Lykke Friis (born 27 October 1969) is a Danish academic official and former politician. She is currently Prorector for Education at the University of Copenhagen, a position she previously held from 2006 to 2009. A member of the party Venstre, Friis served as Minister for Climate and Energy from 2009 to 2011, and Minister for Gender Equality from 2010 to 2011."Lykke Friis meldte sig ind i Venstre i nat"
borsen.dk, 24 November 2009John Acher (November 24, 2009)
Denmark proposes Hedegaard for new EU climate job
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Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

''.

Early life and education

Lykke Friis is the daughter of a Danish father and a German mother. She graduated from Øregård Gymnasium and studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. ...

. Lykke Friis obtained her M.Sc. in economics and political science from

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

in 1992, followed by a M.Sc. in political science from University of Copenhagen in 1993. She got a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

international politics International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

from the University of Copenhagen in 1997.

Eisenhower Fellowships Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organization ...

selected Friis in 2002 to represent Denmark.

Career

Friis has worked as an academic in the Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs, and as a researcher in Dansk Udenrigspolitisk Institut. From 2003 until 2006, she was head of European Politics in the Confederation of Danish Industries. She has taught at both the

University of Copenhagen Faculty of Social Sciences The Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen is divided into five departments, where research and teaching are carried out in the fields of Economics, Political Science, International Politics, Management, Anthropology, Psychology ...

and at

Copenhagen Business School Copenhagen Business School (Danish'': Handelshøjskolen i København'') often abbreviated and referred to as CBS (also in Danish), is a public university situated in Copenhagen, Denmark and is considered one of the most prestigious business scho ...

in international relations. During her time as minister, Friis presided over the

2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. The conference included the 15th session of the Conference of the Partie ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. In 2011, she oversaw the Danish government's plan to wean itself off coal, oil and natural gas by 2050 by boosting energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. Friis has contributed to newspapers, radio, TV, and seminars on EU-related issues, and has written a number of articles and books and such subjects. Her ability to make the EU material accessible secured her the DR Rosenkjærprisen in 2008.

Other activities

Corporate boards

Vestas Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Un ...

, Member of the Board of Directors (2014-2018)

Non-profit organizations

* Danish Foreign Policy Society, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors * Rockwool Fonden, Member of the Board of Directors *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...

(ECFR), Co-chair (since 2019) *

Trilateral Commission The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...

, Member of the European Group *

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

(ICG), Board of Trustees (since 2012)

Personal life

Friis is known as a

connoisseur A connoisseur (French language, French Reforms of French orthography, traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge ...

German football Association football, Football is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association ( or ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (ro ...

and is a fan of

FC Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional association foo ...

."Lykke Friis om Bayern, pigefodbold og AGF"
stiften.dk, 13 June 2011

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Friis, Lykke 1969 births Living people Government ministers of Denmark Danish people of German descent Academic staff of Copenhagen Business School Women's ministers of Denmark Ministers of climate of Denmark Venstre (Denmark) politicians Danish women academics Members of the Folketing 2011–2015