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President Anders O. Bjarklev at his 40th anniversary reception: "It's a privilege to work with you"

Wednesday, 28 May, was a very special day at DTU. Because on that day, students, employees and business partners celebrated President Anders O. Bjarklev's 40 years anniversary at DTU.

Chair of the Board of DTU Margrethe Vestager presented President Anders O. Bjarklev with her own alternative to the Royal Danish Order of the Elephant, a knitted elephant made of pink yarn. Photo: Steen Brogaard.

Monday 02 June 2025

Linnea Lundberg

Provost Christine Nellemann was the first speaker to take the podium at President Anders O. Bjarklev's 40th anniversary reception on Wednesday, 28 May, and she began by welcoming and congratulating the President on the anniversary.

When the provost had finished her speech, she passed the speaker role to, among others, Chair of the Board of DTU Margrethe Vestager and Senior Vice President - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Marianne Thellersen.

The words respect, purposeful and visionary recurred in the speeches, and Margrethe Vestager presented Anders O. Bjarklev with her own alternative to the Royal Danish Order of the Elephant, a knitted elephant made of pink yarn.

You can read more about the President's 40th anniversary here.

See pictures from the reception in the image carousel.
Provost Christine Nellemann (right) was the first speaker to take the podium at the President's 40th anniversary reception. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
Senior Vice President - Innovation and Entrepreneurship Marianne Thellersen called the President purposeful and visionary in her speech. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
Students also attended the President's 40th anniversary reception. Here is the current President of the student organisation Polyteknisk Forening (PF) Thor Deibert (far left) in the company of former President of PF Natasha Hougaard (far right), among others. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
And the reception guests had the opportunity to write a greeting to the President in a guestbook. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
The reception took place in the Glass Hall at Lyngby Campus. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
The President greeted everyone with a handshake. Photo: Steen Brogaard.
The reception seen from outside the Glass Hall. Photo: Steen Brogaard.

resume

Anders Bjarklev's 40 years of research and innovation

• -1985: Office temp at Copenhagen Telephone Share Company, KTAS

• 1985–1988: PhD, Electrical engineering

• 1988–1992: Assistant professor

• 1992–1999: Associate professor

• 1995: Doctor Technices

• 1999: Professor, DTU Fotonik

• 2000: Founded Crystal Fibre A/S, now NKT Photonics, a leading manufacturer of high-quality optical fibres

• 2004: Recipient of the Villum Kann Rasmussen Annual Award for Technical and Scientific Research

• 2003-2010: Head of Department, DTU Fotonik

• 2010: Executive Vice President, Provost, DTU

• 2011-2025: President, DTU (extended to 2028)

• 2013: Order of the Dannebrog

• 2015–2022: Chair, Danish Rectors’ Conference, Universities Denmark

• 2020–2023: Chair, Danish Academy of Technical Sciences

• 2023-2024: One of 15 experts in the EU tasked with evaluating and making recommendations on the EU’s efforts within research and innovation.

• Order of the Dannebrog 1st degree

• Author of more than 150 scientific papers published in international journals. Author of approximately 20 patent applications, two companies and author of a book on fibre amplifiers (1993) and crystal fibres (2003)

Contact

Anders Overgaard Bjarklev

Anders Overgaard Bjarklev President Rektoratet Phone: +45 45251000