History
2019: Recess - Shifting Playgrounds
In 2019, the conference was held from the 20th to 21st of March at NHH – The Norwegian School of Economics.
The NHH Symposium 2019 revolved around the future of globalization, and how it will affect Europe and European businesses. The aim was to provide business leaders insight on themes such as shifts in global power balance, increasing disunity and populism, the future workplace, and war of talents. Through all these themes, there was an underlying focus on sustainability, with an emphasis on business & human rights. With a “No business can succeed in a society that fails”- mentality, decision-makers were challenged on their practices and priorities. Among the speakers were Yngve Slyngstad, Isabel Hilton, Henrik Syse, Vidar Helgesen, and Kerry Kennedy.
2017: Keeping up with the Millennials
The conference in 2017 addressed issues around a constantly changing business world. The NHH Symposium of 2017 wanted to challenge businesses to be a driver of development. It focused on companies’ ability to be flexible meeting the challenges of tomorrow’s society and the role of today’s youth in this.
The NHH Symposium of 2017 concerned the millenium generation, and their role in shaping the future. The aim of the conference was to give the students a voice in the social debate, including through a report on the wrongdoings of today’s education system. As a contribution to the NHH Symposium of 2017, Students’ Perspective Report (SPM) was prepared. This report concerned how students will succeed in tomorrow’s businesses through improved education.
2015: More for less – new tools for growth
In 2015, the conference was held on 18 and 19 March at NHH. The theme in 2015 was productivity. The conference presented issues surrounding declining productivity growth and brought up the relationship between technology, innovation, the labour market and sustainable businesses. Among the speakers this year were Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Kristin Skogen Lund and Jon Gunnar Pedersen.
2013: Battling the big
The NHH Symposium of 2013 challenged the sustainability of the Norwegian system, and asked whether it was prepared for the time to come. This was highlighter through sessions such as War for Talent, longsightedness, ownership and growth.
Amongst the speakers were editor of Financial Times Martin Wolf, former president of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Björn Stigson, minister of foreign affairs Espen Barth Eide, head of E.ON Jørgen Kildahl and Lucy Hockings from BBC.
2011: From Egoland to Legoland - building blocks for the future
Which country do you live in? Norway has one of the world’s highest living standards. We have done a great deal to get in such situation, but it is still important that we do not settle in and stay static on the decisions and solutions that have led us here. It’s not the case that yesterday’s solutions are necessarily the answer to tomorrow’s challenges. During this conference, “Norway’s largest group assignment” was organized for the first time. The project divided participants into groups where they were assigned a common challenge regarding what Norwegian business will face in the future. Each group were targeted to find a solution to the problem and then present its results under a panel discussion. Famous guests: David Arkless, Stine Bosse, Kristin Skogen Lund, Finance Minister Sigbjørn Johnsen and in the photo Helge Lund with the red runners.
2009: The Art of Survival - Achievement in a Long Term Perspective.
The financial crisis was at its worst, but a relevant topic still led the business community to the conference. H.K.H. Crown Prince Haakon returned from 2007, but this time as lecturer. The Crown Prince held the opening speech and talked about how the unfair distribution between rich and poor is not good for our worlds stability. Another highlights experienced by the participants were the lectures by Telenor Norway CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas (photo), Børge Brende, Paul-Chr. Rieber and Elin Ørjasæter.
2007: Risk and Unpredictability - Today's Threats, Tomorrow's Opportunities
The NHH-Symposium 2007, achieved an all-time high number of registered participants, with a total of 440! It was royally engaged, – as shown on the picture – as H.K.H. Crown Prince Haakon was one of the participants. Risk and unpredictability, today’s threats and tomorrow’s possibilities were highly relevant topics, and attracted many profound speakers. Among these were Anne Aasheim, Finn Bergesen Jr., Kjell A. Nordström and Kåre Valebrokk. The conference was concluded with lectures by the world leader to PwC, Samuel DiPiazza Jr.
2005: The intelligent organization
The future Norwegian “value creation”. To claim that the NHH Symposium has become better at creating adds is not unreasonable. In 2005, one of our speakers were Dr. Karen Stevenson from Harvard Graduate School of Design. She talked about why Pentagon had used her “metodeverktøy” to map al-Qaudas “terrorist network”.
2003: Values – from talk to action
Was it the participant record that made us forget to clean our office? In any case the conference of 2003 attracted a lot of people. Among the contributors were the guru of PR and football enthusiast Ingebrigt Steen Jensen, and Svein Mollekleiv from Det Norske Veritas.
2001: Contours of a new arena
Positioning, consolidation, transformation and innovation were key words in 2001. The picture shows former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, who stated in his key note that “it is the creativity and quality of the individuals that will be important.” Other speakers were CEO of SEB Lars Thunell, Minister of Trade Grete Knudsen and Chief Editor at Financial Times Martin Dickson.
1999: Knowledge in a digital economy
The NHH Symposium entered the new millennium with the first Norwegian theme in the history of the conference. Professor at NHH, Victor Norman, opened a conference full of Norwegian CEOs as key note speakers, such as Tormod Hermansen at Telenor Norway, Svein Aaser at DnB, Christian Thommessen at Glamox and Åge Korsvold at Storebrand ASA. Pictured is member of Raske Menn, Anders Hoff, as an enthusiastic symptionary in 1999.
1997: Speed - The new battlefield
“Speed means freedom and future if you are the fastest”, said the CEO of Microsoft Norway Morten Settevik in his opening lecture. The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that former minister Thorvald Stoltenberg encouraged the students to realize their dreams, and fulfilled one of his own when meeting NHH’s own choir Sangria. Key note speakers this year were CEO of Mercedes-Benz Helmut Werner and CEO of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) John Clarkson. In the picture we see then rector Carl Julius Norstrøm and Thorvald Stoltenberg.
1995: The Imperatives of Change
His Majesty King Harald V of Norway attended the NHH Symposium in 1995. Key note speakers were this year Professor at IMD Stéphane Garelli, CFO at Deutsche Bank Group Norbert Walter, Chairman of London Economics Ltd. John Kay and Chief Editor of The Economist, Nicholas Colchester.
1993: Uncertainty – Managing in a Turbulent World
The conference of 1993 focused on how to handle risks. Torstein Hagen from DNO advised the Norwegian state to sell its oil assets, and let others invest in the sector. Head of Statoil, Harald Nordvik, was present in addition to CEO of McKinsey Jon R. Katzenbach and Director of GATT Arthur Dunkel.
1991: Going for growth - the Challenge to Scandinavia
«I don’t know why my company is the most successful in the world. There is certainly nobody from business school there”, said the founder of The Body Shop, Anita Roddick. Management guru Michael Porter criticized lazy Norwegians, while Harvard professor Jeffrey Sachs talked about the challenges related to economic restructuring in relation to the new Eastern European democraties. Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland
Ledelsesguru Michael Porter tordnet mot late nordmenn via satellitt, mens Harvard-professor Jeffrey Sachs snakket om utfordringene knyttet til økonomisk omstilling i de nye øst-europeiske demokratier. Statsminister Gro Harlem Brundtland pointed out that the markets also needed a strict framework, so that Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” would not turn out to be “the invisible foot” that destroys common societal solutions.
1989: Insight outwards – analyzing a changing Europe
The change of Europe in a more and more complex world was on the agenda when the 80’s were in luck. European people of importance visited the NHH Symposium this year, including GATT Director Arthur Dunkel, Managing Director of the IMF, Helene Ploix, EU Commissioner Peter Sutherland, and last but not least, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
1987: In Quest of the 90’s
The NHH Symposium of 1987, In Quest of the 90’s, was strongly influenced by the present zeitgeist, focusing on new ideas and thoughts about the coming decade. The most memorable moment of the conference was when CEO of Volvo, Pehr Gyllenhammar, predicted the stock market strike that would occur half a year later.
1983 : Getting Out of Today’s Stagnation
The first NHH Symposium was held in 1983. The opening of the Symposium included the men’s choir Svæveru’, who had made a song for the CEO of Sas, Jan Carlzon. The theme for the conference was how to get out the stagnation that was present in the early 1980s.