CLOSED FOR SIGN-UP: Leadership Development Day 2026
Pulse and Principles: Leadership Development at the Edge of Complexity
When complexity becomes the everyday condition, what does leadership development require? For professionals who design, facilitate, commission and evaluate leadership development, including L&D, OD and HRD leaders, program directors, coaches, consultants and researchers, the work is not about teaching fixed models. It is about enabling sensemaking, strengthening relational capacity and building principles in action across systems at the edge of complexity.
This conference explores how effective leadership capacity emerges when pulse, understood as timely action, meets principle, understood as clear values and ways of deciding. Through inspiration, peer dialogue and hands on work with development cases, we focus on the relational dimensions and developmental architectures that enable performance, resilience and meaningful collaboration in complex environments.
why now?
As complexity becomes normal, organizations need leaders who can coordinate across boundaries, act with speed without losing judgment and sustain trust under pressure. This day focuses on building those capabilities and on how to develop them at scale inside real organizations.
Get ready to hear about:
- Designing leadership development for complex, interconnected organizational settings
- Building relational leadership capabilities such as collaboration, coordination and cross boundary working
- Reflective practice and sensemaking methods that embed learning and support transfer into the workplace
- Evaluating the impact of leadership programs, including outcomes, indicators and learning transfer
- Public sector perspectives on resilience and system wide capability building
- Interactive workshops built around exclusive development cases focusing on complex leadership challenges
Conference highlights:
The program will include keynote speakers, such as Jody Hoffer Gittell, Professor and PhD Program Director at Brandeis University's Heller School, as well as breakout sessions where participants will engage with relevant cases.
The conference will also feature two breakout sessions. Participants may select two different workshops from a total of five available options.
Program of the day:
Keynotes:
Keynote presentations:
Keynote 1: Leadership Development Through Relationships: Jody Hoffer Gittell
Jody Hoffer Gittell's keynote reframes leadership development as relational work. She demonstrates how leaders can strengthen organizational performance, resilience, and well-being by actively cultivating relational coordination in everyday leadership practice. With research-based insights and practical examples, the keynote equips leaders to create sustainable impact in complex systems.
Keynote 2: Find Clarity in Complexity – Lead in Motion: Louisa Loran
Louisa Loran invites participants to explore what it takes to lead when conditions are constantly shifting and clarity cannot be found in static models. Drawing on the thinking behind her book 'Leadership Anatomy in Motion', she frames leadership as a dynamic, embodied and relational practice rather than a fixed set of competencies.
Louisa's session focuses on how leaders can develop the capacity to stay oriented, make sound judgments and act with intention in the midst of uncertainty. She explores how clarity can emerge through movement, sensemaking and attention to patterns in relationships, rather than through control or simplification.
Keynote 3: From the Globalized CEO to Patriotic Leadership: Bent Meier Sørensen
Bent Meier Sørensen presents the idea of Patriotic Leadership, highlighting how rising geopolitical uncertainty compels leaders to balance organizational competitiveness and profitability with broader strategic considerations tied to national affiliation and interests. The keynote encourages leaders to understand themselves and their organizations as an integral part of the country and region in which they are seated and in which they operate. Leadership remains complex, but there are also in leadership various ways to reduce complexity. Being able to distinguish between friend and enemy is one of them and navigating this distinction is a precondition for today's Patriotic Leadership in terms of identifying one's duty, taking responsibility and showing courage.
Breakout Speakers:
Meet the speakers of breakout sessions!
Breakout Descriptions:
Breakout 1: Scaling Leadership Development with AI: The Novo Nordisk Case
Novo Nordisk is rethinking how learning and leadership development can be enabled at scale through AI. This case explores how the company uses data, automation, and AI-driven tools to support leaders with personalized, just-in-time learning solutions. Participants will dive into real examples such as AI-powered coaching, learning procurement automation, and career development support. The case highlights the shift from generic training to targeted, outcome-driven learning. It also raises key questions about trust, data use, and business impact in AI-enabled learning ecosystems.
Breakout 2: Leadership for the Future Lab: Learn about the four core leadership competencies that are crucial in hyper-volatile times and how CBS work with leadership development
The CBS Leadership Think Tank has identified four leadership competencies that are essential for navigating a context of instability, uncertainty, and complexity.
In this Leadership Lab, we will give you insight into the four competencies and invite dialogue and inspiration on how leaders can equip themselves to handle dilemmas, acceleration, and polycrises. We will also explore how action learning serves as a powerful approach for creating impact and fostering long-lasting leadership development.
Breakout 3: Learning Methods in Leadership Development: The Topsoe Case
Topsoe is on a transformation journey and investing heavily in leadership development to build the leadership capacity needed to deliver it. Three years ago, Topsoe introduced a leadership framework and translated it into programs for different leadership segments: Lead On (Leadership onboarding), First Time Lead, First Line Lead and Go Lead. In this case session, Topsoe's approach to designing leadership programs is shared, focusing on a high level of interaction and strong participant ownership. "Classic delivery" is minimized, with the emphasis instead on putting people at the center and into action. You will hear what has worked and key learnings along the way.
Breakout 4: What is leadership, really?: The Department of Management, Society & Communication at CBS CASE
This session explores what leadership means in practice and how research-informed facilitation can translate leadership theory into concrete, usable insights. Participants in this session will generate a case study together: sharing their own perspectives on leadership, then stepping back to analyze underlying assumptions and consider alternative approaches. In the process they will experience first-hand how research-informed facilitation can support critical reflexivity and translate leadership theory into concrete insights they can use in their own leadership and L&D practice. If you're curious how research can sharpen everyday leadership and L&D reflections, this session is for you.
Breakout 5: Developing First-Time Leaders Under Pressure: The Royal Danish Defense College Case
The Royal Danish Defense College develops first-time leaders by assigning responsibility early, often in high-pressure situations. This case explores a leadership approach where objectives are clearly defined, while the methods are intentionally left open. Leaders are given freedom with responsibility in how they execute the task. This reduces micromanagement and creates space for judgment, initiative, and accountability.
In this breakout session, participants will learn how mission command supports leadership under pressure by combining clear intent with freedom of action. The session offers concrete inspiration for building accountability, initiative, and decision-making when conditions are uncertain and stakes are high.
Keynote speakers:
Jody Hoffer Gittell, PhD, Professor of Management and PhD Program Director at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management
Jody is the founder of Relational Coordination theory, a widely applied framework for leadership, organizational performance, and human well-being. Her research and teaching focus on how leaders develop high-performing, resilient organizations through shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect. Dr. Gittell is Faculty Director of the Relational Coordination Collaborative and CEO of Relational Coordination Analytics. She is a frequent keynote speaker and advisor to leaders across healthcare, public sector, and other complex organizations.
The keynote sets the conceptual backbone for the day: how shared goals, shared knowledge and mutual respect underpin relational leadership and organizational resilience – and how developers can translate these principles into program design, facilitation and evaluation.
Louisa Loran, Executive Advisor, Board Member & Author at LouisaLoran & Copenhagen Business School
Louisa has extensive experience in driving leadership and organizational transformation across global companies including Google, MAERSK and DIAGEO. She has led large-scale change at the intersection of strategy, technology and leadership, supporting executives in navigating complexity and aligning leadership with long-term value creation. Louisa advises boards and executive teams on leadership alignment, strategic transitions and human-centered change. She is the author of 'Leadership Anatomy in Motion', a globally published book on leadership in a technology-driven world. Louisa is part of Thinkers50 Radar 2026, and she serves on the CBS Board of Directors.
Bent Meier Sorensen, Professor at the Department of Business Humanities and Law at Copenhagen Business School
Bent's research and teaching explore leadership, philosophy, culture, organizations, and the societal implications of technology. He is an active voice in Danish public debate, contributing through books, articles and lectures. His publications include 'The magic of the screen' (2018), an examination of digital culture and human resilience, and 'De grænløse' (2025), which analyzes contemporary social and cultural developments in Europe. Alongside his academic work, he regularly contributes to national newspapers and media and delivers lectures in Denmark and internationally.
Furthermore, Bent is nominated for the Fonsmark Prize 2026.
Breakout facilitators:
Peter Manniche Riber, Senior Consultant at Implement Consulting Group (Former Head of New tech, Digital Learning Solutions in Novo Nordisk)
Peter was the Head of New Tech, Digital Learning Solutions at Novo Nordisk and is a seasoned professional in the field of digital learning and people development. In recent years, Peter focused on the development of AI coaches and agents, steering his previous team at Novo Nordisk towards creating and implementing generative AI tools for internal career guidance and coaching.
Martin Linnet, Head of Global Learning Enablement at Novo Nordisk
Martin leads the global learning enablement agenda at Novo Nordisk, driving the future of learning through innovative technologies and data-driven strategies. With more than a decade of experience in digital transformation, learning operations, and AI-driven development, he is passionate about translating technology into meaningful learning impact and business value. Martin has a strong focus on creating scalable solutions that empower people and organizations to grow.
Eva Fog Bruun, Center Director at CBS Leadership Centre
Eva is Center Director at CBS Leadership Centre. With over 25 years of experience in business development, innovation, and marketing, primarily within the private sector, and with a solid background as a leadership practitioner, Eva is bridging the academic approach with the perspectives of the business professional. Eva is also a board member at Fischer Lighting and part of the advisory board and mentor corps at Realdania's initiative 'Innovation to Market' (Innovation to Market).
Stine Staffeldt, Program Director at CBS Executive Foundation
Stine Staffeldt is an experienced leadership development professional, with a background from organizations such as ISS, and is Program Director at CBS Executive Foundation, where she has led executive development programs for more than a decade. She specializes in leadership development, action learning, service excellence, and Leadership for the Future. Alongside her executive role, she is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School, teaching and supervising at graduate level. Stine brings extensive consulting experience in leadership, change management, and organizational development across both academic and corporate settings.
Nicoline Hultén, Global Organizational & Leadership Development Lead at Topsoe
Nicoline Hultén is Global Organizational & Leadership Development Lead at Topsoe. She is a Senior HR and Leadership Development Executive with extensive experience in designing and implementing strategic leadership programs and driving large-scale organizational transformation. Nicoline combines strong strategic insight with hands-on execution in global, complex environments.
Soren Bo Susipolku-Jensen, Head of Section for Basic Education, Institute for Leadership and Organization at the Defense Academy
Søren is Head of Section for Basic Education at the Institute for Leadership and Organisation, Forsvarsakademiet, where he is responsible for educating first-time leaders in the Danish Armed Forces. He has extensive experience in leadership development, conceptual project work, and organizational education. Known for his independent, proactive and empathetic leadership style, he brings deep human insight from years of service in both operational and ceremonial roles in Denmark, Africa and The Middle East.
Eric Guthey, Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School
Eric draws on decades of business school experience in Denmark, the US, Eastern Europe, and the Pacific Rim to explore how leadership gets produced and practiced in diverse organizational and social contexts. His current research explores how the competitive dynamics of the leadership development industry shape the study and practice of leadership, and what we can learn about leadership from multi-stakeholder efforts to address complex societal and global challenges. He has published in Business and Economic History, Enterprise & Society, The Journal of Business Ethics, The Journal of Management Studies, Leadership, and Management Learning.
Nicole Ferry, Assistant Professor at Copenhagen Business School
Nicole is a tenure-track assistant professor at Copenhagen Business School. Drawing on her background in cultural studies and critical theory, her research examines the ideological and gendered discourses of leadership and leadership development across diverse contexts. She has published in Journal of Business Ethics, Leadership, Management Learning, Gender, Work and Organization, and Academy of Management Learning & Education. Her current work explores contemporary approaches to gender-based leadership development, including how men's development as leaders can address gender inequity in organizations.
*No show fee
By signing up for this event, you are accepting NOCA's conditions regarding no-show fee.
To give the most members the possibility of participating – and to reduce food waste – we need to know if you are going to attend, or if we can offer your spot to someone else.
Therefore, if you cancel your registration after the 14th of April 2026 at 12.00 CET – or do not show up on the day – you will receive a charge of DKK 500.
Should you unexpectedly be unable to attend, you can also send a colleague in your place. They just need to register with the NOCA team at the event to pick up your name tag.
We hope to see you at Leadership Development Day 2026!
learn more about Leadership Development or other NOCA themes HERE.