Over the last decade, the Grundfos Foundation’s philanthropic activities increased dramatically, adding to the demands of the capacity of its employees.In the spring, the Foundation appointed a new Deputy Director with responsibility for the Foundation’s overall program work, impact and strategic development, and now the team is expanded to ensure that the Foundation creates societal change in global partnerships with a holistic, data-driven approach, while also increasing collaboration between Grundfos and the Foundation.
“We constantly sharpen our ambitions with rtegard to the change we wat to see in the world through our philanthropic work and our investments, but the increased donations and collaboration with global actors in a bid for complex societal changes demands us to gear up when it comes to our Secretariat‘s capacity ,” says Deputy Director Christian Toft Ramsbøl who heads u the philanthropic portfolio team.
Portfolio Manager to sthrengthen analytical approach
Portfolio Manager Martin Skovrup Bertelsen joins the team to strengthen the analytical approach, especially within the Foundation’s international development work where the ambition is to build lasting interventions that are data-driven and holistic. Martin brings valuable experience from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, helping us to collaborate better with the Danish diplomatic service in the future.
“In the future, we want our water projects to become truly transformational rather than ‘just technical’, and for this to happen we need a broader view on our approaches and partnerships – and this is where Martin can play an important role. We also want to increase the synergies between our three main philanthropic areas, and he will be able to identify opportunities in his new role of portfolio analyst”, says Christian Toft Ramsbøl.
Martin will play an important role in identifying opportunities in his new role of portfolio analyst. Photo: Grundfos Foundation
Transformational inclusion through impact partnerships
The Foundation’s other ambition is to strengthen partnerships for transformation within its Inclusion activities. The new Head of Inclusion, Gitte Thordahl Jespersen, will take on this task with a special focus on social impact investments.
“Our donations to Inclusion have grown to new ambitious heights, and it is time for us to step up our work in this arena. With her experience form working with Lind Invest and Lind Foundation, Gitte will play a crucial part in the Foundation’s development here,” says Christian Toft Ramsbøl.
As new Head of Inclusion, Gitte Thordahl Jespersen will help sharpen the Foundation’s position in the social arena. Photo: Grundfos Foundation
Increased collaboration with Grundfos
he main purpose of the Grundfos Foundation is to ensure and support healthy economic growth and development of the Grundfos Group. The addition of Gitte and Martin help build global change through global partnerships while expanding the potential collaboration space between Grundfos and the Foundation.
“Expanding our capacity and adding new skillsets will definitely help us create a bigger impact in collaboration with Grundfos. There’s already several good examples within technology development, the climate agenda, and startup investments, but we can do so much more together. We look forward to exploring the opportunities with our strengthened portfolio team,” Christian Toft Ramsbøl concludes.