Poul Nyrup Rasmussen

Drawing on decades of experience at the highest political level, former Danish Prime Minister and former Member of the European parliament Poul Nyrup Rasmussen will reflect on the vital role of housing in the Nordic welfare society – and its importance for social cohesion, equal opportunities and resilient communities.

Beyond politics, he has remained deeply engaged in social issues, not least young people’s mental well-being. He is the founder and patron of Headspace Denmark, which provides free and anonymous counselling and support for young people across the country.

Josefine Kofoed

Moderator Josefine Kofoed is a Danish journalist, political scientist and TV presenter at TV 2 News. She has extensive experience covering current affairs and facilitating conversations on complex political, societal and business issues. She is also an experienced moderator of conferences, debates and high-level discussions.

Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen

Professor Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen works at the intersection of grand strategy, geopolitical risk and leadership under uncertainty. He is professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen, has extensive leadership experience and has worked at the Danish Ministry of Defence and advised NATO’s Secretary General. His work explores how organisations can navigate a world where the old rules no longer apply. (Photo: Tommy Frost).

Johanna Frelin

CEO of Riksbyggen since 2020, following leadership roles as CEO of Tengbom Architects and Hyper Island. She has received several awards for her strong and innovative leadership and is a frequent lecturer and speaker. As CEO of Riksbyggen, Johanna leads one of Sweden’s major cooperative housing organisations. Johanna is also a member of the NBO board.

Bjarni Thorolfsson

CEO of Búseti Housing Cooperative, providing homes for around 4,000 people in the greater Reykjavík area. He has extensive experience in management and organisational development and has led Búseti through a period of strong growth and transformation, with a focus on sustainable and affordable housing. Bjarni is also a member of the NBO board.

Jens Elmelund

CEO of KAB, a non-profit, democratically governed housing organisation managing 65,000 homes with a strong focus on climate, biodiversity and people’s well-being.

Cecilie Gøtterup Hansen

Economist at BL, the Danish Federation of affordable housing will introduce key points from NBO's own work on the preparedness agendas.

Henrik Hvenegaard Mikkelsen

is an anthropologist who began his career as a researcher on ageing at the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of Copenhagen. Today, he is Director of Museum Southeast Denmark and the author of several books on family, childhood and the life course across cultures. His latest book, The Orca Thesis: How Grandparents Have Saved the World Since the Dawn of Time, was published in September 2026

Morten Rask gregersen

Architect and partner at NORD Architects, Morten Rask Gregersen has extensive experience in designing for an ageing population. His work explores how architecture, housing and shared spaces can support independence, wellbeing and social connections later in life

Sanna Mäkinen

Sanna Mäkinen has extensive experience in translating the principle of ageing in place into practice. As Executive Director at the Lahti foundation in Finland, she works to provide housing and services for older people and other groups with specific needs.

Magnus Almung

Magnus Almung is an architect with more than 40 years of experience and a particular interest in materials, detailing and timber construction. His work includes Prästhöjden, Åsbovägen and the Gothenburg Opera. He also teaches professional architects in collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology.

Kjell-Ove Sethson

Kjell-Ove Sethson has led a housing company in the City of Borås for the past 15 years. Under his leadership, the company has placed environmental sustainability at the heart of its operations and completed two nationally recognised multi-storey timber housing projects, achieving high levels of resident satisfaction.

David Sausdal

David Sausdal is a cultural criminologist and Associate Professor of Sociology at Lund University. In his work, he seeks to get as close as possible to the everyday lives of both people involved in crime and those responsible for policing and crime control, in order to better understand what they do, why they do it, and the consequences for themselves and society at large. Sausdal currently leads GANG_REC, the largest research project on gang crime and gang culture ever undertaken in the Nordic countries.

Bent Madsen

CEO of BL - the Danish federation of affordable Housing and chair of NBO. Throughout his career, he has been a strong advocate for the role of affordable housing sector as a cornerstone of the welfare society – providing not only affordable homes, but also stability, opportunity and strong communities.