Mads Svendsen

Senior Associate Consultant
MSc in Politcical Economy and a Masters degree in economics from Copenhagen

Mads Svendsen

Seasoned change management advisor with extensive experience in global organizational transformation and development. Having led numerous high-impact initiatives, Mads excels in strategic planning, organizational development, and change leadership,. His expertise includes business model reviews, change management advisory, toolkit development, team building, complex analytics, and facilitation. Mads has a proven track record of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness within the United Nations and other international organizations, driving innovation and continuous improvement.

At the United Nations, Mads has focused on the Efficiency Agenda of the Secretary-General, enhancing efficiency across six service lines: Procurement, ICT, Human Resources, Finance, Logistics, and Administration. He led the Functional Review of the IMO Secretariat, strengthening strategy, systems, processes, structures, and skills for sustainable shipping. Additionally, he managed an internal management consulting team within UNDP and coordinated Advisory Services for UNLOCK, advising on operations, management, and organizational change.

Mads holds an MSc in Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a master’s degree in economics from Copenhagen University. He is passionate about driving positive change and improving organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

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Professional Experience

  • Founder & Principal Consultant, Svendsen Consulting (2025– )
  • Senior Change Management Advisor, UN Development Coordination Office (UNDCO), New York (2021 – 2025)
  • Project Manager, Functional Review, International Maritime Organization (IMO), London (2019 – 2020)
  • Coordinator, Management Consulting Team, UNDP, New York (2003 – 2018)
  • Coordinator of Advisory Services, UNLOCK, New York (2016 – 2018)
  • Enterprise Development Advisor, DANIDA, Vietnam (2001 – 2002)
  • Consultant / Team Leader, DANIDA, UNDP, World Bank, Oxfam GB, CARE International, Vietnam (2000)
  • Programme Officer, UNIDO, Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia/Myanmar (1999 – 2000)
  • Assistant Vice President, Structured Finance, SEB, Hong Kong (1997 – 1999)
  • Writer & Researcher, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Hong Kong (1996)
  • Economist, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1994 – 1995)

Podcasts
Implementering

Modstand mod forandring

En stor del af det ledelsesstrategiske arbejde består i at implementere små og store forandringer. Imidlertid er det ikke nødvendigvis alle i organisationen, der stiger ombord på forandringsvognen. Men hvorfor opstår modstand mod forandringer? Og hvad kan du som leder gøre for at forebygge og håndtere modstand mod forandringer?

Nye tiltag står i kø i de fleste danske organisationer og særligt digitale transformationer fylder meget i disse tider. Derfor har chefkonsulenterne Michael Søby Andersen og Kaare Pedersen taget en snak med forretningschef hos KOMBIT, Ina Corydon, om det særlige ved implementering af digitale løsninger.

Lyt med her, i første afsnit i LEADknowledges podcastserie om implementering, og bliv blandt meget andet klogere på, hvorfor digitale implementeringer ofte er meget dyrere, end direktionen forestiller sig, og hvorfor kantstenslevering af it-løsninger generelt er en dårlig idé. Du kan også finde LEADknowledge der, hvor du normalt hører dine podcasts.

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Ledelsesudvikling

Dysfunktioner i et team

I dette afsnit sætter erhverspsykolog og chefkonsulent hos LEAD, Mickey Klysner Riis, fokus på teamsamarbejde i organisationer. Når samarbejdet halter, påvirker det både kvalitet, innovation, service og trivsel negativt. Vi undersøger, hvorfor stærke teams er afgørende for succes – og hvad der sker, når de ikke fungerer. Mickey deler metoder og værktøjer til at styrke teams og skabe psykologisk tryghed. Vi taler om, hvordan kunstig harmoni kan blive til ægte dialog og engagement. Lyt med til eksempler på, hvordan fælles ejerskab og tydelighed løfter teamets resultater. Samtidig dykker vi ned i de svære dilemmaer: tør vi være sårbare, tage konflikter og holde hinanden ansvarlige? Er vi klar til at sætte fællesskabet over egne interesser? Få inspiration til at skabe stærkere teams og mere arbejdsglæde. Et must-listen for alle, der vil lykkes sammen med andre.

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