After-work event: Diversity and inclusion – from feel-good to good business
Join CBS, InLead Agency, and the Bevica Foundation for an inspiring after-work event on diversity and inclusion (D&I) as a strategic priority and driver for Danish businesses.
Join us when CBS, InLead Agency and the Bevica Foundation invite you to an inspiring after-work event on diversity and inclusion (D&I) as a strategic priority and driver in Danish companies.
Please note that the event will be conducted in Danish.
People with disabilities make up around 1.3 billion people globally and are therefore the world’s largest minority group. They represent enormous potential, both as a workforce and as consumers. Together with their families, they have a combined global spending power of more than USD 18 trillion i. The potential for companies to consider human diversity from the outset as both a strategic and business priority is therefore impossible to ignore.
A 2023 analysis of 346 US companies showed, among other things, that revenue among companies actively working to include people with disabilities was 1.6 times higher than among comparable companies, while economic profit was 2 times higher ii. This correlation is explained, for example, by better employee retention, lower sickness absence, stronger organisational culture and increased capacity for innovation. This is also supported by, among others, the World Economic Forum, which points out that companies that actively work with diversity and inclusion are up to 30% better at minimising business risks iii.
At the same time, we are moving towards a digital future in which AI and technology skills across industries will be crucial to companies’ competitiveness. In other words, we are well beyond the point where inclusion is simply a feel-good initiative for businesses. It is essential to building a successful business for the future. Major global companies such as Microsoft, Apple and Airbnb are already actively working with it.
In Denmark, companies such as GladTeknik and Carl Ras Gruppen are good examples. But how can companies work strategically and systematically with diversity and inclusion to realise the potential – both for the business and for the individual?
To answer that question, we have brought together leading D&I experts from academia, business and civil society. We will also present an opportunity for you as a participant to become part of the Bevica Scholarship Programme and gain knowledge about how universal design can help you create greater diversity and competitiveness in the business sector.
Meet the panel
Sara Louise Muhr, PhD, is Professor of Diversity and Leadership at CBS and founder and CEO of InLead Agency, which uses applied leadership research to support organisations’ D&I initiatives.
Bo Rygaard is one of Denmark’s most influential board members and business leaders. Over the years, he has held positions in commercial foundations, listed companies, state-owned companies and private equity-owned businesses.
Camilla Ryhl, PhD, is Research Director at the Bevica Foundation and one of Denmark’s leading experts in universal design. She is also responsible for the Bevica Scholarship Programme.
Jannick Friis Christensen, PhD, is an External Associate Professor at CBS as well as Head of Research and Senior Consultant at InLead Agency, where he ensures that InLead’s services are firmly grounded in research.
About the Bevica Scholarship Programme
The Bevica Scholarship Programme supports innovative and courageous thinkers in exploring how their field can contribute to the development of universal design as a tool for creating a more inclusive society for everyone.
The Bevica Scholarship Programme consists of the following awards:
- 1 main prize of DKK 200,000 for Bachelor’s-level students
- 1 main prize of DKK 200,000 for Master’s-level students
- 2 main prizes of DKK 130,000 each for educators
- 20 travel grants of DKK 30,000 each
- The Bevica Scholarship Programme is interdisciplinary and is open to students and educators at Danish universities, university colleges, and schools of architecture and design.
- Students must have completed at least the third semester of their programme by the start of the Idea Phase in February 2027.
- Educators must be able to document active teaching activities within the previous two years by the start of the Idea Phase in February 2027.
Read more at www.bevicafonden.dk/scholarship-programme
Practical information:
The event takes place on Monday, 14 September, from 15:00–16:30 in the CBS Common Room (DH.V.0.01) at Dalgas Have 15, 2000 Frederiksberg. Doors open at 14:30.
The event is free of charge, but advance registration is required due to the limited number of places available.
Everyone is welcome: students, educators, managers and anyone else curious about D&I as a business proposition and competitive advantage. The event is open to the public – including participants who are not affiliated with CBS.
Sandwiches and cold drinks will be provided for all attendees.
Programme
14.30-15.00 Arrival with coffee/tea and a cookie
15.00-15.05 Welcome by Jannick Friis Christensen
15.05-15.20 Keynote by Bo Rygaard, drawing on the theme of the day and his experience as a board member and business leader.
15.20-15.30 Break and networking
15.30-16.00 Fireside chat and reflections on the themes of the day.
With Sara Louise Muhr, Bo Rygaard and Camilla Ryhl. The latter is Research Director at the Bevica Foundation, which works closely with a number of educational institutions to establish universal design as a fundamental principle in education and equip future architects, designers and engineers to develop solutions that are accessible and usable for everyone.
16.00-16.20 How can the themes of the day be addressed through universal design and the Bevica Scholarship Programme? By Camilla Ryhl.
16.20-16.30 Closing remarks, networking and sandwiches.
Register
Register to the wait list
The event is fully booked, but you can sign up for the waiting list. If there is room, you will receive an email.