The Aalborg University Board
The Aalborg University Board
Other tasks of the AAU Board
Tasks of the Aalborg University Board:
- Approval of the University budget as recommended by the Rector, including the general allocation of university resources and the principles governing the spending of resources. Signing of the accounts.
- Preparation of University regulations and any amendments of these for subsequent approval by the Minister.
- Appointment and dismissal of the University Rector; appointment and dismissal of other senior managers (Pro-rector and University Director) as recommended by the Rector.
- Signing of development contract with the Minister.
- The chairperson of the University Board is authorised to enter into commitments regarding real property together with a member of the University Board.
Composition of the AAU University Board
The University Board consists of 11 members, six of which are from outside of the University. Two board members represent the academic staff, including PhD fellows; one board member represents the technical/administrative staff; and two board members represent the students. The Rector, the Pro-Rector and the University Director participate as non-voting members (observer status).
The University Board’s term of office is four years. The student representatives of the University Board are elected for one two-year term at a time. Reappointment of external board members may take place once.
External representatives
André Rogaczewski is CEO of Netcompany which he co-founded in 2000. Today, 19 years later, he leads one of the most successful IT companies in the Nordic region, with more than 2000 employees across 10 offices in 6 countries.
André is a strong advocate of digitalisation and holds several influential positions including Chair of DI Digital, member of the Danish Disruption Council and Chair of the Technology Pact Council where he is promoting the digital agenda for society’s growth and welfare.
André is passionate about Denmark's digital development and has the clear goal of showing how digital transformation can create strong, sustainable societies, successful businesses and better quality of life for all of us. André graduated from Aalborg University with an MSc in Computer Science. André was born in Poland and grew up in Aalborg East.
Education: MSc in Computer Science, Aalborg University
Managing director and partner, Netcompany
Born in Poland, grew up in Aalborg East
2019: Board member, Social Investment Fund, Ministry of Finance
2018: Chair of the Technology Pact Council
2018: Chair of the Board of Representatives, Danish Foundation for Entrepreneurship
2018: Nominated for the Leader of the Year
2017: Member of the Danish Disruption Council
2017: Nominated for Dane of the Year
2014: Managing Director, Netcompany
2000-2013 Co-founder and partner, Netcompany
1993-2000 Manager, Accenture (previously Andersen Consulting 1993-2000)
See excerpt in Danish from Krak’s Who’s Who.
André Rogaczewski has been appointed Chair of the Board until 30 June 2026.
Christine Antorini (born 1965) is Director of the LIFE Foundation that offers realistic and inquiry-based STEM education activities to children and young people throughout Denmark. Previously, she was a member of the Danish Parliament for the Social Democratic Party for a number of years, including four years as Minister of Children and Education (2011-15) and Chair of the Danish Parliament's Higher Education and Research Committee (2015-18).
She holds an MA in Communication (Public Administration) and has worked as a host on DR2, Deadline and as Head of Secretariat for Consumer Information.
She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation and the Advisory Board for Videnskab.dk.
Christine Antorini is appointed as a member of the board from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2026 and deputy chair 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025.
Lars Raadkjær Enevoldsen (born 1969) is Group Vice President for Digital Products and Services at Grundfos and holds a degree in Engineering from Aarhus Teknikum and a graduate diploma in International Business from Aarhus Business School. He also completed a continuing education in Master Technology Enterprise at IMD in Switzerland, as well as continuing education at Stanford in the USA.
Lars R. Enevoldsen was Director of Technology and Innovation at Grundfos from 2011 to 2018, and has gained substantial experience in the evaluation of new technologies and their business impact. During the same period, Lars worked intensively on Grundfos' university partnerships both nationally and internationally.
Lars has acquired extensive knowledge of the Danish research system through chairmanship of the Manufacturing Academy of Denmark, MADE, from 2013 to 2016, as well as several years of service on the Confederation of Danish Industry Committee for Research and Education. Lars has also experience as a board member from several high-tech start-ups and established companies.
Lars was born and raised in Thy and maintains strong ties to North Jutland.
Lars Enevoldsen Raadkjær is appointed as member of the board from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2022, and deputy chair 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2021. Lars has been reappointed as deputy chair in the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023.
Anne Jastrup Okkels (born 1964) is CEO of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, holds a law degree, and for more than 20 years has held positions at the management level in large public organizations and companies, as well as in the foundation sector. Anne has also been Deputy Director of Social Services in Aalborg Municipality, Corporate Director in the Central Denmark Region, Deputy Director of TrygFonden and for the past 6 years Hospital CEO. Anne is a graduate of the Senior Executive Programme at London Business School.
Anne has many years of practical upper management experience in large and complex operational and knowledge institutions where research, technology-driven innovation and pre- and postgraduate education are closely integrated into the company. In addition, she also has knowledge of decision making and grant processes in foundations. Through her positions, Anne has collaborated with academia for many years.
For the past 15 years, Anne has been appointed to a number of national commissions, councils and committees primarily in the health sector and the specialized social services area, as well as having experience serving on boards and advisory boards in non-commercial organisations.
Anne has lived in Northern Jutland for almost 20 years and maintains very close ties to the region, including through active use of her holiday home.
Anne Jastrup Okkels was appointed as a member of the University Board from 1 August 2022 to 31 July 2026.
Henrik holds a dregree in history from the University of Copenhagen and has dealt with university affairs for many years. First as a teacher and researcher, then as dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Odense University.
He has subsequently been rector of the University of Southern Denmark, chairman of the National Research Foundation and deputy chairman of the Research Academy. He has worked with SU and with student exchange in the EU. Henrik has extensive experience with university construction. He himself has studied in Germany, England and Italy and has visited universities all over the world. He has been involved in the Danish cultural institutes in Rome, Athens and Damascus.
His most recent full-time jobs have been two directorships: for the Parliamentary Administration and the A.P. Møller Funds. Now he works i.a. as chairman of the board of the Design Museum, Naturkraft and Holstebro Cultural History Museums.
Henrik Tvarnø is appointed as a member of the board from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2024.
Randi Christensen (born 1978), Sustainability Director at COWI, has been involved with research, project management, development initiatives, innovation management and sustainability management for more than 20 years.
She earned her MSc in Engineering in Construction Management and PhD from Aalborg University. After that, she was a project manager at the Danish Ministry of Defence Estate Agency where she helped drive development projects and was project manager on several large, complex projects in both the public and political spotlight. Since then, she has been employed at COWI, including six years as innovation, lean and value manager on an £8 billion infrastructure project in London for a public client.
For a six-year period, Randi was chair of the board of the association Lean Construction Denmark and is co-founder of CollabDecisions which conducts research and disseminates transparent, more inclusive decision methodologies. Randi is also a member of the Corps of External Examiners and has participated in and run various research projects in collaboration with Aalborg University on a regular basis.
Randi lives in Vendsyssel with her family. She works as sustainability director in COWI's international business line that develops projects in energy and infrastructure from Korea to Canada.
Randi’s term of office is 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2028.
Staff representatives
Thessa Jensen (born 1966) has been employed at Aalborg University since 1991. She graduated in Human Centred Informatics with a specialization in Human Centred Computer Science from then Aalborg University Center. (Today the programmes are called Communication and Digital Media, and Information Studies, respectively, at AAU.) She obtained her PhD in multimedia in 1998 at the Department of Communication and Psychology, AAU.
Thessa is Associate Professor of Interactive Digital media in the same department. She initiated the establishment of the research group GRU – Group for Research in University life – in 2022 under the Arts, Aesthetics and Health section. The group’s research focuses on the consequences of the many changes in the university area for staff, students and society.
Among her other activities over the years, Thessa was a member of the academic council for the then Faculty of Humanities. Externally, she was a member of the executive board of LandboNord.
Thessa Jensen was elected as a board member to serve from 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2028.
Kjeld Nielsen (born 1958) has been employed at Aalborg University since 2009, and has a degree in civil engineering in Business Systems (1986), and obtained his PhD in Mass Customization (2013) at the Department of Materials and Production, both from Aalborg University.
Kjeld was a co-founder of the company LASAT Communications, a technology company in the field of data communication. Following the divestment of the company in 1998, Kjeld has partly been director of Pantec (1998-2003) and partly interim manager of PGA Denmark (2006-2008). Since the early 90s also board member of private companies.
Kjeld is the coordinator of the Mass Customization research group, of which he has been co-author, where the main focus in the research is currently on reconfigurable production equipment for handling variance and volume funded by the Danish Industry Foundation. The research group is also involved in the Manufacturing Academy of Denmark (MADE), also involved in international projects as well as a few ERASMUS + projects. Kjeld is a teacher and project supervisor at all levels of the study programs Global Business Systems, Management Engineering and Production. He passes on his interests in entrepreneurship, innovation and start-up to students through teaching and project guidance at Entrepreneural Engineering.
Kjeld has been involved in the governing bodies throughout his employment and has recently, in addition to involvement at departmental level through the collaboration committee, also been a member of the academic council at the Faculty of Engineering and Science, which he continues during this period.
Kjeld Nielsen is selected as a member of the board from 1 February 2020 to 31 January 2024.
Lene Horn (born 1978) has been employed at Aalborg University since 2006 and earned her MA in Culture, Communication and Globalization in 2006 at Aalborg University. Lene has been employed in various places at the university, first at the course and project unit ELITE anchored in the Department of Electronic Systems; the unit later changed its name to Aalborg CPD and was anchored in the Department of Planning. In 2009 Lene came to AAU Innovation where she was at AAU Match until 2019 when she became a fundraiser in the Department of Computer Science.
Through her various positions at AAU, Lene has experience with many activities and areas. Lene’s work has included offering courses and tailored continuing education for engineers; advising and establishing collaboration between degree programmes, researchers and the business community; acquiring external funding for administrative projects; facilitating workshops; handling strategic business collaborations; operating interdisciplinary research networks; starting up energy cluster initiatives, etc.
Today, Lene deals with external research funding with a focus on the pre-award phase in the computer science area.
For more than 10 years, Lene has been active in AAU's union representative staff as an alternate representative for the Danish Association of Masters and PhDs. In addition, Lene is a technical and administrative staff observer on the Academic Council at TECH and a member of her department's Consultation and OHS Committee.
Lene was elected as a member of the University Board for the period 1 June 2022 to 31 January 2024 in a special election.
Student representatives
Daniel Sejr Vitagliano (born 1996) studies Cyber and Computer Technology at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Before his time at the university, he worked two years as an IT administrator. Since starting at Aalborg University, Daniel has been active in revitalizing the study environment on the Copenhagen campus.
Since his first semester, he has been a member of the study board and the department council at the Department of Electronic Systems, representing the students. Daniel started AMPED, which aims to create a better study environment across all study programmes at Aalborg University in Copenhagen.
Daniel is dedicated to the notion of using the strength and skills of the students for projects that can help develop the university. He also focuses on listening more to the individual student through the many organisations throughout AAU and on all three campuses.
Daniel is the first student representative on the University Board who is studying at Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Since 2022, he has represented the students actively in several central bodies, including the Study Environment Council and the Council for Quality Assurance and Development.
Daniel was elected as a member of the University Board to serve from 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2025.
Bertil Weis Jørgensen (born 2001) studies medicine at Aalborg University. Since the beginning of his studies, Bertil has been involved in volunteer student-political activities, both locally at the medical programme and across the university.
Bertil has been chair of FakSUND, the faculty council at the Faculty of Medicine since 2022, where he has represented all students at HEALTH, and planned and held events across the study programmes. He was elected representative in the Danish Association of Medical Students. Through the Student Society, Bertil has worked locally on conditions for students vis-à-vis their well-being and represented the Student Society and AAU nationally at the Danish Students' Joint Council's Policy Conference.
He has also represented the students in the Council for Quality Assurance and Development since the end of 2022. Bertil has served on the Study Board for Medicine, as well as the Department Council for the Department of Health Science and Technology since 2023.
Bertil works for greater transparency and student involvement when it comes to decisions that affect students' day-to-day lives and conditions at AAU. At the same time, he fights for better conditions for the volunteer associations that support social life at the university.
Bertil Weis Jørgensen was elected as a board member to serve from 1 February 2024 to 31 January 2026.
Further information
If you have questions about Aalborg University's organisation, please contact:
Rector's Office
E-mail: rektorsekretariatet@adm.aau.dk