Helle Thorning-Schmidt – Keynote Speaker

Biography

Helle Thorning-Schmidt is a former Danish politician and the first female Prime Minister of Denmark, serving from 2011 to 2015. Thorning-Schmidt was a member of the European Parliament for Denmark from 1999 to 2004. In 2005 she was elected to the Danish Parliament and as leader of the Social Democrats.

After her political career, Thorning-Schmidt moved on to join Save the Children International as the second chief executive in 2016. She oversaw humanitarian and development programs that reach 55 million children in around 120 countries.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt has always been deeply engaged in national, European and global issues. She continues to offer her expertise and insights to several influential international advisory groups and think-tanks as a board member. These groups include; The International Crisis Group, Every Child Global Strategy UN Advisory Group, the Centre for Global Development European Advisory Group and The European Council for Foreign Relations.

Thorning-Schmidt has a Master’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen, and a Master’s Degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges. Born in Copenhagen, she is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of French.