Christian Eika Frøkiær (´06) Manager of Research & Development at think tank Monday Morning became the first recipient of the alumni achievement award during the BAMMC Education & Career Day.

12.11.2013 | AU Alumni

On Friday, the 8th of November 2013, the Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Management Communications (BAMMC) education hosted the first Education & Career Day. Students, faculty and alumni joined forces to learn more about connections between the education and the business world, as well as honor the first recipient of the BAMMC Alumni Achievement Award, Christian Eika Frøkiær (´06) for his achievements

Christian led the field of nominees thanks to a combination of his exemplary career path, work within sustainability and continued support of Aarhus University, particularly his contribution to the "Welcome To My World" video series. We had the opportunity to sit down with Christian and uncover why he's chosen this career path, what his next move may be and where he gets his inspiration. 

Q. Why do you think you've chosen this particular career path?

A. I have always been a big nerd when it comes to politics and big societal matters - such as sustainability, environment, climate, energy, etc.. I was a bit in doubt whether I should actually study Political Science. But I also always knew that I wanted to work in a private business environment or with something business-minded. So business school seemed the obvious choice and I stuck with it and chose the BAMMC as it would give me a relatively broad set of skills that could lead to many different career paths.

During my Master-studies (at Copenhagen Business School) I opted for an internship with a free-market/libertarian think tank, working first in their research department and later in communications and PR. From there it was a very natural next step to pursue a career with Monday Morning, Scandinavia's leading independent think tank which at the same time runs a media operation and has had a lot of influence on various agendas in Danish society over the last 25 years. Building on the experiences I gained with Monday Morning, where I worked with climate and energy policy-related projects, I became a business developer in DONG Energy working with their market design and regulatory business development. I eventually went back to Monday Morning to lend some of my competence in structuring business cases to the newly formed Sustainia team.

Q. What are the 3 most important skills for doing what you do?

A. I would say that A: Ability to understand complex matters. B: A nag for quickly structuring effective messages and creating communication material for various media/channels. C: Business model insights and knowledge of best-practice.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 yrs.?

A. I would like to have been part of building increased trust in sustainable business models and their ability to create value. Maybe this will lead into an even more consulting-oriented job or maybe I could become a specialist in a bigger company that is dedicated to sustainability or aiming to become more sustainable in its business practices.

Q. Who's been your idol/hero/muse in your career?

A. I am a big admirer of managers that have what Jim Collins call Level 5-leadership skills - combining humility with great performance and rigorous goal of being best in class. 

To mention a couple who I admire and who I think have these characteristics:
Lise Kingo, the EVP and chief of staff of Novo Nordisk or Lars Rebien Sørensen of the same company. The latter is ranked top 20 of global CEOs by HBR as the only Danish CEO. Of the more glamorous I deeply admire Jeff Bezos of Amazon. He's done some really remarkable and innovative stuff in his career and is transforming the world as we speak. 

Q. What do you plan on doing with your diploma?

A. My diploma will go on my office wall for the entire office to appreciate :)