SDU sets course for the boardroom with new programme

Great goodwill 

It can be difficult to kick off something new, but the goodwill has surprised Marianne Harbo Frederiksen, who in her coordinating role here talks about the work of establishing the new board education programme, which starts on 10 March 2026 in Odense.  Fortunately, Marianne has experienced that others consider SDU a credible and worthwhile educational institution with a new, high-quality product on the shelf. In addition to Børsen as an important partner, many internal colleagues and external stakeholders have been involved along the way. There is a huge team of competent people around the programme. Even Rector Jens Ringsmose has actively contributed with his own network. 

Marianne has invested a lot of time in the planning and development work, but she hasn't hesitated to throw herself into it because she has received a lot in return and thinks it's fun to develop something that hasn't been tried before. It's a task that has given her a view and network in the board landscape as well as deeper insight into that world. For example, she has gained new opportunities for her further research.   

From idea to a strong team 

It took a spring to onboard 16 professional board leaders as some of the lecturers on the new programme, and the head of the business school Kristin Munksgaard and head of department Dannie Kjeldgaard also played a key role. Prior to this, then CEO Bjarne Corydon and Editor-in-Chief Niels Lunde from Børsen had been in several negotiations with the University of Southern Denmark Business School to establish cooperation on the programme. Since then, Børsen's Editor-in-Chief Nikolaj Sommer has taken over the role, and together with five colleagues, he represents Børsen on the programme. On 4 June 2025, the news was announced at a board event in Odense, and since then Marianne and the team behind the programme have managed to gather a strong professional team of 45 lecturers consisting of leading SDU researchers, board leaders, advisors for Danish business and leading editors. There will be six to seven lecturers in the room at all times during the programme to ensure different perspectives on various topics, and it's all managed by a professional moderator. It's unrivalled. 

According to Marianne, the programme is at a high level, where she herself has been allowed to influence the content and can stand within it. She adds that there are other researchers who can take on a similar job if they find it fulfilling: 

- "For me, the most important thing has been to have the freedom to act and to feel that I'm going out with something legitimate and relevant. This programme is different from what we normally offer. And it's good that SDU and the business school have now reached the boardroom. It's a really important message," Marianne emphasises. 

A role with many facets 

She makes no secret of the fact that the work has been intensive in understanding the market, who SDU is competing with and who the target groups are. The task requires a development-orientated profile that can operate in the unknown (chaos) that exists at times, and this person must be comfortable with this and be willing to experiment along the way. Add to this the ability to deal with a myriad of stakeholders. Relational skills are key and you need to be willing to put in the time and energy. She has also taken on an outreach role both in writing and verbally, having to "sell" the programme to the outside world. 

- "Among other things, I've had to respond to all the tips and points of attention that the network has raised in the work of recruiting faculty across industries," Marianne elaborates.   

Her role has required her to continuously receive all these hints and follow up on these "leads".   

In the process, she and her colleagues became sharper and more aware of the board landscape.   

- It takes more than you realise to adapt Børsen's concept for board training to a different regional context. And the people of Funen and Jutland need to know that it is now a product on SDU's shelves. However, SDU has great natural legitimacy and the same with Børsen, Marianne explains. According to Marianne, with the board programme, SDU fully lives up to its social contract (outreach, research and education), which includes creating value in companies. 

Important how research can be beneficial 

What are the lessons learnt by engaging in such work? Marianne answers by emphasising that it is important to understand how research can be beneficial in a board context. She herself has to do some lecturing in the programme. This is deliberate, so that she can feel the space herself. She will definitely be facing a competent crowd, and she is energised by that role: 

- I'm already lecturing on our master's programmes, and I know from there that the dynamics and interaction that can occur in that space and the learning that can happen is mega cool. I highly recommend it," Marianne emphasises. 

According to Marianne, lecturing at the new board training programme requires collaboration in preparation and realistic teaching, and not everyone wants to be there. She elaborates: 

- The various lecturers in the programme - including the researchers - must understand the participants' dilemmas and considerations and understand how to make decisions as a board. As researchers, we bring in theory and we must be able to guide them in that teaching framework. If you can do that, you will experience a really good dynamic. The willingness to learn and the spirit is great, and it's a very special vibe," Marianne concludes.