Helle Bank Jorgensen
CEO and Founder



Helle Bank Jorgensen, the CEO and founder of Competent Boards, was inducted into the Corporate Governance Hall of Fame by IR (Investor Relation) Magazine.
Board members and executives in over 55 countries – many from Fortune 500 companies – have achieved a certification from Competent Boards, and have gone on to help their companies mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by the ever-evolving governance landscape.
A business lawyer and certified public accountant by training, Helle is an internationally recognized voice on governance, sustainability, climate, and nature and serves at the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence, World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network for Corporate Governance, Leadership, and Emerging Multinationals; and as co-chair, global expert panel, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) established by HM King Charles III, among other roles.
Originally from Denmark, she now lives in Canada, where she was recognized in 2023 as a ‘Global Changemaker’ by The Globe and Mail and one of the ‘Top 50 Influencers to Follow’ by Onalytica. In 2022 she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women. She was also selected as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices in the Green Economy and received the SustainabilityX® Magazine’s Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award.
In 2024 she received the Corporate Governance Lifetime Achievement Award in New York City the same night she received another Lifetime Governance Achievement Award from the Governance Professionals of Canada in Toronto, Canada.
In addition to Competent Boards, offering the world’s first globally accessible board training program, Helle has a few other brainchildren, including the world’s first green account, the first integrated report, the first holistic supply chain program and many innovative business solutions, and latest The Future Boardroom.
Her Amazon bestseller, Stewards of the Future: A Guide for Competent Boards, was published in 2022. She is a regular contributor to FTs Agenda, Board Agenda and interviewed by many leading publications. Prior to Competent Boards she was a partner at PwC.




Public speaking
Helle is a regular keynote speaker, moderator, and panelist for major event hosts, including:
- Finance Executives International (FEI)
- The Wall Street Journal Sustainable Business Forums
- GreenFin
- The Conference Board
- International Federation of Accountants (IFAC)
- Institute of Directors of India and the Philippines
- World Economic Forum
- Reuters Responsible Business Summits
- edie23
- Good Governance Academy
- A4s Sustainability Summit
- League of Corporate Foundations
- Academy of International Business
- Nasdaq
Amazon bestselling author
Helle is the author of Amazon bestseller Stewards of the Future: A Guide for Competent Boards.
The book gives invaluable guidance on what boards must do if the businesses they guide are to respond successfully to today’s enormous economic, environmental, and social challenges.
Through practical examples, guides, and real-life experiences, this highly praised book will help any business leader who wants to keep up with new environmental, ethical, financial, and societal demands.
Thought leadership
Helle’s book, blogs, articles, and posts make her one of the world’s most read and followed voices in governance and sustainability, and one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. Articles include:
- Corporate Board Member – Investors are demanding sustainability—Is Your Board Ready?
- Chief Executive – The game of risk that will make or break your company
- Environment Journal – Lessons in ESG: The road to net zero is paved by board education
- TRIUM Connects – Stewards of the Future: Can and should we count on boards to do the right thing?
- Board Agenda: Why nature is a business priority
- Thinking the Unthinkable – Talking about... why boards must think like activists with Helle Bank Jorgensen
- Real Leaders – Corporate Boards are Facing Unprecedented Pressure. Here are My Top 3 Solutions
- Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance: Crafting the ‘G’ in ESG: Accountability in the Boardroom
- Corporate Compliance Insights: New Year, Same ESG Challenges: Overstretched Boards Face Barrage of Global Regulation
- CEO World Magazine – Make stakeholder concerns your concerns. All of them
- GreenBiz - How do you redesign your supply chain in a chaotic world?
- Agenda: Six New Criteria That Future-Fit Boards Must Have in Their Skills Matrix
Awards
Helle’s work has been widely recognized, including:
- Inducted into the Corporate Governance Hall of Fame by IR (Investor Relation) Magazine in 2024
- Corporate Governance Lifetime Achievement Award 2024
- Peter Dey Governance Achievement Award from the Governance Professionals of Canada 2024
- The Globe and Mail 50 Changemakers for 2023 list
- Onalytica: Who's Who in ESG - Top 50 Influencers to Follow in 2023
- SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Award in 2022
- One of Canada's Most Powerful Women, 2022: Top 100 Award Winner by the Women's Executive Network
- Global Impact Award 2020, and named one of "5 people in ESG to look out for"
- Clean50 award in 2019 for outstanding contribution to clean capitalism
- One of LinkedIn's Top Voices in the Green Economy in the US and Canada in 2022
Other accolades
Helle serves on:
- Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence’s Insights Council
- World Economic Forum (WEF) Expert Network for Corporate Governance, Leadership, and Emerging Multinationals
- Co-chair, Global Expert Panel, Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) established by HM King Charles III
- The Non-financial Digitisation Working Group of the Impact Management Project (IMP)
- Judging panel Diligent's Modern Governance 100
- Canadian Climate Governance Experts –- a Commonwealth Climate & Law Initiative
She has served as the Chair of the European Sustainability Reporting Association (ESRA), the Global Compact Network Canada, Datamaran, and as a member of the Sustainability Advisory Panel of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), and the Sustainability Policy Group of the Institute of European Accountants (FEE).


Welcome, which course are you interested in:
Primarily discuss the topics through the lens of serving on the board. You must be serving on at least one board with fiduciary responsibility to enter this stream.
Discuss the topics through a wide range of business perspectives (including the board) and comprise senior executives, investors, and board advisors.