About POD

WELCOME

TO PROJECT ONBOARD DENMARK

We’re here to help businesses in Denmark onboard and retain international talent; – and ensure international employees feel welcomed and are able to make the contributions they were hired for. We spent three years researching the critical issues experienced around onboarding, including language barriers and working across differences in workplace cultures. Our free tools and workshops are available for leaders, HR professionals, and team managers seeking to strengthen their onboarding processes.

OUR VISION

Enabling Danish companies to be great places for international employees to work in.

OUR MISSION

Helping businesses and employees turn cultural differences into collaborative strengths.

OUR VALUES

Research-driven

We act based on evidence collected specifically for this project.

Company-focused

We recognise that onboarding of internationals can be complex and challenging for both small and medium-sized, as well as larger companies. We are committed to giving them the tools they need.

People centred

People are at the heart of everything we do. Our tools have been developed keeping your employees in mind to engage everyone in the organisation to foster dialogue and understanding.

out values

RESEARCH
CONDUCTED

From
15 APR 2021
To
01 SEP 2023
84 qualitative interviews
with CEOs, team leaders, experts, HR professionals, international employees and international graduates from Danish universities
134 Surveys
completed by companies
40 interviews
with SMEs and 7 with large companies
11 interviews
with experts
26 interviews
with recent international graduates from Danish universities
25 interviews
with recent international graduates from Danish universities
134 companies
completed a questionnaire Register analysis based on data from Statistics Denmark - international high-educated people in Denmark from 2014-2021
3 workshops
with SMEs to develop and test tools for onboarding and retaining international high-skilled professional

OUR
STORY

2021

Project Onboard Denmark is born.

Founders secure 5,7 million DKK from Innovation Fund Denmark

2022-2023

Three years of research and tool development completed.

2023

Beta version goes live.

Project Onboard Denmark officially launched.

MEET THE
TEAM

7
TEAM
MEMBERS
11
NATIONALITIES
Dr. Poornima Luthra Associate Professor, Founder & Author

Dr. Poornima Luthra

Associate Professor, Founder & Author

Poornima is an Associate Professor at Copenhagen Business School and the founder and CEO of TalentED Consultancy ApS. She is also the author of ‘Diversifying Diversity’ and ‘The Art of Active Allyship’. Poornima’s work for Project Onboard Denmark focuses on expanding the dimensions of diversity, emphasising intersectionality, empowering individuals to be active allies of inclusion, and enabling inclusive leadership.

Tools developed:

  • Cultural Thumbprint
  • Cultivating Empathy
  • Onboarding 360 Audit
  • Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
  • Professional and Social Networking plan
Professor Claire Maxwell Professor & Project Lead

Professor Claire Maxwell

Professor & Project Lead

Claire studies the global mobility of professionals and their families at the University of Copenhagen. She researches the experiences of families as they move for work, focusing on how their skills are recognised and incorporated into their new workplaces. She is also interested in understanding cultural aspects such as parenting practices, relations of belonging, and strategies for social incorporation.Project Onboard Denmark is Claire’s brainchild and, together with Signe and Marianne, she secured the funding that brought it to life.

Resources developed:

  • Language Tool
  • Knowledge Bank Tool
Signe Biering Executive Coach, Speaker & Advisor

Signe Biering

Executive Coach, Speaker & Advisor

Signe is the chameleon of Project Onboard Denmark with degrees in Law and Politics and Business Coaching and a certification in Leadership Psychology. She worked as a Danish diplomat in India, China, and Israel before becoming an entrepreneur. Now back in Denmark, she works primarily as an executive coach, speaker, and advisor on cultural leadership, professional development, global cooperation, and diversity and inclusion.

Resources developed:

  • Culture Game
  • Company DNA Workshop
  • Professional and Social Networking Plan
Marianne Lund Senior Talent Manager

Marianne Lund

Senior Talent Manager

Marianne is representing the co-lead, Copenhagen Capacity with degrees in Cultural Studies, German, a BA of Commerce, and a certification as an NLP Trainer and Teambuilding. She has lived more than half of her life outside of Denmark, the last 30 years in Berlin as Business & Cultural Consultant in her own company, people+people, focusing on intercultural communication and diversity in international companies. Now she is working at Copenhagen Capacity as Senior Talent Consulting and Project Manager and responsible for similar research projects, creating tools for Danish SMEs, including Project Onboard Denmark.

Resources and Services developed:

  • Project Management, including team and budget management
  •  Supplementing insights during the research process
  • Cultural Onboarding
Claudia Bednorz Marketing Manager

Claudia Bednorz

Marketing Manager

Claudia is the communication geek of this project. She has extensive content creation experience as a journalist and marketeer from her previous and current assignments. Her academic background is built on a BA in Crossmedia journalism and PR and an MA in Communication Studies and Cultural Encounters. She brings first-hand experience as a German ex-pat living in Denmark since 2018 and working for Danish SMEs since 2020.

Resources and Services developed:

  • Managing the development of the website
  • Managing the development of the digital tools
  • CRM
  • Communication and PR Strategy
Anayka Bettencourt Communications and Visual Design specialist

Anayka Bettencourt

Communications and Visual Design specialist

Anayka, a nomadic spirit driven by creativity, a passionate «street trader» of ideas. After spending over 15 years in communication design and advertising in the African market, she relocated to Copenhagen to pursue a master & degree in Spatial Design and Society. She also holds a degree in Advertising and a postgrad art direction qualification. Anayka has been an essential creative force driving Project Onboard Denmark for the past two years, shaping visual and communication strategy, and producing all the graphic designs to bring those strategies to life.

 

Resources and Services developed:

  • Coordinate creative solutions & design thinking (Tools & Website)
  • SoMe & content strategy
  • Marketing for events
  • Data Visualisation & graphic Design
Sofie Amalie Olsen Research Assistant and Anthropologist

Sofie Amalie Olsen

Research Assistant and Anthropologist

Sofie is an anthropologist from the University of Copenhagen where she is currently employed at the Department of Sociology. She has a strong enthusiasm for contributing to research applicable beyond the university environment, which led her to join Project Onboard Denmark. In this project, her responsibilities include conducting data analysis and communicating the research findings from Onboard Denmark.

 

Co-developed resources and tools include:

  • Research notes and infographics
  • Danish culture brochure and onboarding guide
  • Language tool
  • Danish culture game

THE
PARTNERS