Dr. Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO, Novo Nordisk Foundation - Improving People’s Lives Globally

Progress, Potential, and Possibilities

Dr. Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, DVM, DSc., Ph.D., is the CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation (https://novonordiskfonden.dk/), an international foundation with a dual objective: to provide a stable basis for the commercial and research activities conducted by the companies within the Novo Group (of which Novo Nordisk A/S is the largest holdings) and to support scientific, humanitarian and social purposes. In 2020, the Novo Nordisk Foundation had a net worth of US$73.1 billion, making it the largest financial endowment in the world. Novo Nordisk Foundation owns Novo Holdings A/S, a holding company and majority shareholder of Novo Nordisk, as well as Novozymes, a global biotechnology company focused on the research, development and production of industrial enzymes, microorganisms, and biopharmaceutical ingredients. The foundation is also a major shareholder in more than 75 other companies. Originally, trained as a veterinarian / DVM at The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (now part of the University of Copenhagen), where he also holds a DSc. in this domain, Dr. Thomsen started his career as a PhD pharmacology student at the University of Copenhagen, after which he worked three years as a researcher at LEO Pharma. Thirty years ago, he joined Novo Nordisk, initially as Head of Growth Hormone Research and subsequently as Senior Vice President of Diabetes R&D. In 1995, he was appointed Senior Vice President of Discovery and in 2000, he became Executive Vice President of Research & Development/Chief Scientific Officer. Over the years, he has headed the development of 20 medical drugs, especially within diabetes treatment and the groundbreaking development of GLP-1 technologies. Dr. Thomsen has served as President of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences and Chairman of the Board of the University of Copenhagen, where he is also an adjunct professor of Pharmacology.

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