About
KJAER ADVICE works in the intersection between private business, civil society organizations, academia and government entities.
Our core delivery is to enable our clients develop sustainable strategies while engaging in strategic multi-sector partnerships.
Our vision is to make a significant difference when aligning the pursuit of commercial business opportunities with real social impact – that is, to create shared value.
Why partnership
We are living in an age where social, environmental and economic goals coincide. Decision makers from both the public and private sector today realize that social problems represent both daunting constraints to their operations but also vast opportunities for sustainable growth.
Within our societies and in our interconnected world, a variety of partners from different sectors will need to work much more closely together to counter threats associated with an uneven distribution of wealth or even declining growth and the social effects arising as a consequence. Businesses will need to focus their strategy on ways to achieve the twin goals of innovating to meet society’s needs and build a profitable business. Government partners will need to create an enabling environment in which business and also partners from within civil society can play a more active part.
Partnership collaboration is increasingly seen as central e.g. to achieve the newly adopted UN Global Goals. It is the hypothesis that only with comprehensive and widespread cross-sector collaboration can we ensure that sustainable development initiatives are imaginative, coherent and integrated enough to tackle the most intractable problems.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. – Aristotle
Who we are
KJAER ADVICE is founded and lead by Louise Kjaer in 2014. The operation is run by a tight team of trusted senior consultants tailored to each individual assignment. Similarly, KJAER ADVICE regularly draws on our international partner network (see below).
Founder and CEO
LOUISE KJÆR
Louise Kjaer has extensive experience in creating results by driving comprehensive change processes within corporate, public and private organizations. It is her approach to profoundly engage with – and understand both challenges and opportunities for any organization that finds itself at a cross road. Based on a multi-disciplinary, international working career Louise is especially competent in strategic partnership formation and multi-stakeholder collaboration. She is a strong communicator and trained mediator. Louise has become still more involved in tech and the digital transformation that is changing our societies and offer groundbreaking new opportunities for impact business and sustainable development. Several assignments have recently focused not only digitalization of business operations, but also on efforts to bridge ‘the digital divide’ of global populations (e.g. enhancing access to the internet and digital literacy among users), as well as high-level strategic advisory to develop international guidelines for data ethics and digital responsibility of businesses and governments.
Work experience prior to founding KJAER ADVICE
- Working as head of an EU-funding entity responsible for incubation of some 150 new cross-sector partnership projects, involving more than 500 partners.
- Co-founder and teaching at the Cambridge University based Cross-Sector Partnership Program providing strategic advice to business leaders.
- United Nations post-conflict rehabilitation and development assistance provided in the Middle East, South East Asia and Latin America.
- Corporate strategic planning as Head of R&D within the DK-based international consulting firm COWI A/S.
- Strategic advisor to Worldwide TV-collaboration of broadcasters across the globe.
Educational Background:
M.Sc. in Social Sciences and International Development Studies, University of Roskilde (DK). Certified Affiliate at the Harvard University based Shared Value Initiative. Additional diplomas and degree in Mediation and Conflict Resolution; Executive Board Programme, INSEAD (France) / Scandinavian Executive Institute.
Network Partners
KJAER ADVICE is not a stand-alone team. We are partners in a network of highly experienced senior consultants and specialists across Scandinaiva, Europe, the US and Africa. Just like we advice you to seek inspiration and competence sharing in new strategic cross-sector partnerships, we do it ourselves. These are our strategic international partners and friends.
The Shared Value Initiative (USA)
Launched in 2012, the Shared Value Initiative is founded by Mark Kramer and Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter. The SVI platform is the go-to source for leaders who want to strategize, implement, or sustain a shared value initiative at their organization. Close to twenty certified affliates form a global network of SVI contact points.
The Partnering Initiative (UK)
The Partnering Initiative is an independent non-profit dedicated to unleashing the power of partnership for a prosperous and sustainable future. TPI was founded with a belief that it takes collaboration across sectors to tackle the greatest development and business sustainability challenges.
Genesis (South Africa)
Genesis Analytics – one of the first economics-based consulting firms to be established in South Africa – advises governments and companies in emerging markets on competition, strategy, regulation and development.
Pure (Norway)
Pure Consulting employs a group of experienced and highly qualified consultants, each with a distinctive competence and specialized proficiency. All have a unique understanding of how sustainable development should be made into dynamic, relevant and profitable business strategies.
IDEON OPEN (Sweden)
Ideon Open is part of Ideon Science Park, Scandinavia’s most successful meeting place for visionaries, entrepreneurs and venture capital. Ideon works to promote new forms of collaboration and to reignite entrepreneurship inside companies.
Open Innovation Lab of Norway
Open Innovation Lab of Norway unites Norway’s leading corporations, the world’s best universities, and leading innovators. OIL of Norway brings together smart people, great tools and innovative ideas for a better future.