United Nations Secretary-General appoints DNV GL CEO Henrik O. Madsen as new Global Compact board member

New York: United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Dr Henrik O. Madsen, Group President & Chief Executive Officer of DNV GL, as a new board member to the UN Global Compact board, the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.

As a Board member, Dr Madsen will join other leaders from business, labour and civil society, and serve as a champion of the UN Global Compact and its mission. He will act in a personal and honorary capacity for a period of three years, starting from 1 June 2015.

In his letter of appointment, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes Dr Madsen to “this joint effort to strengthen and guide the United Nations Global Compact”, and says that he is looking forward to working with him “through the Board towards our shared vision of a sustainable and inclusive global economy.”

More than 8,500 companies in over 160 countries participate in the UN Global Compact, along with additional stakeholders. Participating firms align their operations with universally agreed principles of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, and strive for business development that benefits economies and societies. The Board is a cornerstone of the governance framework of UN Global Compact, helping to shape its strategy and policy.

Dr Madsen says: “I am delighted to join the UN Global Compact and look forward to working with the other board members to advance its mission, and to support progress of the private sector’s critical role in securing a safe and sustainable future for society as a whole.”

With 35 years’ experience, Dr Madsen has extensive knowledge and insight of safe and sustainable business, research and innovation. He began his career in DNV GL, at the time DNV, in Oslo in 1982 as Chief Scientist in Structural Reliability Analysis. Over the years, Dr Madsen has headed all DNV’s major Business Areas and the Research Division. In May 2006, Dr Madsen was appointed CEO of DNV and then, following the merger of DNV and GL (Germanischer Lloyd) in September 2013, he became President and CEO of the new combined company DNV GL. Appointed by the Government of Norway, Dr Madsen also serves as Chairman of the Board of The Research Council of Norway. He holds a PhD in civil and structural engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, where he also serves as adjunct Professor.