Track Leader: Marc Steffen Rapp, Professor

Research Questions:
▪ Does long-term ownership (e.g., listed institutions, blockholder ownership by foundations, families, mutuals) promote and support the pursuit of sustainable value creation (financial performance and ESG performance)?
▪ How does corporate governance and stakeholder governance influence a firm’s corporate sustainability practices and financial performance?
▪ Do strict disclosure requirements (e.g., mandated non-financial and ESG disclosure) affect the propensity to list as well as the number of listings on the Nordic/European stock markets?
▪ How do board governance and board characteristics influence a financial institutions sustainability policies and performance?
▪ How and when does the risk of green washing emerge and how can it be mitigated?
▪ How do companies fund their sustainability operations? What is the relationship between firms’ debt structure (i.e., firm creditworthiness proxied by credit ratings) and their sustainability performance (measured by ESG ratings)?
▪ What is the role of creditors in facilitating access to the financing of a firm’s sustainability endeavours?

Track Leader: Trond Randøy, Professor

Research Questions:
▪ How are the various Nordic capital markets connected – the market for start-ups (angle investors, private funds), for high-growth firms (private equity) and for listed firms (IPOs, other issues)?
▪ What are the costs and barriers for financial institutions compared to other European countries (e.g., the Netherlands, Germany)?
▪ What are the benefits from a public listing in terms of enhanced access to capital, brand recognition and enhanced strategic options? What are the cost implications of listing in terms of managerial time commitment, regulatory compliance costs and maintaining investor relations costs? What are the implications of public listing for top management incentives and board activities?
▪ Ownership: Who is the potential best owner in the life cycle of a corporation and what are the consequences of ownership on valuation?

Track Leader: Lars Ohnemus, Senior Advisor and Project Leader

Research Questions:
▪ What are the differences and similarities of Nordic legal frameworks, how do they compare to other European countries and how do they affect corporate governance practices?
▪ What features of Nordic corporate governance are truly unique to the Nordic countries, and can thus be considered to constitute ‘the Nordic model’? Is the Nordic model homogeneous, or is this an illusion?
▪ What are the historical origins of differences in frameworks and practice between the Nordic countries?
▪ What are the policy effects on owners, boards, stakeholders, and sustainability developments?
▪ What are the CEO pay ratios in the Nordic countries, how do they compare with other OCED countries and are there any gender differences?

Track Leader: Jette Steen Knudsen, Professor

Research Questions:
▪ Will there be efficiency gain in the area of AML by moving from a rule to a risk-based system?
▪ What has been the societal costs or benefits of introducing new regulations since 2008?
▪ How is the interplay between public regulation and private authority evolving for corporate governance?
▪ Are boards reorganizing in order to meet new sustainability requirements and if so, how?
▪ What has been the impact on the overall market development?
▪ Are there better and more efficient ways or systems to achieve the same political goals?

Track Leader: Kasper Meisner, Professor

Research Questions:
▪ Will we – due to industry related reputational issues and new generation seeking a different purpose from their employers – be faced with a shortage of bankers, executives and board member in the future?
▪ Is the sector attracting the right talent and what can be done about the age gap?
▪ What would be the requirements and changes necessary in order to successfully solve the next generation issue? Is purpose driven management and ownership a way to solve the current challenges?

Track Leader: Tom Kirchmaier, Professoer

Research Questions: