New chair of the board of directors at ARoS

New chair of the board of directors at ARoS

The board of directors at ARoS has elected Laura Hay Uggla as chair with effect from the beginning of January. She will take up office along with three new board members.

On 6 January, the new chair elected by the ARoS board of directors will begin her term of office. Laura Hay Uggla, previously a board member, will be the new chair and Jacob Hansen Beuschau will continue as vice chair.

’I look forward to getting to grips with the tasks that lie ahead, for example, realising The Next Level project and our new strategy in collaboration with a strong team of competent colleagues, our director Rebecca Matthews, and the whole organisation,’ says Laura Hay Uggla.

Laura Hay Uggla holds an MA in Law from Aarhus University. Her previous positions include Councillor for Social Services and Employment and Councillor for Construction and the Environment in the City of Aarhus. She holds boardroom positions in a number of businesses and cultural institutions, including the Port of Grenaa, the socio-economic project Huset Venture, Aarhus, the cultural venue Godsbanen, Aarhus, and Aalborg Zoo.

New members

The new board will have three new members, approved in August 2021 following their nomination by the board nomination committee: Marianne Bedsted, CEO, Salling Group; Helle Østergaard Kristiansen, CEO, Danske Commodities; and Marc Perera Christensen, formerly director of Erhverv Aarhus.

The three new members replace the present chairman Carsten Fode, Steen Stavnsbo, and Kristine Jensen.

The board of directors at ARoS makes every effort to elect members with a diversity of competences to enable it to address the tasks incumbent on it. Emphasis is on board members possessing the required management, cultural/curatorial, political, commercial, legal, and financial expertise. The importance of international experience is also emphasised.


The board of directors at ARoS has nine members. Of these, six are appointed by the board following nomination by the nomination committee. Two members are appointed by the City of Aarhus, and one member by the museum’s permanent staff.


As of 1 January, the board of directors at ARoS has the following members:

  • Laura Hay Uggla, MA and member of the board of directors in a number of enterprises.
  • Niels Overgaard Lehmann, vice-dean, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University.
  • Danny Lange, Senior Vice President, AI, Unity.
  • Marianne Bedsted, CEO, Salling Group, member of the board of directors in several cultural institutions and chairman of the board, the Danish Broadcasting Company.
  • Helle Østergaard Kristiansen, CEO, Danske Commodities.
  • Marc Perera Christensen, formerly Councillor for Culture and director of Erhverv Aarhus, currently member of several boards of directors.
  • Anne Mette Thomsen, staff representative.
  • Jacob Hansen Beuschau (appointed by the City of Aarhus)
  • Søren Kronborg Pedersen (appointed by the City of Aarhus)

Download portrat of Laura Hay Uggla

For further information:

Laura Hay Uggla, Chair of the board of directors: 2469 2669 / laura@uggla.com