As Danes in a Danish workplace, it’s easy to think we’ve cracked the code when it comes to communication, leadership, and inclusion. But Signe Ørom’s workshop gave us a much-needed wake-up call, highlighting blind spots and providing us with concrete tools to better understand and work across the many cultures and nationalities within our institute. Signe conveys her insights with depth and commitment, making complex topics like cultural intelligence both engaging and relevant. I therefore warmly recommend her to anyone looking to strengthen their intercultural understanding and collaboration skills.

Litte Dalsgaard

Special Consultant, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Aarhus University

As someone who runs a truly multinational team, it is important to dive into the different cultural backgrounds, values and beliefs in order to unlock better communication and understand each others’ perspectives. In ConnectingCultures’ Cultural Circle Training we worked with bringing the multicultural element of my team to make better decisions and the lessons from the course helped us learn not just about our colleagues but also about the Nordic culture we operate in. It uncovered perspectives, cultural norms and – in some cases – prejudices we might not have been aware of having.

Thank you, Signe so much for an insightful and entertaining talk. It was very inspiring and I’m sure we will collaborate more in the future – we still have a lot to learn when it comes to collaborating across cultures.

In connection with integration and synergy work following the acquisition of a large Swedish company, we have utilized Signe Ørom’s experience and expertise to focus on Danish and Swedish business cultures. Through two workshops with up to 45 participants, we have achieved much greater awareness and understanding of cultural differences, with a focus on communication, leadership, and strategy execution.

Morten Kjær

Head of Business Development, Hydra Grene

Fantastic presentation, Signe, you are truly a skilled and inspiring communicator.

Yngve Møller

Senior Business Process Consultant, LEGO

Signe trained me for a full day in South American business culture. She is very knowledgeable and customer oriented – she easily found out what to focus on to fit my specific needs. Signe is a warm and outgoing person and very pleasant to work with. I enjoyed the training tremendously and can highly recommend her!

Natalie Ammerlaan

Regional Manager, Legal & Quality, Novo Nordisk

Your training was so engaging and fun, which I really appreciated. I hope I get the opportunity to participate again in the future.

Masako Murai

QA Director, Novo Nordisk Japan

Signe, you filled the stage with an excellent mix of thought-provoking insights and entertaining perspectives, not least on our own cultural biases. Thank you for that!

Heidi Ballisager

Director P&O Business Partnering, Novo Nordisk

Our Cell Therapy Transformational Research Unit is very diverse and separated by time zones extending from Denmark to California. Having Diversity & Inclusion high on the agenda and acknowledging the different work cultures, we reached out to Connecting Cultures. Everyone has been obligated to participate in the training session, to learn and expand our understanding of cultural intelligence and the ability to work and build relations in a virtual space. With a theoretical approach, relevant real life examples and time for reflections, Connecting Cultures did an excellent job, and we are all aware of the difficult skill of being Culturally Intelligent.

Mette Hughes

Head of Site Fremont, CA, Novo Nordisk

The cross culture training delivered by Signe is really helpful to me – it’s the first time I understand the culture issue in a very systematic and also comprehensive way. Very importantly, all the information is prepared in a very practical and tailor made way. I get them in very naturally. Surprisingly, I found from the second day of the training i began to benefit from the training – the consciousness in my mind to read the interaction, and the way I choose to respond in a call meeting, etc.. It is really good experience and help a lot no matter you still work remotely or expatriate to the country.

Amber Yue Deng

Regional Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, NOVOZYMES BIOPHARMA (UK)

I worked with ConnectingCultures in preparation for an overseas leadership posting in India. In one day I got a great overview, much good advice and useful feed-back on observations already acquired. All at a high level and very much worth its while.

Erik Graumann

Vice President, TORM

I happen to be the Head of Nordics and Benelux for a about two years for a business for UCB, in that part I came in contact with Signe, she was my culture coach when I joined in the Nordics and Benelux. I came from India – straight out from India to Northern Europe – as you call it in UCB. That was a big cultural swift, and thank you very much for all the support and help that you have given and the coaching that you gave. I remember two calls that I had when I was based in Mumbai, actually. And it really helped me in terms of acclimatizing in Scandinavia, and not only that, all the presentations and workshops that you had regarding the rest of Europe am I experiencing now due to my European role today. I take care of various strategic engagements for UCB in Europe and also building network, so you can imagine in two years time, coming from India to Europe, looking at various engagements and building network, it´s quite a bit of a journey for me.

Sudip Chakraborty

Head of Strategic Engagement & Neurology Network, Europe, UCB BIOPHARMA

Yesterday was absolutely fantastic! All my colleagues and volunteers were very enthusiastic. In a survey asking how satisfied they were with the presentation on a scale from 1–5 (where 1 was “not very” and 5 was “very much”), 30% answered 4 and 70% answered 5! They were very satisfied. So, great satisfaction and high praise to you. Mikkel was simply excellent at engaging everyone and highlighting points in a non-generalizing way, while still creating recognition for many. Thank you so much!

Sarah Houlberg Sørensen

Communications and Volunteer Manager, Studenterhus Aarhus

At the Danish Embassy in Brasília, we had the pleasure of hosting Signe Ørom for a full-day staff seminar on intercultural team building in October 2015. Signe contributed her in-depth knowledge of both Danish and Brazilian cultures, helping us as a team gain a better understanding of our differences and become more aware of the strengths we possess as a team. Signe is a skilled and engaged facilitator, and she succeeded in creating a great environment for very open dialogue.

Kim Højlund Christensen

Danmarks Ambassadør i Brasilien, DEN DANSKE AMBASSADE I BRASILIEN

Thank you for a really great workshop yesterday, Mikkel. Both the team and I truly enjoyed the day. They especially — and rightly — highlighted your broad knowledge, the combination of presentations, discussions, and self-assessment, as well as the focus on how we as Danes can be perceived. It was also much appreciated that you provided concrete, practical advice. The workshop gave many “aha” moments and reflections that we will carry back into our team leadership and our collaboration with suppliers.

Nanna Eram Jensen

Vice President, Strategy & Rolling Stock, DSB

Thank you, Signe Ørom, for an engaging workshop and highly relevant insights!

Milena Stawowski

Chief HR Business Partner, Grundfos

Signe’s cultural training has helped me avoid several awkward situations in my international collaborations that might have otherwise jeopardized a good working relationship.

Eva Valcke

Director of Education, KEA

Helene conducted a fantastic course for us, and we were really pleased with the day!

Team Aspire Mobility

Thank you for last Friday, Signe and Mikkel. I have only heard positive feedback, and it’s from many of the participants.

Jan U. Nielsen

Vice President, Corporate HR, J. Lauritzen

Thank you for a really great Diversity & Inclusion workshop. One of our goals was to use the workshop as a mental anchor point for the organization, to which we can connect upcoming activities. These will be driven by our internal D&I working group, and several participants have subsequently signed up — including developers I hadn’t expected would volunteer — meaning we’ve achieved that goal. D&I also found its way into several informal conversations over a beer or drink during the evening — again, a positive sign.

In other words, the workshop provided us with the inspiration and push we needed to move forward with this important agenda.

Lars Roost

Technical Program Director, LEGO

Thanks for a very well prepared and executed cultural training program for the entire audit group. We have enjoyed and learned a lot from you and your very competent co-trainers, who came with local knowledge and interesting stories from all over the world.

Torben Enstrøm

Corporate Vice President at Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk

It was a real pleasure and extremely relevant and informative to participate in your CQ (Cultural Intelligence) seminar. There was a very good balance between active and passive participation, along with some really great and interesting exercises! I would highly recommend it to others.

Louise Winkel

Department Manager, Novo Nordisk

Thank you so much for your fantastic lecture on culture and cultural intelligence. We were educated, entertained, and challenged all at once. Thank you for that!

Lise Marie Valentin Wallin

Senior People (HR) Partner, Novo Nordisk

Today, we in Tech Standards (within FFEx) were very fortunate to host a session with Signe Ørom, CEO and founder of ConnectingCultures and author of “Did you get the point”. She facilitated a very engaging and entertaining 1,5 hour session, which provided a broad understanding on cultural differences and stimulated our awareness on cultural intelligence, which our area (and others) is an absolute fundament for successful collaborations and management in this increasingly internationalized employee and site landscape.

Rasmus Krøger Hare

Manager FFEx Filling, Novo Nordisk

Many thanks for a truly great and engaging session the other day. I’ve received very positive feedback from the team, who found it both educational and fun, with valuable points that prompted reflection. The only criticism was that there wasn’t enough time!

Marianne Helstrup

Vice President Legal, General Counsel, Radiometer

A super exciting and useful course. An eye-opener for me was realizing that I need to better prepare for the virtual meetings I conduct — I’ve discovered how important cultural preparation is to get the most out of these meetings!

Maria Stallknecht

Manager, Sales & Technical Services, CP KELCO

I will definitely use some of the tools in my global meetings, and I am now better equipped to talk about culture with my global colleagues. It was also incredibly inspiring to hear about the experiences of others.

Morten Aabrik Kjeldgaard

Director RE&FM APAC and global projects, VESTAS

Really enjoyed this session. Great way of teaching, training and communicating. Thumbs up!

Vivian Avenstrup Jensen

Management Assistant to Vice President, VESTAS

Thank you to Signe and the rest of her team who planned and facilitated two great days with presentations on cultural intelligence and cultural circle training for all our employees. We received positive feedback on both content and facilitation. We found the sessions valuable in terms of supporting our global transition. We look forward to our future collaboration with ConnectingCultures.

Nanna Marie Jørgensen

Manager , Trade Controlling and reporting, DANSKE COMMODITIES

Once again, thank you for last Friday. It was excellent, and everyone — including a few “skeptics” — gave very positive feedback in our evaluation.

Morten Busch

Head of IT, CLIPPER GROUP

It was both educational and fun. Thank you so much for coming!

Simone Egense Fejring

Business Graduate, DANISH CROWN

I can highly recommend an intercultural program with Signe. Her background, combining research and practical knowledge of Brazilian culture and market, has provided us with concrete tools that we use daily.

Edvard Jensen

Global Manager CO Operations, UNDERWRITERS LABORATORIES

I forbindelse med etablering af ny fabrik i Brasilien til fremstilling af fleksible rør til gas- og olieindustrien har NOV Flexibles i løbet af 2012-2013 kørt et træningsforløb her i Danmark for mere end 70 af sine brasilianske kollegaer. I denne sammenhæng har NOV Flexibles haft stor glæde og gavn af Signe Øroms ekspertise og ikke mindst indsigt i brasiliansk kultur og mentalitet. Ikke blot evner Signe Ørom på imødekommende og humoristisk vis at fremhæve forskellene de to lande imellem, men hun formår især at formidle baggrunden for disse forskelle på en jordnær og brugbar måde, hvilket har bidraget til at gøre opholdet for kollegaerne fra Brasilien til en positiv oplevelse og gjort det nemmere for dem at fungere i en dansk hverdag.

Birgit Skov Nielsen

Mobility assistant, NOV FLEXIBLES

Signe Ørom from ConnectingCultures has conducted cultural training for several of our international executive groups. With extensive knowledge and insight into the latest research in the field, Signe frames the challenges that leaders and employees in a multicultural environment need to be aware of.

Thomas Halken

Former Division Director, EGN

In many ways, you are a fantastic role model. As a representative of the business community you work with, I can only say that your ability to convey complex knowledge is remarkable. Without giving too much away, my guess is that some of the secret ingredients in your magic formula are strong expertise, curiosity, perseverance, situational awareness — and not least — humor.

Vivi Stensdal

VP Human Resources, Hamlet Protein

Signe knows what she is talking about; she is passionate about the topic of “the multicultural classroom” and manages to inspire the teachers with her enthusiasm. Signe charmingly and professionally bridges the gap between theory and teaching practice. Her cases are based on examples from the teachers’ everyday experiences, which means that the day’s learning outcomes can be applied immediately in the next teaching situation. Our teachers have praised Signe for her work and provided very positive feedback in the final evaluation.

Sophia Vejlgaard

International Coordinator, KEA Global & Guidance

Mikkel is truly one of the best training moderators I’ve seen in a long time. He clearly carries a wealth of knowledge on diversity and inclusion, exemplified by how easily he interprets and responds to participant questions and comments without allowing the broader conversation (and focus) to veer off-track. Also, I love his use of short breakout sessions with targeted activities to get us all participating and learning. Thanks, Mikkel, and I’m looking forward to continued learning with you!

Vito Cataldo

Senior Manager, Personal Care, AAK

Thank you for a truly great and engaging afternoon. We sparked some exciting conversations within our team that we otherwise wouldn’t have opened up..

Sara Kristensen

Facility Trainee, LEGO

Your interactive inspirational lecture has truly given us a lot to think about regarding the differences between cultures in Denmark and India. I am confident that we can translate this into concrete actions that will further improve our collaboration with the service center in India.

Andreas Astrup

Team Leader, Novo Nordisk

It was a great day with Mikkel and my department was really happy for the training. We all learned new things and got our perspective of each other changed. So thank you for that!

Casper Kuusisto Dohn

Director at AP Reliability & Implementation Execution, Novo Nordisk

It was an incredibly inspiring workshop and truly an eye-opener. We have received very positive feedback on your session. People found it highly relevant, inspiring, and fun. It’s great that we now have a shared frame of reference!

Trine Midtgaard

QA Director, Novo Nordisk

Amazing perspectives and thought-provoking keynote on connecting cultures in the modern workplace today by Signe Ørom. Signe’s evidence-based approach to people, humour and good wits blew me and, it seemed, 44 other people away today. Thanks to all my great colleagues for this shared experience and for continuing to teach me how cultural diversity is a strength to cherish

Rasmus Heje Thomsen

International Medical Director, Novo Nordisk

BEC have collaborated with Connecting Cultures for the last 5 years, starting when we were scaling up in our office in Warsaw. We wanted to secure a seamless collaboration across borders and cultures. Our ambition is a 50/50% percent of employees working in Denmark and in Poland. This is why we have continued to offer Cross-cultural collaboration training together with Connecting Cultures. Both Signe and Mikkel are excellent trainers that facilitate highly motivational trainings that creates strong impact and cultural understanding.

Cultural diversity and inclusion are important drivers for business results in an organization with more than 40 different nationalities. Besides being very knowledgeable about cultural aspects and backgrounds, Connecting Cultures manages to make the online trainings both inspirational and engaging. I highly recommend anyone working in multicultural organizations to reach out to ConnectingCultures and hear more about the learning possibilities.

Lene Frøby Kivsmose

Learning & Development Partner, BEC

We want to extend a huge thank you for joining our diverse team. You really managed to capture the interest and attention from the audience and your tempo, flow and content was brilliant!

Elsa Berg Bjärtun

COO, ALLURITY

Thank you very much to ConnectingCultures’ consultant Mikkel Hougaard Orlovski! We had such a fun, entertaining, and interactive online workshop on collaboration in diverse teams with you.

Julia Gaska

Global Mobility & HR Specialist, Blue Power Partners

Thank you so much for your personal engagement, which contributed to such great participant involvement — it was truly excellent!

Jonna Vestergaard

Chairperson for HK Stat Nordjylland

I rarely think I’ve participated in a course that was so good, relevant, and incredibly exciting. Heartfelt thanks from me.

Camilla Vogn Kjær

Chief People and Culture officer, MOBILEPAY

Our training with cultural trainer Signe Ørom was a refreshing wake-up call, giving us insight into the perceived, misunderstood, and scientifically grounded differences between us. I am confident that it will help us work together even more effectively.

Torben Moll

Vice President, Global Compliance & Quality Management, TAJCO GROUP A/S

The company I work for has many times asked Signe to hold one to two days courses in cultural training for those employees that transfer to the Denmark based office from overseas. In 2013 I was one of those employees, and I had the pleasure to be guided through Danish culture by Signe. Signe in a clear and concise way and with a personal touch made the day both interesting and rewarding where upon conclusion I walked away with a greater understanding of the environment in which I would be working going forward. I can highly recommend working with Signe in this regard.

Sophie de Goede

Commercial Specialist, HESS DENMARK