WOMEN'S BOARD AWARD 2014

THE JURY'S MOTIVATION

After identifying all female board members in Denmark's largest companies, three finalists have been selected for the Women's Board Award.

Eva Berneke has been chosen as the first winner of the award with the following reason, which was included in Magrethe Vestager's speech at the award ceremony:

They are said to do not exist – but when you look at the three women who are sitting here today as finalists, and not least the many others that the Jury has assessed, you become very hopeful. There is certainly a long way to go before we have a gender-diverse board composition in Denmark, but it is only a matter of time before competent women, as today's winner, take over the boardrooms, for the benefit of companies and society.

The winner of the Women's Board Award has CHOSEN to win early on. She has DECIDED to want her career and want to be on the top board. She has been ready to make the choices – and sometimes opt-outs – that a professional career requires. She has raised her hand and said in clear speech – I can and I will.

The jury further justifies the choice with the winner's particular professional strength in strategic planning, technology, transformation and international operations.

Through her work so far, she has proven that the competencies and results are in place

The winner of the Women's Board Award is a civil engineer and has a technical understanding, which among other things has an impact on her position on the board of LEGO. LEGO has had an adventurous growth and is today the world's second largest toy manufacturer. Experience from this board is a rare commodity.

As an advisor for 14 years at Mckinsey in Paris, she has been through many industries and built up the ability to make a quick diagnosis and quickly assess the effectiveness of existing strategies. The jury assesses this international experience enables her to see opportunities where others see problems.

We could mention a number of other qualities of the winner, who is a one-of-a-kind, but fortunately not unique in the sense that many more Danish women will follow her in the coming years.

It is a pleasure to present EVA BERNEKE as the first winner of the Women's Board Award.