Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard

Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard (born June 9, 1957) is former Mayor of Copenhagen, currently CEO of advisory and consultancy company Greenovation. He was born in western Jutland as the son of teachers. He is the father of two adult daughters and has a degree of MA in Political Science, from Aarhus University.
Career
Kjeldgaard is mainly known for being Mayor of Copenhagen from 1998 to 2011 on behalf of the (Danish: Socialistisk Folkeparti, SF). His career contains the following:
* 1998 - 2001 - Mayor of Environment, Water and Energy Supply;
* 2002 - 2005 - Mayor of Family and Labour Market;
* 2006 - 2009 - Mayor of Children and Youth;
* 2010 - 2011 - Mayor of Technology and the Environment;
* 2011 - 2014 - Project Manager of the Danish Film Institute.
At the beginning of 2014, he started his own consulting and advisory company (Greenovation) where he is CEO and Founder. Kjeldgaard is also a co-founder and owner of Aqua Green, a company active within the cleantech industry.
Achievements
Kjeldgaard is especially known for his ambition to make Copenhagen a capital. As a Mayor of Technology and the Environment, he was responsible for the city's first Climate Plan and he initiated the first climate adaptation plan of Copenhagen. Other specific examples include:
* As part of the effort for a greener Copenhagen, he formulated the vision behind having .
* He has received the for his achievements, some of which include the establishment of the worlds largest offshore wind farm at Middelgrunden, his work to make Copenhagen CO2 neutral, as well as his work to establish Copenhagen Harbour Baths.
“ 'I am really passionate about making this city truly green,' says Copenhagen’s Environmental Mayor Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard. 'Over 70% of the world’s carbon emissions come from cities. We want to lead internationally with our Climate Plan, and inspire others to follow suit. We show that you can have green growth with ever decreasing carbon emissions,' he adds."
* As Mayor of Family and Labour Market he conducted an employment reform, which got more people working in the capital, while the unemployment rate rose in the rest of the country.
* Kjeldgaard also made [https://www.foa.dk/Forbund/Nyheder?newsid=%7B804B8EF5-3F06-4130-B848-9A4B36E57D99%7D Børneplanen] (Children Plan), which contained more than 100 new daycare institutions and funds allocation to increase the availability and remove the former long waiting lists.
Critique
Residence matter
During 2011, while he was Mayor of Environment and Energy, Kjeldgaard spent too many nights at his girlfriend's apartment in Frederiksberg, even though he has his residence in Copenhagen, that was interpreted by the media as not living in Copenhagen. More specifically, it was considered by the media as in conflict with the census law and the municipal electoral law, which requires that a municipal politician should live in the municipality in which they are elected. Despite that he was acquitted, the media scandal around the topic led to Kjeldgaard's resignation while Frederiksberg is typically treated as part of Copenhagen, being an independently managed area less than 9 square km. In the Frederiksberg Bladet, October 13, 2013, Kjeldgaard commented on the matter: "I was not sure if I had done something wrong, so I quickly took the decision, so that things were very clear. I took it like a man and let the lawyers decide whether it was wrong. But I have been acquitted in all conditions."
 
< Prev   Next >