Birgitte Bang Nielsen, 48, Head of CSR Unit with focus on human rights, labour rights, environment, health and safety at work, and anti-corruption in connection with the Funds' investments.
Birgitte Bang Nielsen assists companies in the host countries making CSR concrete in relation to their activities and thereby implementing the appropriate initiatives.
“I guide my colleagues in the Funds and the companies in which we invest. While the Investment Managers often specialise in specific countries or areas, I work with all projects in all our host countries with “soft” areas such as health and safety, environment and labour rights”, says Birgitte Bang Nielsen, who gets in touch with a lot of diversified problems: “I might help a company in China meeting the requirements of the authorities within waste water, give advise on working hours in India or improvements of safety in Africa”.
“To be able to guide the companies improve their performance in connection with CSR is highly satisfying, says Birgitte. “I believe we have an important mission. It is encouraging to be involved in setting the CSR agenda around the world. This could be by securing work places with a healthy working environment and reasonable working hours, or to help sustainable tropical wood in Congo being certified. In that way we create frontrunners with inspirational CSR performance, which can influence the development in the Funds' host countries.”
The largest challenge for an improvement of human rights, environment and health and safety environment issues in the developing countries is to get all parties to work towards a common goal: “We would like to put CSR even further up the agenda with the different national authorities and international organisations, NGOs and executives. It is important to create a dialogue and achieve consensus about the standards the companies shall be committed to comply with.
Employment with the FundsSince March 2006.
Mini-CVMaster of Science in Technological and Social-Economic Planning from Roskilde University 1988, has worked as a consultant/adviser to Danish business and trade within environment and other CSR issues.