Clean’s Annual Meeting 2024

Program

12:00 PM – Registration and lunch

1:00 PM – Welcome

• Kim Fredenslund, CEO, Clean
• Torben Funder-Kristensen, Chairman of the Board at Clean, Head of Industry Affairs, Danfoss
• Hanne Harmsen, Associate Dean for Green Transition, CBS

1:15 PM – Keynote: How do companies move into a sustainable future?

• Majken Schultz, Professor, PhD, Copenhagen Business School, Centre for Organization and Time

The presentation is based on the dilemma of having formulated long-term goals for a sustainable future, often without knowing the solutions needed to realize that future. It draws on an ongoing research project studying Ørsted, Arla, and Novo Nordisk.

1:35 PM – Keynote: Solutions for a climate-neutral future – technology is important but not everything

• Claus Beier, Professor, PhD, University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management

Climate action and green transition are on everyone’s lips and part of the political and practical agenda. It fundamentally concerns finding alternatives to fossil carbon. There are huge potentials in energy, environmental, and biotechnology to deliver significant contributions, and new exciting innovative solutions are being developed all the time. What role do these new technologies play in creating a climate-neutral future, and why is it not sufficient to focus solely on technology development?

1:55 PM – Break

2:10 PM – Panel debate: Fuel for startup success: How collaboration with large companies can future-proof and promote green transition

Moderator: Mette Tønnesen, CEO, The Link

Panel:

• • Torben Funder-Kristensen, Head of Industry Affairs, Danfoss
  • Thomas Munch-Laursen, Founder & CCO, Aquardio
  • Cecilie Røes Andersen, CEO, RobSub
  • Jacob Kjeldgaard Olsen, Head of Venture Engagement, Group Strategy and M&A, Velux

For many startups, a partnership with a large company can feel like hitting the jackpot—or stepping into a minefield. Large companies offer access to massive markets, deep pockets, and a network that can open doors. But when is the right time to enter into such a partnership? And how do we ensure that the collaboration is not just about profit but also about creating a sustainable future?

In this panel debate, we will delve into how startups can navigate corporate partnerships while promoting green transition. What does it take to get a large company as your next customer or investor? And how can we ensure that these partnerships support a more sustainable and climate-friendly future for both startups and companies?

2:50 PM – Break

3:15 PM – Session: What if…? A Journey into the Future

• Hanne Harmsen, Associate Dean for Green Transition, CBS

It is said that we often overestimate the effects of climate change in the short term and underestimate them in the long term. In this session, we actively use the future to gain insights into what each of us should do now and here. Based on two cases, we take a contemporary perspective on the future. We lift our gaze from the everyday and get a kind of reality check on whether we are on the right track.

This session will take place as a moderated group discussion among participants following a research-based method.

4:05 PM – Award Show
Join us in honoring Clean’s members and hear exciting success stories as we award the Internationalization Prize, Knowledge Bridge Prize, and Member Prize, which have particularly excelled in the water and environment sector.

4:30 PM – Reception & Networking

Clean’s Annual Meeting 2024 is co-financed by the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science and organized in collaboration with CBS.