The International Staff Office offers workshops every semester aimed at developing awareness of and engagement with cultural diversity and inclusion. Not only do participants gain insights into Danish culture and potential ways to navigate living and working in Denmark, but they learn strategies that can create more culturally inclusive environments.
These workshops focus on living and working in Denmark. Participants engage with Danish cultural history and how it shapes daily life and workplace behaviour. We offer practical tools and strategies for how to act ‘culturally intelligent’ in Denmark and when collaborating cross-culturally.
The workshop is facilitated by Living Institute’s Veronica D’Souza, Chief Consultant, Impact Strategist, Social Entrepreneur, and Keynote Speaker with a Master’s degree in International Business and Politics from Copenhagen Business School and an Executive Education in Social Entrepreneurship from INSEAD Singapore.
With a passion for the intersection of inclusive leadership, diversity, equity, sustainability, and social impact, Veronica has dedicated her 15-year career to driving meaningful change across Denmark, Kenya, Thailand, Peru, and the United States. She co-founded CARCEL, an award-winning fashion label employing women in prison to produce garments from natural materials, providing paid work, skills training, and economic independence. She also co-founded Ruby Cup, a social enterprise delivering sustainable menstrual health solutions to women and girls in East Africa.
Veronica’s expertise lies in guiding organizations to embed DEI principles into leadership and strategy, helping them build more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable practices. She serves on the boards of The Soulfuls, advancing opportunities for underrepresented women in creative industries, and the Danish Design Council, where she contributes to shaping innovation and design policies.
Fluent in Danish, English, Italian, and Spanish, Veronica brings a truly global perspective to her work. Recognized for her leadership, she has received numerous accolades, including the Magasin du Nord Fashion Prize, EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year, and the Creative Business Cup Denmark. Based in Copenhagen, she continues to inspire organizations and communities to lead with authenticity, equity, and purpose, driving transformative and lasting impact.
These workshops focus on cross-cultural communication and collaboration within the Aarhus University context and the challenges and benefits of diversity and inclusion. Danish AU staff members attend together with AU International staff members.
Participants gain research-based knowledge and insights within the area of cross-cultural collaboration and discuss 'culturally intelligent' strategies on how to navigate in culturally diverse groups, avoid misunderstandings and be attentive to blind spots and cultural biases when collaborating cross-culturally. The aim is to enhance performance, innovation and satisfaction within the AU workplace by recognizing the benefits of inclusive workplaces.
The workshop is facilitated by Signe Ørom, CEO and Principal Consultant from Connecting Cultures. Signe holds a Ph.D in languages and culture, has extensive practical experience and theoretical knowledge about cross-cultural encounters and working effectively in Diverse teams. She has lived abroad for 10 years and worked in global companies for +15 years. Signe is an experienced facilitator of over 800 workshops and lectures in more than 20 countries and she is the author of the twin books ‘Forstod du, hvad de sagde? Kulturel intelligens og diversitet I globale samarbejder’ and ‘Did You Get the Point? Cultural Intelligence and Diversity in Global Collaboration.
If you are interested in hosting an extra workshop for an AU department or research group, please contact Lisa Topelmann-Weder, lisatw@au.dk, +4525580670 for pricing and further information.