Camilla Hesselby is the Deputy Director at FSR, the professional association for accountants. She initially trained as a lawyer and has worked in the public sector for many years, most recently as Deputy Director at the Danish Tax Authority and Head of Department at the Danish Business Authority, where corporate law and corporate governance rules were central to her role. For the past three years, she has been at FSR as Deputy Director, where she is also part of the executive team and works closely with FSR’s board. Additionally, she serves on the board of EFRAG, a private association of European stakeholders and national organizations involved in the development of ESRS and IFRS standards (International Sustainability Financial Reporting Standards).

Camilla Hesselby’s involvement in board work across various contexts led her to choose the Executive Board Programme at INSEAD, which includes a module in Denmark and another at the business school INSEAD in France.

“My roles in board settings, both in terms of my interaction with the FSR board through my executive role and my board position at EFRAG, made me look for a board education program. It was important for me to find a program that also addressed the perspective from the executive side and the interaction between the executive team and the board. Combined with the fact that the Executive Board Programme is a relatively intensive—and thus manageable—course, the program was attractive to me. And I must admit, I have always had a small dream of attending INSEAD,” she says.

Camilla Hesselby highlights the benefits of participating in a program that combines both local and international perspectives. “The academic level was high, and the mix of diverse participants greatly contributed to making the program even more interesting. The instructors at INSEAD were exceptionally skilled and inspiring, living up to expectations. I also appreciate the combination of local and global elements: going with a Danish group that you already know, thus having a network when you return home, and simultaneously gaining the international perspective at INSEAD. From a networking standpoint, it’s definitely an advantage that a Danish organizer hosts the program,” she adds.

Board meetings are the board’s meetings.
According to Camilla Hesselby, several key takeaways from the program will impact her board work going forward.

“I’ve been reminded that board meetings are the board’s meetings. You need to allocate more time to discussions and internal deliberations within the board and spend less time on the executive team and staff. You should aim to compose your board so that it represents a diverse set of competencies in the best way for the organization’s work. Additionally, even though I work for the accountants’ professional association, I can challenge my board on selected key figures and various aspects of the financial statements,” she concludes.

Overall, the program will influence her expectations and demands for board meetings in the future. “Long presentations from the executive team should take up less time, and there should be more time for questions and discussions. I will definitely challenge the board on its composition and diversity, and I will also focus on selected key figures and systematically follow up on them,” she concludes.