2026 Study Visit
Venue: Copenhagen Business School, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg – Room: Lokale SP 2.08, second floor
16:30
Registration and coffee
17:00
Study Visit Welcome
- Welcome by HUMANE
- Welcome by the Copenhagen Business School
- Objectives, structures and expectations
Nadine Burquel, Director General, HUMANE, BE; Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
17:15
Universities under strong governmental regulation: implications for professional services
- Regulatory and accountability pressures on universities
- Efficiency, quality and compliance expectations
- Why professional services have become strategically central to institutional viability
Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
17:45
Workshop: participants’ challenges and reform priorities
Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
18:45
Linking participants’ expectations to the Study Visit programme
Nadine Burquel, Director General, HUMANE, BE
19:00
Welcome reception and Networking Dinner hosted by the Copenhagen Business School
Venue: University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Frue Plads 4, 1160 Copenhagen – Room: Ceremonial Hall
08:45
Arrival and coffee
09:00
The value of HUMANE: Supporting the modernisation and organisational transformation of professional services
Alex Pellacani, President of HUMANE; Director General, University of Trento, IT
09:05
The reform journey: Designing a new organisation
- Drivers for change
- Governance and organisational model before and after the reform
- Implementing the new model: What was centralised and what remained decentralised
- Key organisational and cultural challenges
Søren Munk Skydsgaard, University Director, University of Copenhagen, DK
09:45
Q&A and discussions
Søren Munk Skydsgaard, University Director, University of Copenhagen, DK
10:05
Making the new operating model work at scale:
- Governance, accountability
- Matrix structure
- Service ownership and cross-organisational coordination
Søren Munk Skydsgaard, University Director, University of Copenhagen, DK
10:35
Workshop: Leading large-scale administrative centralisation
- Building trust
- Creating a shared culture
- Balancing efficiency and local needs
Søren Munk Skydsgaard, University Director, University of Copenhagen, DK; Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
11:10
Coffee break
11:25
Improving services and driving efficiency in a centralised model
- Building customer relationships and maintaining trust with academics
- Service development and management
- Balancing common solutions and local needs
- Driving continuous improvement
Annegrete Vallgårda, Campus Director, Campus Administration Frederiksberg (decentralised campus administration centre), University of Copenhagen, DK
11:45
Roundtable discussion and wrap up: Priorities for professional services in European universities
- Biggest challenges and opportunities
Søren Munk Skydsgaard, University Director and Annegrete Vallgårda, Campus Director, Campus Administration Frederiksberg (decentralised campus administration centre), University of Copenhagen, DK; Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
12:30
Lunch
13:15
From central governance to local delivery
- How decentralised administrative units operate within a centralised governance structure
- Delegated responsibilities, service catalogues and accountability
Henrik Zobbe, University Director, Roskilde University, DK
14:00
Coach transfer and guided tour of the South Campus of Copenhagen University
Hedvig Gyde Thomsen, Advisor to the Dean of Education, Copenhagen Business School, DK, and a representative from the UCPH campus senior management
16:15
Reflective workshop: making centralisation work on the ground
Facilitated discussions:
- What worked well in the observed model
- Where do tensions, ambiguities or risks arise
- Risks of recentralisation vs risks of fragmentation
- Lessons transferable to participants’ own institutions
Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
17:15
Return to hotels
19:00
Informal networking dinner
Venue: Copenhagen Business School, Solbjerg Plads 3, 2000 Frederiksberg – Room: Lokale SP s.13, ground floor
08:45
Arrival and coffee
09:00
Administrative transformation at CBS: choices, trade offs and results
- Reform drivers under strong regulation and resource constraints
- Redesigning professional services as operating models
- Explicit prioritisation and deprioritisation
Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
10:00
Operational excellence in practice
- Process optimisation and standardisation
- Shared services experiences
- Cost transparency as a leadership tool
Julie Arildsen, Head of process-, project and change management, Copenhagen Business School, DK
10:45
Coffee Break
11:00
Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence in professional services
- Automation and AI as enablers of new service models
- Governance, data quality and risk considerations
- Organisational implications
Niels Jespersen, CIO and René Steffensen, Head of Library and Academic Services, Copenhagen Business School, DK
11:30
Reshaping the administrative workforce
- Changing roles and competence needs
- Upskilling and reskilling strategies
- Supporting managers through continuous transformation
Mette Kuhlen Gullach, Head of HR & Legal, Copenhagen Business School, DK
12:00
Participant reflections: key takeaways and application at home institutions
Nadine Burquel, Director General, HUMANE, BE; Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
12:25
Closing remarks
Nadine Burquel, Director General, HUMANE, BE; Arnold Boon, University Director, Copenhagen Business School, DK
12:40
Closing lunch and departures
Important information:
HUMANE, the Copenhagen Business School and the University of Copenhagen fully intend to deliver the HUMANE Study Visit to Copenhagen. If however, restrictions require it to be postponed, participants will be notified with as much notice as possible.
Neither HUMANE, the Copenhagen Business School and the University of Copenhagen are liable for any losses, accidents or damage to persons or objects during the HUMANE Study Visit to Copenhagen. Participants attending the HUMANE Study Visit to Copenhagen do so at their own risk and responsibility.