Board Network - The Danish Professional Directors Association

What Board Network - The Danish Professional Directors Association does

Board Network – The Danish Professional Directors Association is a private, founder-led professional membership organization incorporated as Board Network ApS in Denmark, founded in March 2012 by Jakob Stengel. Headquartered at Strandvejen 100 in Hellerup with 14 employees, the company operates three core membership tiers targeting senior board professionals, board chairs, and aspiring first-time board members in Denmark. The flagship product, The Community, hosts 300+ members (predominantly from Top 200 Danish companies) in a conference-based format with at least four events per year. The Chambers, launched in July 2020, offers smaller confidential roundtable groups capped at 20 members each, while Bound for the Boardroom (launched 2021) targets C-level executives preparing for or newly entering board roles. Supporting these are value-add products including the Geopolitical Delegation Program (executive trips to geopolitical hotspots such as China, Ukraine, Brussels, and Greenland), the quarterly Board Perspectives magazine, and the Global Board Survey (the largest board survey with Danish origins, co-produced with InterSearch Worldwide and reaching 3,416 board members across 84 countries).

The business model is subscription-based, with annual membership fees ranging from 14,000 DKK (personal Community membership) to 42,000 DKK (board-level Community membership) and 24,000 DKK for The Chambers, plus combined and bundled tiers. Memberships auto-renew annually and are acquired primarily through direct application (with CV submission) or invitation, supplemented by referral-based word-of-mouth. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging exclusive speaker access (e.g., executives from BlackRock, Unilever, Carlsberg, Novo Nordisk), Chatham House Rule confidentiality, and flagship annual events such as Den Store Danske Bestyrelseskonference. Distribution relies on the organization's own website, email newsletters, LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter/YouTube social channels, and venue partnerships with corporate sponsors (AP Pension, KPMG, Gorrissen Federspiel) hosting events. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization has no disclosed institutional investment, operating as a bootstrapped professional association tightly integrated with its sister company Case Rose / InterSearch Worldwide in the executive search and governance advisory space.

Name

Board Network - The Danish Professional Directors Association

Legal name

Board Network ApS

Website

https://boardnetwork.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Board Network is a Danish private membership association founded in 2012 that operates an exclusive professional network serving 300+ senior board members and aspiring directors through conferences, confidential roundtables, geopolitical delegation trips, and governance research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK), Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD), Governance & Board Effectiveness Advisory (BPAHAFAC)

Keywords

• Board governance network
• Professional directors association
• Corporate governance membership
• Board member development
• Executive roundtable events

Headquarters

HQ city

Hellerup

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees for three tiers of access to The Community (personal, corporate, and board-level memberships), The Chambers roundtable groups, and Bound for the Boardroom development program. Memberships auto-renew annually unless cancelled.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Board Network is a private, invitation- and application-based professional membership association that connects experienced Danish and international board members through three subscription tiers — The Community (large-format conferences for 300+ members), The Chambers (small confidential roundtables of max 20 members), and Bound for the Boardroom (development program for aspiring board members). The organization also runs the Geopolitical Delegation Program, publishes the Board Perspectives magazine, and conducts the annual Global Board Survey in partnership with InterSearch.

Product overview

Board Network operates as a unified membership platform offering three interconnected tiers of professional board network services. The core consists of The Community (large conference-format network with 300+ members), The Chambers (smaller confidential roundtable groups of max 20), and Bound for the Boardroom (development forum for aspiring board members). Supporting these are value-added services including the Geopolitical Program (delegation trips), Board Perspectives magazine, and Global Board Survey publications. The platform focuses on 'Excellence in the Boardroom' through strategic and leadership-focused value creation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Community: Board Network's largest membership forum with over 300 members, hosting at least four conferences annually with speakers from the top shelf of Danish and international board chairmen, professional board members, professors, and experts.
• The Chambers
• Bound for the Boardroom

Products and services

• The Community Denmark's largest and most exclusive board network with 300+ members, primarily board members from top 200 companies. Offers conference-format meetings with minimum four events per year, including three closed member conferences and Den Store Danske Bestyrelseskonference.
• The Chambers Smaller roundtable groups with maximum 20 members each, meeting 5 times per season in an interactive roundtable format. Designed for experienced board members seeking confidential peer-to-peer sparring forums with topical themes facilitated by Denmark's leading experts.
• Bound for the Boardroom Development forum for aspiring board members who are C-level executives, on the threshold of their first board position, or have recently joined their first board. Provides practical tools for board profile building, mentor access, and guidance to headhunters and active owners.
• Geopolitical Delegation Program Specialized delegation travel program taking board members to global geopolitical hotspots including Beijing/Shanghai, Kyiv, Brussels/Luxembourg, and Greenland. Since 2024, has conducted trips with 85 board chairs and senior executives to four strategic destinations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Network of 300+ board members with majority from Top 200 companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InterSearch WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with InterSearch - Worldwide Organization of Executive Search Firms for conducting the annual Global Board Survey. This collaboration produces the world's largest board survey with Danish origins, engaging 3,416+ board chairs and members from 84 countries. The partnership enhances Board Network's thought leadership positioning globally.
• Case RosecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCase Rose is both a sister company to Board Network and a strategic partner. Founder Jakob Stengel operates in the regime of Case Rose/InterSearch. The partnership provides access to executive search expertise and enhances member value through integrated governance and recruitment services.
• AP PensionminorOthersAP Pension sponsors Board Network events, hosting the 'When Values and Reality Collide' conference at their facilities in Nordhavn, Copenhagen.
• KPMGminorOthersKPMG hosts the 'Managing Investors' Expectations' conference at their Copenhagen office location.
• Gorrissen FederspielminorOthersGorrissen Federspiel law firm hosts Board Network events at their Axeltorv location in Copenhagen.
• Jeppe KofodminorOthersFormer Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs serves as delegation leader for Board Network's Geopolitical Program trips to USA and India.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• WomenCorporateDirectors (WCD): Global membership organization and peer network for women corporate directors. Comparable as a curated peer network for board members operating across multiple countries, with similar roundtable and conference formats — partial overlap on governance and networking focus.
• European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI): International research institute on corporate governance, publishing working papers and policy work. Comparable as a governance thought-leadership and research body producing data and convening directors — a partial peer for the survey/research layer of Board Network's offering.

Direct peers

• National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD): The largest U.S. membership organization for corporate directors, offering peer networks, education, and board resources. Directly comparable to Board Network as a peer professional association serving experienced board members with conferences, publications, and director education.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Directors (IoD): Long-established UK-based institute for directors offering membership, training, and the Chartered Director qualification. Comparable as a large, broad incumbent membership organization in the same professional board/director category, with a wider portfolio than Board Network.
• International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN): Global investor-led organization promoting corporate governance standards. Comparable as an international governance-focused membership body publishing research and convening directors and governance professionals — similar thought-leadership positioning to Board Network's Global Board Survey.
• Confederation of Danish Industry (Dansk Industri / DI): Denmark's largest business and industry association, offering board-related events, governance policy, and member services. Comparable as a Danish business membership organization with overlapping governance agenda and corporate-member base, though broader in scope than Board Network.

Regional players

• Swedish Academy of Board Directors (Styrelseakademien): Nordic sibling offering board education, certification, and networking to Swedish directors. Comparable as a regional board membership organization with adjacent curriculum and member model, serving a neighboring Nordic market rather than Denmark directly.

Others

• InterSearch Worldwide: Global executive search firm network and strategic partner of Board Network, co-producing the Global Board Survey. Comparable as an ecosystem participant serving the same board member and senior executive audience via executive search and governance services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/jakob_stengel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpIQB9XULQui6lz-3VQQwXw
• Facebookfacebook.com/boardnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/board-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Board Network - The Danish Professional Directors Association