PORTRAIT: Carsten aims to build bridges to both upper secondary education and businesses

When Carsten Vikkelsøe thinks about starting his new role as Rector at the IBA, there is one thing in particular he is looking forward to: meeting all the staff. In the beginning, he plans to spend his time listening, getting a sense of the organisation’s pulse – and identifying where adjustments might be needed.

Before he can say what those adjustments might be, he wants to speak with everyone in the management team and other key figures, so he can form a clear picture of how collaboration and the organisation are currently functioning.

For 54-year-old Carsten is not the type to walk into the office and pin a finished plan to the wall in the corner office on the fifth floor.

“I start by listening. It’s a completely natural part of how I work. Because I’m here for the long haul. I was at UCL for 13 years, so I know full well that nothing changes overnight. It takes a clear direction and persistence,” says the new Rector of IBA International Business Academy in Kolding (the IBA).

He knows the education sector extremely well, having experience from various roles at UCL University College in Odense. For the past five years, he was a Director with executive responsibility for cross-organisational functions. In addition, he has taught and advised on change management and leadership of leaders.

He is also familiar with the political landscape from his role as Head of Communications in the Region of Southern Denmark, where he was involved in merging four counties into one region up until 2010, with a focus on organisational development.

Alongside this, he owned an IT business for 21 years, where he developed and sold a system for data exchange in the food industry.

He can talk to everyone and wants to lead by example

Not least from his time as a self-employed business owner, Carsten Vikkelsøe is used to wearing many hats and rolling up his sleeves – no matter the task at hand.

“I’ve always been someone who takes action and responsibility. That also shapes how I already think about the IBA. Because now I have the overall responsibility for the IBA. So if no one else picks up a specific task, then I will.”

He describes himself as someone for whom talking to anyone comes naturally. And as a leader who builds trust and is collaborative, visionary and action-oriented – but also pragmatic.

He believes that if he is to move people, they need to see that the Rector is part of the team.

“Change doesn’t happen because we think about it. Change happens because we do something. It’s actions that define transformation. And it starts with the very concrete. I’m more than happy to take the lead here,” he says.

Carsten wants to build alliances and raise awareness

Carsten Vikkelsøe believes that the IBA, as one of the country’s smaller business academies, must form alliances. This applies to both upper secondary education and other educational institutions.

He wants to make the IBA even more attractive as a higher education option and establish close cooperation with local businesses. He will work to raise awareness of the business academy, which is part of Campus Kolding. The market in Kolding is competitive.

Here, the IBA competes with other educational institutions for the attention of young people. Many choose to head to Aarhus or Copenhagen.

When he sets out to position himself in relation to the upper secondary schools in Kolding and the surrounding municipalities, he knows it will take time.

But that is precisely why it’s a high priority for him in his early time as Rector:

“We’re not going to see the impact in the first year with 400 extra students suddenly showing up at the IBA. It’s a long, tough journey. But we need to be visible to those students who see Kolding as a big city and a natural place to go and study.”

In his spare time, Carsten rows in an eight and loves the teamwork in the boat

The IBA’s new Rector relaxes by spending time with his family or engaging in sport. After playing handball for many years, he discovered rowing as a form of exercise ten years ago. He now rows regularly three times a week on the Odense Fjord in an eight.

He’s not alone in the racing boat – with him are seven other rowers and a coxswain. The training gives him more than just a raised heart rate:

“Succeeding together with others is absolutely fantastic. It requires focus, close collaboration and a unified rhythm if you want to move the boat quickly through the water.”

A picture he would like to transfer to how he wants to develop the IBA. Because in addition to fostering a shared understanding of why they are there together, he wants everyone to take responsibility for the IBA.

And for Carsten, that applies especially to the leaders.

“If someone in the management group thinks, ‘I’ll just look after my own area,’ they’re mistaken. We share a collective responsibility for running the organisation. You have to lean across the table to engage with others. You can’t row an eight-man boat alone,” he says with a smile.

The IBA must foster wellbeing

Carsten also has his eyes on student wellbeing and learning and is fully aware that there is a widespread wellbeing challenge among young people in society today. A major issue that higher education institutions like the IBA must take very seriously.

“A lack of wellbeing can lead a young person to drop out of their education. Beyond being costly for society and the IBA, it is, above all, personally disheartening when a young person struggles and gives up on their education,” says Carsten, who is the father of four adult children.

He continues:

“We must do everything we can to ensure that young people feel a strong sense of belonging to their studies and see themselves as part of a community. A place where they thrive and feel at home.”

Facts: Carsten Vikkelsøe

• 54 years old, grew up in Odense.
• Father to Jacob (28) and twins Ida and Amalie (23). Stepfather to Simon (21).
• Married to Mette, who is a department manager in Svendborg Municipality. They live in Odense – close to the motorway to Kolding.
• Originally trained as a Master of Arts in History and Comparative Literature, he has since furthered his education in HR, leadership and strategy. He holds a Master’s level qualification in communication and an executive education from the French INSEAD Business School.