chapter with the CBS community – a community that shares a profound commitment to learning, development, and positive impact in the world. We transform society with business,” he said.

And after that it was time for more meeting and greeting.