Meet the members of the Council
Birthe Friis Mortensen, Chairperson
Birthe Friis Mortensen has been chair of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Birthe Friis Mortensen was rector of University College South Denmark from 2012 to 2021. Here, she handled a newly merged institution that through her entire rector term generated an increasing intake of students and in 2017 obtained a positive institutional accreditation. From 2002 to 2008, Birthe was rector of Center for Higher Education in Jutland – JCVU, which also went through a large merger process and thereafter became part of the basis for VIA University College. From 2008 to 2011, Birthe was director of Aarhus Business College. Today, she is executive director in the Fund ‘Science Parks of Southern Denmark’. Birthe has a Master of Arts in Danish and Information Studies from Aarhus University.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
Camilla Hillerup
Camilla Hillerup has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Camilla Hillerup has a Master of Laws and since 2016, she has been HR Director in Microsoft Denmark and Island. Before that, she was HR Director in KPMG and in Deloitte. Through her work in HR, Camilla has obtained wide knowledge of higher education programmes and of the competency needs in private businesses, including the significance of competencies within STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) etc. , the newly qualified employees’ competencies and the eye for the competency needs of the future.
Camilla is a committee member in the Confederation of Danish Industry’s special committee for diversity and a member of the steering committee for female leaders in the Danish ICT Industry Association.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
Jakob Brøndsted
Jakob Brøndsted has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Jakob Brøndsted is Architect MAA and is today partner in Rolvung and Brøndsted Architects. In recent years, Jakob has been vice chair for the external examiners for the institutions in architecture and art under the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. He is part of the corps of external professional jurors for the Danish Association of Architects and he is an external examiner at Aarhus School of Architecture and at The Royal Danish Academy – Architecture, Design, Conservation.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
John Finnich Pedersen
John Finnich Pedersen has been a member of the Accreditation Council since March 2017. John Finnich Pedersen is executive director in the consulting company FirstMind and has a Master of Science in Engineering. He has worked within research/development and management, among others, in Danish tech companies. For more than 20 years as director in Siemens Denmark, where his tasks included being responsible for relations to Danish universities and other higher education institutions. John is a member of DTU Diplom’s advisory board and of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences, where he has been the chair of the theme group “Science and Engineering in the Educational System” for many years. Previously, John has been the chair of the education committee for tech at Copenhagen School of Design and Technology and member of the Confederation of Danish Industry’s committee for research and education, the SIRI commission and in the chairmanship of the development of a Danish strategy for teaching science. He has also been member of the board at the former Copenhagen School of Engineering and in a number of foundations and private businesses.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
Mia Wilkenskjeld Jørgensen
Mia Wilkenskjeld Jørgensen has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Mia Wilkenskjeld Jørgensen is a student at the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), where she is studying at the Master’s Degree Programme in Digital Innovation and Management. Mia is active in student politics and has a seat in the board of the National Union of Students in Denmark (DSF). She has also taken part in the start-up of Danish Academies Student Organization (DESO).
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2024
Oddrun Samdal
Oddrun Samdal has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Oddrun Samdal, Professor of health promotion/health psychology, was vice rector for Education from 2013 to 2021 at the University of Bergen. Moreover, from 2017 to 2021 she led the National strategic unit for Education under Universities Norway. Since 2019, she has led the Portfolio Board for Education and Competence under the Research Council of Norway. Since 2017, Oddrun has participated in and been chair of institutional accreditations and evaluations of quality systems in Norway and Sweden. She has also participated in the institutional accreditations of University of Copenhagen and University of Southern Denmark. Oddrun has an education in teaching in primary and secondary schools and her research area is children and young people’s health, welfare and learning.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
Peter Dahler-Larsen, Vice-chairperson
Peter Dahler-Larsen has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Peter Dahler-Larsen, PhD and Doctor of Political Science, is Professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen. He lectures and conducts research in the areas of evaluation and evaluation systems and assists in developing evaluation models. Until 2013, Peter was a Professor at the University of Southern Denmark and ran the education programme Master of Evaluation. He is an honorary member of the Danish Evaluation Society and has written a number of research articles etc. on evaluation in both Danish and internationally recognized research publications. Peter is ‘named person’ at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Copenhagen, which means he advices on responsible research practices.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025
Thomas Holst Larsen
Thomas Holst Larsen has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2024. Thomas Holst Larsen is a student at UCL University College where he is studying to become an AP Graduate in Agro Business and Landscape Management. Thomas is active in student politics and has a seat in the Students Council at UCL University College and in the Education Council for Agro Business and Landscape Management. Thomas is also involved in several associations that all aim to strengthen the well-being of students through the study environment and communities.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2024 to December 31st 2025
Tobias Høygaard Lindeberg
Tobias Høygaard Lindeberg has been a member of the Accreditation Council since January 2022. Tobias Høygaard Lindeberg is Vice President at The Think Tank DEA and before that, he was Head of Development and Research at University College Copenhagen. Tobias has a Master of Science in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen and a PhD in Evaluative knowledge and technology from Copenhagen Business School. Formerly, he has been employed at Rambøll Management, the Danish Agency for Science and Innovation and The Danish Evaluation Institute, where he in all employments worked in the area of evaluation.
Current period of appointment: January 1st 2022 to December 31st 2025