Clare MacCarthy
Clare MacCarthy has worked as Denmark correspondent for the Financial Times and the Economist since 1998 covering Nordic business and political stories. In a journalistic career spanning 20 years that has taken her from the Arctic to the Gobi desert, she has also broadcast internationally and written for the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Irish Times and Forbes magazine.

Waldemar Schmidt
Waldemar Schmidt is an international businessman who has spent the last four decades living and working in Scandinavia, Italy, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

Most of his career was spent at ISS, a leading facility services group, where he held positions from country manager in Brazil to CEO of the global group.

Since 2000, Waldemar has pursued a new full time career with a variety of positions including directorships of international companies in six different countries.

Between 2001 and 2003 he was an executive-in-residence at IMD in Switzerland where he undertook a research project that resulted in his previous book, Winning at Service.

He is a Goodwill Ambassador for Copenhagen. While managing ISS’ business in Brazil he received the Export Oscar from the Danish Foreign Ministry and in 2006 was awarded the Order of the Polar Star by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.