Mette (Mellie) Laursen

Mette (Mellie) Laursen

Mette (Mellie) Laursen is a globally recognized entrepreneur and board chair professional with extensive experience across executive management, startups, public institutions, and global corporations. She is the Founder and CEO of LinKS, established in 1998. Under her leadership, LinKS has become a pioneering platform for leadership, governance, and innovation education in her nation, engaging ministers, policymakers, and senior executives across both public and private sectors. Through decades of work, she has advanced cross-sector collaboration, emphasizing co-creation to address complex societal challenges.Her work bridges politics, science, business, and society, fostering collaborative models that drive systemic impact. Her current strategic focus is on strengthening European alliances with a global ambition. 

Through The Chairs’ Agenda, she leads an international outreach initiative for selected chairpersons endorsed by their nations, aimed at building leadership that support a resilient and future-ready world. The initiative is endorsed by the Speaker of Parliament, the Ombudsman of Denmark, global ambassadors to Denmark from more than 20 nations, and leading voices in leadership.LinKS has educated top leadership of Denmark as nation  across sectors designed and led in partnership for decades with the leading global business schools; The Wharton School and INSEAD. Her advisory work includes strategic analysis and leadership consulting for major organizations such as Ørsted, Grundfos, Volkswagen, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Environment, and judicial leadership bodies.Mellie and LinKS were awarded a prestigious scientific grant by the Novo Nordisk Foundation to build alliances within the European Union in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and life sciences—further strengthening her role in advancing innovation ecosystems.

From 2017 to 2022, she served as a Global Ambassador, focusing on building international partnerships centered on livability and sustainability in the world’s megacities. This work was mandated by BLOX – Architecture and Design in Denmark and Realdania, where she contributed to strengthening the global positioning of Denmark. In this role as global ambassador, she worked closely with ambassadors to Denmark and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Earlier in her career, she served as Practice Leader at Ernst & Young (1995–1999), specializing in strategy and process management for global corporates and public sector organizations. She began her professional journey at the Ministry of Finance in Denmark (1992–1995), where she contributed to financial legislation and welfare program frameworks, focusing on managerial and administrative policy tools.She holds a Master of Science in Economics (Cand. Polit) from the University of Copenhagen and a Master of Science in Economics and Mathematical Econometrics from the University of London.

 She is also a Certified Executive Coach at international level. Her early studies included performing arts, supported by a Rotary International Scholarship in Atlanta, Georgia.She is deeply committed to fostering global dialogue and international alliances, organizing high-level diplomatic and leadership platforms that strengthen cultural exchange and global cooperation. She hosts and leads Denmark’s most influential networks of senior women leaders through LinKS, championing gender equity and leadership development.Her initiatives include The Chairs’ Agenda (2025), Global Women’s Day (2021) for female ambassadors at BLOX, International Women’s Day events (2019 and 2020) at the Karen Blixen Museum in Rungstedlund, and the Global Women’s Forum (2016), where she led the Scandinavian delegation under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE.She has been decorated as Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Couronne of Belgium and serves on the board of a Royal Foundation in Denmark. She also holds extensive experience in chairing board positions across multiple sectors.Born in Denmark, she embodies a truly global mindset. She is married to Hugo Sato, has children, and resides between Copenhagen, Brussels, and Paris.