23-24 MarchVilla Copenhagen

Welcome to the 
Verdane Leadership Day 2026

Decisions under pressure

How leaders strengthen judgment when it matters most

Leadership is ultimately tested in moments where uncertainty is high, information is incomplete, and the consequences of decisions are significant.

This year’s Verdane Leadership Day focuses on how leaders can make better decisions under pressure — and how fear, stress, bias and group dynamics influence judgment in critical moments.

The day is designed to challenge and support CEOs and Chairs in real situations and decisions you are currently facing.

What to expect

Through expert insights, interactive workshops and peer dialogue, you will:

  • Gain a clearer understanding of how human behaviour affects decisions under pressure
  • Identify blind spots and biases in your own decision-making
  • Work with concrete leadership situations you are currently facing
  • Develop practical tools to strengthen judgment at individual, team and board level

The focus is highly applied: shared language, reflection and actions that can be used immediately.

    Program highlights

    Verdane Update – Bjarne Lie:

    Bjarne Lie will open the day with Verdane’s perspective on leadership, ownership and human capital, framing the most critical decision challenges CEOs and Chairs face today — and setting the context for the day’s focus on judgment under pressure.

    Erik Salvador: 

    An exploration of how fear, stress and risk influence behaviour and decision-making — and how leaders can consciously override these patterns to act with clarity, courage and focus in demanding situations.

    Jan-Ole Hesselberg:

    An interactive workshop on bias, blind spots and better judgment, grounded in real decisions from the group and tailored to the challenges participants are facing now.

    CEO & Chair sessions

    The day concludes with separate CEO and Chair sessions, focused on making key decisions about leadership team and board composition.

    Participants will be challenged to reflect on:

    • Which capabilities are needed in the next phase
    • Where teams or boards may be over- or under-equipped
    • How to make high-stakes people decisions with greater clarity and confidence

    These sessions are designed to support concrete, role-specific decisions leaders are currently considering.

    Preparation and networking

    No preparation is needed unless you are contacted directly by the team. However, in honor of commercial opportunities we recommend all attendees to look into the participation list before the day. 

    We will share the list one week prior to the Leadership day where you will find information about the companies and people attending. Choose a few that you want to connect with during the day to discuss potential partnerships, cross/upsell opportunities or simply to learn more about them or their businesses. We can’t wait to see you for a day to inspire, learn, share experiences and spend time together.

    Kindly note that guests are asked to arrange their own flights, transport and accommodation; costs are borne by each attending company/the company that you represent. Please scroll down to "Practicalities" for the hotel booking link.

    Similarly to last year, there will be an optional early arrivals dinner on March 23th.

    For any questions in the meantime, email events@verdane.com.

    Best wishes,

    Ellen Nyhus and Niklas Savander on behalf of the Verdane team

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    SCHEDULE

    19:00

    Early arrivals dinner

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen
    19:30

    Decisions & uncertainty – bias, blind spots and better judgment

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen
    Jan-Ole Hesselberg

    09:00

    Welcome to Verdane Leadership day

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen
    Ellen Nyhus
    CEO Verdane Elevate
    Niklas Savander
    Head of Chair and Advisory program
    09:10

    Verdane update

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen
    Bjarne Lie
    Founder & Managing Partner Verdane
    10:00

    Break

    10:30

    Keynote

    11:30

    Lunch

    Villa Copenhagen
    13:00

    CEO session with Hackathon


    Read more
    Square 2

    COB session

    “Fear, Stress, and Change: Mastering the Hidden Drivers of Human Behavior”

    This session explores how evolutionary and biological mechanisms shape our responses to stress, crisis, and social risk—often unconsciously holding us back from growth and change. By understanding these hidden drivers, you’ll learn practical strategies to overcome fear, build resilience, and consciously steer your behavior toward bold, adaptive action

    Teaser: Our brains are wired for survival, not success—and that wiring often sabotages us in moments of stress, crisis, and change. This session uncovers the evolutionary and biological mechanisms behind social fear, risk aversion, and resistance to change, explaining why we unconsciously avoid opportunities that could lead to growth. You’ll learn how these hidden drivers shape behavior under pressure and discover practical strategies to override them. By making the unconscious conscious, you can reclaim control, build resilience, and develop the courage to take bold, adaptive action. Understanding the science of fear is the first step toward mastering it—and transforming how you lead yourself and others through uncertainty.

    Read more
    Square 3
    Erik Salvador
    14:30

    Break

    15:00

    COB session with Hackathon

    Square 2

    CEO Session

    “Fear, Stress, and Change: Mastering the Hidden Drivers of Human Behavior”

    This session explores how evolutionary and biological mechanisms shape our responses to stress, crisis, and social risk—often unconsciously holding us back from growth and change. By understanding these hidden drivers, you’ll learn practical strategies to overcome fear, build resilience, and consciously steer your behavior toward bold, adaptive action

    Teaser: Our brains are wired for survival, not success—and that wiring often sabotages us in moments of stress, crisis, and change. This session uncovers the evolutionary and biological mechanisms behind social fear, risk aversion, and resistance to change, explaining why we unconsciously avoid opportunities that could lead to growth. You’ll learn how these hidden drivers shape behavior under pressure and discover practical strategies to override them. By making the unconscious conscious, you can reclaim control, build resilience, and develop the courage to take bold, adaptive action. Understanding the science of fear is the first step toward mastering it—and transforming how you lead yourself and others through uncertainty.

    Read more
    Square 3
    Erik Salvador
    16:30

    Closing

    Ellen Nyhus
    CEO Verdane Elevate
    Niklas Savander
    Head of Chair and Advisory program
    17:00

    Free time // optional run

    18:30

    Aperitiff

    Villa Copenhagen
    19:00

    Dinner & awards

    Villa Copenhagen

    Speakers

    Bjarne Lie
    Founder & Managing Partner Verdane

    Verdane update

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen

    Bjarne Lie

    Bjarne serves as Verdane’s Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer. In 2003, he launched what later became Verdane, by leading a spin-out from Verdane’s predecessor firm Four Seasons Venture.

    At Verdane, he has been instrumental in building companies such as Banqsoft, Chipcon, Easypark, Kappa Bioscience, Polytech, Resman, and Wireless Maingate.  

    Bjarne had joined Four Seasons Venture’s Oslo office in 2001 from PaperX, a venture-backed B2B marketplace backed by among others Apax and Insight Partners, of which he was co-founder and COO. 

    Bjarne also has scale-up experience from the oil & gas sector with Fountain Oil. He was formerly a consultant at McKinsey & Company in London and a research associate at the European University Institute in Florence. 

    In addition to his role at the helm of Verdane, Bjarne is a Board member of the Norwegian Venture Capital Association and serves on the European Council of The Nature Conservancy. 

    Education: Bjarne holds an MBA with high distinction as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School (USA) and an MA in European Integration from the University of Oslo (Norway)/European University Institute Florence (Italy).

    Read more

    Ellen Nyhus
    CEO Verdane Elevate

    Welcome to Verdane Leadership day

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen

    Closing

    Ellen Nyhus

    Ellen joined Verdane as the CEO of Elevate in 2022. Previously to joining Verdane, Ellen has had multiple roles as CEO and Human Resources Executive in the technology, software, and professional services industry.

    Ellen is a commercial HR professional and trainer, skilled in Organizational Strategy and Development, Mergers, Acquisitions and Integrations, Leadership and Team development, HR transformation, and Leadership Consulting. She also has extensive experience from boards in a diverse group of companies across Europe, with current external board assignments in UNICEF Norway and Oslo Business Forum.

    Education: Ellen holds a Master’s in Business and Economics from NTNU Business School and BI Norwegian School of Management.

    Read more

    Niklas Savander
    Head of Chair and Advisory program

    Welcome to Verdane Leadership day

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen

    Closing

    Niklas Savander

    Niklas Savander brings significant experience from supporting growth companies from a Chair position. He has chaired companies backed by 11 different investment firms, including serving as chair of EasyPark Group, Evondos, Papirfly, Outpost24, Silverfin, Cint, Nebula and Zervant. Prior to his career as investor and Chair, Niklas held senior leadership positions within Elekta and Nokia, two of the largest publicly listed companies in the Nordics. At Verdane, Niklas leads Verdane’s Chair and Advisor program and is a member of the Verdane Advisory Board.

    Read more

    Erik Salvador

    COB session

    Square 3

    “Fear, Stress, and Change: Mastering the Hidden Drivers of Human Behavior”

    This session explores how evolutionary and biological mechanisms shape our responses to stress, crisis, and social risk—often unconsciously holding us back from growth and change. By understanding these hidden drivers, you’ll learn practical strategies to overcome fear, build resilience, and consciously steer your behavior toward bold, adaptive action

    Teaser: Our brains are wired for survival, not success—and that wiring often sabotages us in moments of stress, crisis, and change. This session uncovers the evolutionary and biological mechanisms behind social fear, risk aversion, and resistance to change, explaining why we unconsciously avoid opportunities that could lead to growth. You’ll learn how these hidden drivers shape behavior under pressure and discover practical strategies to override them. By making the unconscious conscious, you can reclaim control, build resilience, and develop the courage to take bold, adaptive action. Understanding the science of fear is the first step toward mastering it—and transforming how you lead yourself and others through uncertainty.

    CEO Session

    Square 3

    “Fear, Stress, and Change: Mastering the Hidden Drivers of Human Behavior”

    This session explores how evolutionary and biological mechanisms shape our responses to stress, crisis, and social risk—often unconsciously holding us back from growth and change. By understanding these hidden drivers, you’ll learn practical strategies to overcome fear, build resilience, and consciously steer your behavior toward bold, adaptive action

    Teaser: Our brains are wired for survival, not success—and that wiring often sabotages us in moments of stress, crisis, and change. This session uncovers the evolutionary and biological mechanisms behind social fear, risk aversion, and resistance to change, explaining why we unconsciously avoid opportunities that could lead to growth. You’ll learn how these hidden drivers shape behavior under pressure and discover practical strategies to override them. By making the unconscious conscious, you can reclaim control, build resilience, and develop the courage to take bold, adaptive action. Understanding the science of fear is the first step toward mastering it—and transforming how you lead yourself and others through uncertainty.

    Read more

    Erik Salvador

    Erik Salvador is active in Egon Zehnder’s leadership development and coaching practice, as well as CEO and board succession planning. With a multifaceted background in medicine, military psychiatry, and leadership, Erik brings extensive experience in personal and team resilience training, leadership development, operational leadership support, psychological crisis and stress management, and post-traumatic stress treatment. His leadership experience spans both his time as an officer in the Army and as a senior physician in emergency medicine.

    Before joining Egon Zehnder, Erik worked at McKinsey, where he led initiatives on Operational Leadership support and developed Resilient Leadership and Top Team Performance within broader strategic processes such as organizational developments, transformations, and scaling. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Officer in the Norwegian Armed Forces, where his notable roles included being the Armed Forces chief psychiatrist and senior advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and to various Government agencies. Additionally, Erik was the head of the Institute of Military Psychiatry and Combat Stress.

    Erik holds an MD from the University of Oslo, Norway, Faculty of Medicine. He is also a Licensed Specialist in Psychiatry from the University Hospital of Oslo, Norway, and the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA). In addition, Erik is a Certified Military Medicine Doctor from the Norwegian Armed Forces Joint Medical Services (NAFJM) and the Norwegian Medical Association (NMA).

    Read more

    Jan-Ole Hesselberg

    Decisions & uncertainty – bias, blind spots and better judgment

    Square 3 - Villa Copenhagen

    Jan-Ole Hesselberg

    Jan-Ole Hesselberg is a psychologist, TV host and decision science researcher. 

    He is Chief Program Officer at the Dam Foundation, one of Norway’s largest research funders, and has led major projects on improving expert decision-making. Since 2017, he has assisted the Norwegian judiciary in training judges at all levels, from district courts to the Supreme Court. 

    Hesselberg is a frequent keynote speaker for business leaders, health care professionals, lawyers and other experts, and the author of the critically acclaimed popular science book Bedre beslutninger (“Better Decisions”). He is known for combining updated research with humor, making complex insights engaging and accessible for diverse audiences.

    Read more

    Practicalities

    Venue
    Villa Copenhagen - for booking use this link. 

    For any questions or more information, please contact events@verdane.com

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    Verdane
    events@verdane.com

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