Nina Kovsted Helk is Realdania’s new CEO
Realdania's board has appointed the current philanthropy director (CPO), Nina Kovsted Helk, as the new CEO of the philanthropic association. She will succeed Jesper Nygård in the position on April 1st, 2025. At the same time, the management team will be adjusted from three to two people.
Realdania's board has decided to appoint the current philanthropy director (CPO), Nina Kovsted Helk, as the new CEO. She has been part of Realdania's management team for six years and has led the association's philanthropic work. She will be responsible for the entire association's operations. Nina Kovsted Helk will assume her new role on April 1st, 2025, succeeding Jesper Nygård, who will step down after 12 years of dedicated leadership of the association.
"We are very pleased to announce that Nina Kovsted Helk is Realdania's new CEO. The board is confident that she is the right person to lead Realdania forward in a secure and visionary manner," says Realdania's board chairman, Lars Krarup.
"The choice is the result of a very thorough search with assistance from Russel Reynolds Associates, which resulted in the appointment of a highly qualified internal candidate with in-depth knowledge of Realdania's mission and values. I would like to thank everyone who showed interest in the position and thus in Realdania's work. It has been a very positive experience to see that our organization can attract such competent capacities," adds Lars Krarup.
“The open process has shown that Nina Kovsted Helk overall is our preferred candidate for the job. Nina's experience and expertise match the job and task description perfectly and are aligned with our wishes and ambitions. She has several new ideas and a clear strategic vision for the associations future direction when it comes to the work of creating quality of life through the built environment. And overall, she is a truly skilled leader. The board looks forward to working with Nina on further developing the association,” adds Lars Krarup and concludes with:
"When the process resulted in an internal candidate for the position, it was natural to reconsider whether the management team should continue with three people, or if it was time to return to a team of two people. The board and Nina Kovsted Helk have assessed that it makes sense to reintroduce a management team consisting of two people."
When Nina Kovsted Helk assumes the role of CEO, Realdania's management team will consist of the CEO to be, Nina Kovsted Helk, and Investment Director, Kenneth Lillelund Winther, who will continue in the management team and be promoted to Deputy CEO.
Nina Kovsted Helk says about the upcoming job transition:
"I am really looking forward to taking on the role of CEO. It is a task I feel incredibly privileged to undertake, and one I approach with great humility. At the same time, I have clear ideas and visions for how the association can develop. The world today looks different than it did in the first 25 years of Realdania's existence, and we must of course respond to these changes and contribute to them. In my view, Realdania plays a key role in our society, particularly in the areas where the built environment can help create positive development. Over the past six years, I have experienced firsthand that it is already a well-managed and professional organization. Therefore, there is an incredibly strong foundation to build on and develop further, and I am excited to get started," she says, adding that she has no further comments on the job transition until after April 1st, 2025.
To mark the transition, there will be a farewell reception for Jesper Nygård at BLOX on April 4th, 2025, to thank him for his efforts in Realdania over the years, where the participants will have the opportunity to meet Nina Kovsted Helk as the new CEO.
CV for Nina Kovsted Helk
"We are very pleased to announce that Nina Kovsted Helk is Realdania's new CEO. The board is confident that she is the right person to lead Realdania forward in a secure and visionary manner," says Realdania's board chairman, Lars Krarup.
"The choice is the result of a very thorough search with assistance from Russel Reynolds Associates, which resulted in the appointment of a highly qualified internal candidate with in-depth knowledge of Realdania's mission and values. I would like to thank everyone who showed interest in the position and thus in Realdania's work. It has been a very positive experience to see that our organization can attract such competent capacities," adds Lars Krarup.
“The open process has shown that Nina Kovsted Helk overall is our preferred candidate for the job. Nina's experience and expertise match the job and task description perfectly and are aligned with our wishes and ambitions. She has several new ideas and a clear strategic vision for the associations future direction when it comes to the work of creating quality of life through the built environment. And overall, she is a truly skilled leader. The board looks forward to working with Nina on further developing the association,” adds Lars Krarup and concludes with:
"When the process resulted in an internal candidate for the position, it was natural to reconsider whether the management team should continue with three people, or if it was time to return to a team of two people. The board and Nina Kovsted Helk have assessed that it makes sense to reintroduce a management team consisting of two people."
When Nina Kovsted Helk assumes the role of CEO, Realdania's management team will consist of the CEO to be, Nina Kovsted Helk, and Investment Director, Kenneth Lillelund Winther, who will continue in the management team and be promoted to Deputy CEO.
Nina Kovsted Helk says about the upcoming job transition:
"I am really looking forward to taking on the role of CEO. It is a task I feel incredibly privileged to undertake, and one I approach with great humility. At the same time, I have clear ideas and visions for how the association can develop. The world today looks different than it did in the first 25 years of Realdania's existence, and we must of course respond to these changes and contribute to them. In my view, Realdania plays a key role in our society, particularly in the areas where the built environment can help create positive development. Over the past six years, I have experienced firsthand that it is already a well-managed and professional organization. Therefore, there is an incredibly strong foundation to build on and develop further, and I am excited to get started," she says, adding that she has no further comments on the job transition until after April 1st, 2025.
To mark the transition, there will be a farewell reception for Jesper Nygård at BLOX on April 4th, 2025, to thank him for his efforts in Realdania over the years, where the participants will have the opportunity to meet Nina Kovsted Helk as the new CEO.
CV for Nina Kovsted Helk