CONCITO is taking another big step forward in 2022

CONCITO marks the start of 2022 with a significant expansion of the think tank’s reach and field of knowledge. Four new programs will be added, and at the same time, a number of new employees will walk through the door in Læderstræde 20 in Copenhagen. The expansion includes an EU program, a Future Mobility program, a cross-cutting Climate Laboratory and an Energy and Buildings program.

The new activities are part of the strategic development of CONCITO, made possible by a historically large grant from the VELUX funds. The grant will be used to expand CONCITO’s position as an independent knowledge partner for all actors in the green transition.

“Our most important task is to make our knowledge available to everyone who works on the green transition. We have done this so far in Denmark, but with a new international strategy and an EU program, we now also have a strong international dimension to our work. We are very much looking forward to unfolding this,” says director Christian Ibsen.

A greater reach for climate knowledge

The new programs will complement CONCITO’s existing programs: Future Cities, Future Food, and the Climate Embassy.

“We have chosen to prioritise the areas that have the greatest potential and are necessary for us to succeed with the green transition. These areas can most directly contribute to dealing with serious climate changes. This does not cover everything, but with this expansion, we reach a lot further into the climate landscape and can make even more contributions to decision-makers and others who work with climate,” says Christian Ibsen.

An essential part of CONCITO’s DNA is to bring knowledge into play and create dialogues for all relevant actors, and at the same time lookup and look further ahead in relation to where climate change must be brought into synergy with other priorities. In addition to the grant from the VELUX funds, CONCITO is the project manager and is involved in several important projects, e.g., Realdania and the Novo Foundation.

New programs and staff

Peter Andreas Norn, Program Manager for CONCITO’s Climate Laboratory

The new program focuses on cross-cutting and long-term change elements in climate efforts. Together with relevant stakeholders and via projects and dialogue series, the climate laboratory will explore the future and uncover knowledge deficits, potentials, dilemmas, and necessary focus points in the next generation of climate policy.

Peter comes from a position as senior marketing manager in Rambøll Management Consulting, where he has helped develop Rambøll’s market position within green conversion in Denmark. He has previously worked with urban development and local planning in Furesø Municipality, and before that, he was a program manager at the Danish Architecture Center.

Søren Have, Program Manager for Future Mobility

The new program focuses on the link between climate and the green mobility of the future. The transport sector is a big and complex issue, and there is a need to strengthen the knowledge input to the political level, media and relevant actors.

For 20 years, Søren has worked as a consultant for various companies and organisations, particularly transport companies focusing on optimising their resource consumption. Since COP15, Søren has been personally involved in the green transition and has contributed knowledge to several topics within green mobility.

Jens Mattias Clausen, Program Manager for CONCITO's EU program

The EU program is based on recognising that Denmark's future climate change will primarily take place based on the forthcoming EU "Fit for 55" package. There is a strong need to strengthen the link in Denmark to both the potential and challenges in the implementation of the EU's climate policy. At the same time, it is crucial to ensure a high climate-ambition internally in the EU and drive global climate efforts.

For the past two years, Jens has been a top adviser in the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Supply. Before that, he worked for Greenpeace for five years - most recently in an international position as head of policy. Additionally, he has been a political adviser in 92 Gruppen and Oxfam Ibis.

Anne Olhoff, International Senior Adviser

Anne will be part of CONCITO's international team, established earlier this year. The team helps anchor CONCITO's work in the best global knowledge and practice across programs and projects. It also includes concrete and very ambitious collaborations with, in particular, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the C40 coalition of the most climate-ambitious major cities in the world, and the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Anne has an international career behind her at the UN, where she most recently was head of strategy and accountability in the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) partnership with DTU. She has more than 20 years of international experience with research, technical dissemination and political advice within climate adaptation and reduction, including extensive experience from developing countries

Camilla Damsø, Program Manager for Energy and Buildings

The new program aims to bring knowledge and perspective to the transformation of the energy sector and construction, both in a Danish and international context. The program focuses on the green transformation of the energy sector as a key focus area to achieving the agreed climate goals. This applies to both the production and consumption side.

Camilla comes from a position as a senior consultant at CONCITO, where she was responsible for the project Buildings and Green Transformation and CONCITO's energy group. Previously, she has been head of energy policy at Dansk Byggeri and consultant at the Confederation of Danish Industry's energy department. Before that, she was at the Ministry of Transport and Energy.

Michael H. Nielsen, Senior Advisor, Energy and Buildings

Michael will primarily deal with sustainable construction, green competencies within construction and the interaction of buildings with the energy system.

Michael has extensive experience with sustainability, circular economy and green conversion in construction, where he, among others, has served as long-term director of Dansk Byggeri and most recently as deputy director at the Confideration of Danish Industry. 

Alberte Thuen, Communications Specialist

CONCITO's communication will be further strengthened with the hiring of Alberte, who will work with the website and social media, including developing new formats for content and activities. This effort will help sharpen CONCITO's profile and voice in the green transition. Alberte comes from a position as a communications consultant at BLOXHUB.