Lise Kingo
Major Career Roles
- CEO & Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)
- EVP, Corporate Relations, Chief of Staff, Novo Nordisk A/S
- Senior Vice President, Business Support, Novo Holding A/S
- Director of Environmental Affairs, Novozymes A/S
Other Career Highlights
- Board Director, Sanofi SA
- Board Director, Covestro AG
- Board Director, Danone SA
- Board Director, Allianz Trade
- Strategic Adviser on Sustainable Business, Allianz SE
- Board member, Aker Horizons ASA
- Deputy Chair, GN Store Nord A/S
- Chair, Steno Diabetes Centre A/S
- Board member, PRI - UN Principles for Responsible Investment
- Chair, The Danish Council for Corporate Social Responsibility
- Professor, Sustainability & Innovation, Vrije Universiteit
Lise Kingo is a globally recognised business leader with over 30 years of experience driving transformation and delivering exceptional results. Renowned for her strategic clarity and deep P&L expertise, she has redefined industries and scaled organisations through visionary leadership rooted in growth, integrity, and global responsibility.
As CEO & Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, Lise revitalised the world’s largest sustainability initiative, steering it from financial deficit to profitability in just three years and increasing revenue by over 60%. Under her leadership, landmark initiatives such as the 1.5°C Climate Initiative and the Sustainable Oceans Program was launched, guiding Fortune 500 companies to set Paris-aligned targets. As a result, the UNGC expanded to more than 12,000 companies across 160 countries, embedding the SDGs into corporate strategy and driving measurable impact.
At Novo Nordisk, Lise served as Executive Vice President and member of Executive Management. The team increased revenues from $6.3bn to over $10.8bn from 2001-15 and became the largest company in the Nordic region by market capitalization, among the top ten companies in Europe and number six among pharmaceutical companies globally. She was instrumental in strengthening the company’s global leadership in diabetes care, expanding its footprint across continents as the most responsible company in the world, and championing ESG principles long before they became mainstream.
Today, she serves on the boards of Sanofi, Danone, Covestro, and Allianz Trade, and acts as Strategic Advisor to Allianz SE – shaping boardroom strategies that balance profitability with purpose.
