Connie Hedegaard, a former European Union (EU) commissioner for climate action and Danish minister, has been elected as a member of the Danfoss board of directors.

According to Danfoss, there is a good match between Hedegaard’s competences and Danfoss’ efforts to exploit the huge potential of energy efficiency worldwide.

Jørgen M. Clausen, chairman of the Danfoss board, said, “I am very pleased to welcome Connie Hedegaard to the board. Because of her experience as a minister and an EU commissioner, Connie Hedegaard has a unique background. Internationally she is known for her extreme competence within climate, environmental, and energy issues, and her skills are a very good match for Danfoss.”

“With a wide range of energy-efficient technologies and climate-friendly solutions, Danfoss plays a key role in the world’s shift to a greener and more sustainable consumption of energy and resources in general,” Hedegaard said. “As a member of the board, I look forward to contributing to the continued development of Danfoss as a strong global company, and helping ensure full use of the extensive potential.”

Hedegaard is the former Danish minister for environment and minister for climate and energy, and was EU commissioner for climate action between 2010 and 2014. She chairs the KR Foundation, which is a sustainability foundation, and the green think tank CONCITO. She is also the chairman of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Round Table on Sustainable Development. Finally, she is the chairman of the Danish Public Service Committee, and a board member of Aarhus University in Denmark.

Hedegaard was a member of the Danish Parliament for the Conservative Party from 1984-1990 and in 2005-2009. 

As a member of the Danfoss board, Hedegaard will replace the CEO of Dong Energy, Henrik Poulsen, who stepped down as a board member at the end of 2015. The remaining members of the Danfoss board are Jørgen M. Clausen, William Ervin Hoover Jr., Kasper B. Rørsted, Björn K.O. Rosengren, Mads-Peter Clausen, Dr. Jürgen Reinert, Sandra Nørgaard Bertelsen, Jens Peter Nielsen, and Lars Grau.