Among other things, Mads M. Kronborg has a board role in r2p Group GmbH, which supplies technology products to the transport industry, a role as a board member in Hartmanns A/S, the geotechnical company Boregruppen and a chairmanship in the investor company Impella Capital. In addition, he is also board chairman of the strategy board network Crescita Partners.

A short time ago, Mads M. Kronborg participated in the Advanced Board Programme, which takes place at INSEAD – a board program aimed at experienced board members and board chairmen.

– In all the years I worked as a strategy consultant, I was a supplier of strategy work to boards and management boards in larger companies. Subsequently, for the past ten years, I have concentrated on board work – seen from the inside. That’s why I also think it was extremely exciting to get some theoretical and practical perspectives on how to run a board most effectively as chairman of the board, says Mads M. Kronborg about his motivation for participating in the training program.

High tempo, good dialogues and superb facilitation
He describes the Advanced Board Program as a training course that provided some really good advice and a lesson on how effective board chairmen work.

“The program offered new perspectives, fast pace, good dialogues and superb facilitation. The topics that were highlighted were extremely relevant, and I really like the perspective of how a board chairman can be an important contributor with a view to raising the level of the entire board. The professors succeeded on the one hand in learning at a high level of abstraction, but at the same time in a way where it was all very practical in relation to concrete and practical instructions. It was a rewarding combination, says the chairman of the board.”

Specifically, he points out three essential key-learnings that he can apply directly in his board roles.

“I have gained new knowledge about how important the role of the board chairman is in order to create an effective board. The whole approach that, as the chairman of the board, you have to hold back a bit and ensure that all the board members are heard and are involved in the decision-making processes, is hugely important. Next, I really enjoyed the topic of leading in uncertain times – with corona, supply crises, high energy prices, interest rates and not least a war – and how to handle all these elements of uncertainty. In conclusion, I would like to highlight Subi Rangan’s session about sustainability and the points he made about how important it is to have an ethical and integrity-based approach to the responsibility we have, not least as companies, in this world.”

Better chairman of the board
According to Mads Kronborg, the new knowledge has already made a difference in terms of how he handles his board work.

“I definitely believe that I have become a better chairman of the board, as I have become more aware that it is the chairman who is responsible for the good process. Including the importance of involving the other board members and other of the company’s stakeholders as well as creating good cooperation with the management. Another thing relates to my work on the capital funds’ boards, where you traditionally have relatively small boards. Here, I can largely incorporate elements from good governance and good board practice in relation to how to carry out board work in larger companies, he says,” before concluding:

“The course was intensive, but it was surprising how close you got to the other participants – both Danes and Norwegians. I have had several meetings afterwards and also some where there is a good opportunity for us to do something business-wise together. The program offered a good combination of the local and the international, where you both get a local network, but at the same time the international perspective at INSEAD.”