Event info

Towards Sustainable Growth in a Competitive World 

Conference where we will bring to the stage two of our very best specialist when it comes to talking about business development, role of clusters, competitiveness and value creation through circular economy.

The minister of innovation and industry, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, will open the conference following by Christian Ketels, visiting executive at Professor Michael E. Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, he is former Chief Economist of The Boston Consulting Group at the BCG Henderson Institute.

And Merete Daniel Nilsen, founder and director of Cluster Excellence Denmark, supporting Danish clusters on competence development, professionalization, and internationalization and a president of TCI Network.

8:30 – 9:00 Skráning og morgunmatur

9:00 – Ávarp ráðherra – Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir

9:10 - How to grow competitiveness through cluster-based economic development

Christian Ketels – Harvard Buisness School, former Chief Economist at the Boston Consulting Group

Dr. Ketels is visiting executive at Professor Michael E. Porter’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, he is former Chief Economist of The Boston Consulting Group at the BCG Henderson Institute. Dr. Ketels has led cluster and competitiveness projects in many parts of the world. He is member of economic advisory groups in Europe and the Americas, has written widely on economic policy issues, is the co-editor of the Competitiveness Review, and has been a frequent speaker on competitiveness and strategy in Europe, North America and Asia. Christian Ketels has been on the Board of Directors of the TCI Network since October 2007, becoming its Secretary in October 2009 and President in December 2011. Today he is the Chair of the Board of Advisor at TCI.

9:40 - Clusters in the Circular Economy

Merete Daniel Nilsen - Founder and Director of Cluster Excellence Denmark, president of TCI –Global Network of Clusters.

Merete Daniel Nielsen is co-founder and co-director of Cluster Excellence Denmark, supporting Danish clusters on competence development, professionalization and internationalization. For the last 20 years, she has acted as an expert and leader in cluster and innovation projects at regional, national and international level mainly in Europe. Merete is member of the new Commission Expert Group on Clusters, at the European Commission. Merete Nilsen is the president of TCI, the leading global network of people and organizations working in clusters and innovation ecosystems around the world. TCI creates global connections, inspire clusters and improve policy learning. Founded in 1998, TCI Network is a non-profit, non-governmental organization open to members from all continents.  

Moderator – Ásta Kristin Sigurjónsdóttir, Cluster Manager at Iceland Tourism Cluster, member of the board of directors at TCI.

10:10 – 11:10 Panel discussion – Towards a sustainable growth and Competitiveness for the future