Image: The conference gathered around 400 participants and more than 25 speakers in Vega on September 3, 2024.

In a conference with experts, thought leaders and decision makers gathered in the iconic music venue, Vega, in Copenhagen, Danske Bank has continued its ambition to engage customers and stakeholders in broad discussions on some of the world’s biggest challenges, among them climate change, geopolitical uncertainty and artificial intelligence.

The conference, which was a continuation of last year's successful Sustain Tomorrow conference, gathered around 400 participants and more than 25 speakers.

"Today is about asking questions", said CEO of Danske Bank, Carsten Egeriis to an audience of around 400 customers and stakeholders, before citing research from Harvard Business School and Mckinsey showing that leaders who regularly engage in asking insightful questions are 40% more likely to achieve successful outcomes in decision-making processes, and that companies that foster open dialogue and encourage employees at all levels to ask questions are 30% more likely to innovate effectively.

Reasons to be optimistic
In his speech, Carsten Egeriis also emphasised that although climate change, war and conflict and artificial intelligence pose overwhelming challenges for businesses and societies around the world, there are reasons to be hopeful.

"Over the past five years, we and our customers have faced some of the biggest disruptions and challenges in living memory. Pandemic. War. And inflation. And despite all this the Nordic economies have powered on. Consumers are in good shape. Homeowners have weathered the volatility in energy prices and interest rates. And Nordic businesses are - by and large - standing strong", said Carsten Egeriis highlighting the resilience of Nordic businesses and societies as well as our collective ability to overcome difficulties.

Importance of asking questions
After the welcome address by Danske Bank CEO, Carsten Egeriis, keynote speaker and futurist Mark Stevenson reemphasised the necessity of asking questions in a fundamentally uncertain world, followed by breakout sessions with thought-leaders and business leaders discussing challenges and dilemmas posed by technology, conflict and a changing climate.

One participant, Christian Møller-Holst, CEO and founder of Goodwings, the travel management platform that helps businesses organise travels and to keep track of CO2 emissions from travel activity, said he attended the Sustain Tomorrow conference with an eye to better understand market demands and mega-trends.

"My key takeaway from today was the clear call for business leaders to be more courageous. The conversations I took part in today, and listened to on stage, are important to me. I’m going to bring them back home to continue the discussions in my leadership team", said Christian Møller-Holst.


Image:  Futurist Mark Stevenson. 

Ongoing discussion and dialogue
Launched in 2023, Sustain Tomorrow is an invitation by Danske Bank to customers and stakeholders to engage in an ongoing, curious and constructive debate on current challenges and future solutions within initiatives and events across the Nordic countries.

Speakers at the 2024 event included economist and bestselling author Noreena Hertz and futurist Mark Stevenson as well as Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, deputy secretary general of OECD and business leaders from Google, Vestas, Microsoft, Finnair, Volvo and Danske Bank among others.