Karen Bender

Karen Bender has a diverse and extensive work experience spanning over several industries. Their most recent position was as the Chief Commercial Officer at Gyldendal since October 2018. Prior to that, they served as the Chairman of the Board at Word Audio Publishing International - WAPI starting in January 2021. Karen also held the position of Chairman Of The Board at Dansk Rejseforsikring since January 2016.

One of their significant roles was at Copenhagen Airports A/S, where they worked from 2010 to 2018. During their tenure, they held various positions, including Director, E-commerce, Marketing & Parking, E-commerce & Marketing Director, Head of E-commerce & Customer Management Relationship, and Innovation and Segment Manager. In these roles, Karen was responsible for driving corporate strategic breakthroughs and focusing on internal and external innovation, creating a digital culture, and overseeing the E-commerce business, CRM, Digital Business Development, and Marketing.

Karen also served as a Board Member at Meeting places - Wonderful Copenhagen from 2014 to 2018 and as a Marketing Management Consultant at Bender Consulting from 2009 to 2010. In 2007, they took a two-year leave to focus on their family and charity work in Sydney, Australia.

Their earlier experiences include serving as a Board Member at the Danish Advertising Association from 2004 to 2007 and holding various managerial positions at Unilever from 1996 to 2007. Notable roles at Unilever include Nordic Marketing Manager for Knorr and Spreads (Becel) and Nordic Marketing Manager for Lipton.

Overall, Karen Bender has demonstrated expertise in commercial strategy, marketing, e-commerce, and leadership roles throughout their career.

Karen Bender has a diverse education history. In 1983 to 1988, they pursued a Master's degree in Economics from Copenhagen Business School. Additionally, in 1987, they undertook a brief period of Master's studies in Business at the University of South Carolina. Before that, in 1982 to 1983, they obtained an Associate degree in Arts from Columbus State University. In 2015, they attended IMD for an IMD: From Good to Great program. Furthermore, in 2021, they received the CBS Executive Board Education certification with honor from Copenhagen Business School. Lastly, in 2002, they completed the Brand Activation Master Class from INSEAD.