Charlotte Valeur
Kirsten Valeur | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Occupation(s) | Corporate governance specialist, former merchant banker |
| Known for | Chair of the UK's Institute of Directors, advocate for boardroom diversity, founder of Institute Of Neurodiversity |
Kirsten Charlotte Valeur (born January 1964) is a Danish ex-merchant banker and specialist in corporate governance, who formerly chaired the UK's Institute of Directors. She has led three international corporations as chair and held numerous non-executive board roles in both private and publicly traded companies. Valeur is widely acknowledged as a prominent advocate for diversity in boardrooms. In July 2020, she revealed her position on the autism spectrum and subsequently established the Institute Of Neurodiversity to promote global support for neurodiverse communities.
Early life
Born in January 1964 in Copenhagen, Valeur grew up in the Danish capital. Her mother, Kirsten Valeur Rosenbeck-Hansen, worked as a teacher, while her father, Leo Balleby, was a butcher by profession. The loss of her mother to breast cancer when Valeur was seven years old marked a pivotal event that fostered resilience and a determination to embrace life fully. Her father’s influence instilled strong values of ethics and equality, emphasizing the importance of respecting every individual.
Valeur obtained a bachelor's degree in accounting and economics in 1983 from Copenhagen Business College (Danish: Købmandsskolen i København). In 1987, she completed another bachelor's qualification in banking at the Institute of Danish Bankers, covering subjects such as banking operations, financial accounting, economics, and banking law. She later returned to Købmandsskolen i København, earning a bachelor of commerce degree in 1990 with a focus on organisation, management, financial planning, and investments. Valeur is fluent in six languages.
Banking
Valeur’s professional journey began in 1982 as a fixed-income trader at Scandinavian bank Nordea based in Copenhagen. In 1991, she transferred to Nordea’s London branch to take on the role of Head of UK Fixed Income Sales. Subsequently, she advanced to Vice President at SG Warburg. In 1992, she joined BNP Paribas as a director and later moved to Société Générale holding a director position from 1998 onwards.
Directorships
From 2009 onwards, Valeur has served on the boards of seven publicly listed companies, including chairing three of them. She became a director at the 3i Infrastructure fund in 2009. By 2014, she was chairing both Kennedy Wilson European Real Estate and Blackstone Loan Financing. During her tenure at Kennedy Wilson European Real Estate, she managed the $8 billion merger with its US-listed parent company. In 2015, acting as an independent director, she played a key role in the acquisition of AIM-listed Renewable Energy Generation by BlackRock. Valeur was appointed governor and director at the University of Westminster in 2017 and joined the board of construction company Laing O'Rourke in 2018, where she continues to serve.
Private equity
In 2003, Valeur founded Brook Street Partners, a private equity firm focused on raising capital for investment purposes. By 2011, the firm was advising leading UK and Scandinavian institutions by aligning clients’ investment requirements with appropriate asset managers.
Corporate governance
Valeur, an expert in corporate governance, founded and has been leading the advisory firm Global Governance Group since 2009.
Board Apprentice
In 2013, Valeur launched Board Apprentice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing boardroom diversity worldwide by providing aspiring directors with authentic board experience. This initiative tackles the difficulty companies encounter when appointing women and diverse candidates who lack prior board exposure. Board Apprentice is now recognized as a pioneering program that reserves board positions specifically for educational purposes to cultivate future directors.
Valeur is widely regarded as a prominent advocate for diversity in corporate boards. She underscores the importance of genuine boardroom experience rather than simulated training to reduce risks for current directors and stakeholders. She insists that a lack of diversity is unacceptable and emphasizes the need to empower underrepresented groups by building their confidence and familiarity with board duties.
Education and mentoring
In April 2017, Valeur introduced U25 Mentoring in Jersey, an innovative program that reverses traditional mentoring roles by encouraging board members to seek insights from individuals aged 18 to 25. She pointed out that companies risk becoming irrelevant if they neglect younger viewpoints, as many young people find it challenging to engage with business leaders.
Valeur holds the position of visiting professor in Governance at the University of Strathclyde and participates on the advisory board of the Møller Centre at Churchill College, Cambridge.
London Stock Exchange
In September 2018, Valeur joined the London Stock Exchange as part of its primary markets team.
Institute of Directors
On 3 September 2018, Valeur was appointed chair of the UK's Institute of Directors (IoD). She viewed this role as an opportunity to support contemporary business leadership.
IoD turnaround
By January 2019, Valeur set out to stop and reverse the decline in IoD membership by advocating for increased diversity across gender, ethnicity, and age. She highlighted the need to address rising costs amid decreasing revenues and prioritized improving governance over engaging in political matters. Valeur stated, "...if you're not up for real change then don't talk to me. When you want to do a turnround that's what I came here for."
Executive pay
In March 2019, Valeur called on directors of publicly traded companies to implement responsible executive remuneration policies. She emphasized the importance of aligning executive pay with company performance and urged shared sacrifices during cost reductions, stressing accountability when managing investors’ funds.
Boardroom diversity
Throughout her leadership at the IoD, Valeur was a strong proponent of enhancing boardroom diversity and openly criticized large publicly listed firms for failing to meet diversity goals. She restructured the IoD’s board to achieve gender balance and ensured that 30% of members were from ethnic minority backgrounds. Valeur maintained that achieving diversity is straightforward but requires deliberate efforts to identify suitable talent.
On 8 February 2020, UK FTSE 100 companies met the government-backed target of women occupying one-third of board seats almost a year ahead of schedule. Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom praised this achievement, which was reached without imposing penalties for non-compliance. While acknowledging this progress, Valeur pointed out persistent shortcomings at executive and chair positions and urged companies to continue cultivating inclusive environments to prevent setbacks.
IoD Centre for Corporate Governance
On 30 June 2020, Valeur initiated the IoD Centre for Corporate Governance, aimed at evaluating existing and emerging corporate governance standards. She was acknowledged as the primary catalyst for this project, receiving backing from prominent City leaders such as former Lloyd's CEO Inga Beale, Marcus Stuttard of the London Stock Exchange, and Amra Balic, head of stewardship at BlackRock.
Stepping down
In August 2020, Valeur stepped down following the IoD's proposed organisational changes designed to respond to COVID-19 challenges. She cited a lack of sufficient time to meet the heightened demands for active leadership. Living in Jersey and caring for a vulnerable household, she recognized that the expanding responsibilities of the chair role during the pandemic exceeded her available capacity. The IoD board publicly acknowledged her vital role in revitalising the institute and contributing to its sustained achievements.
Institute Of Neurodiversity
Towards the end of 2021, Valeur established the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION), which operates throughout the UK, Europe, and Australia to champion inclusion and equitable representation for neurodivergent communities. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, ION stands as the sole international umbrella organisation representing all neurominorities.
ION brings together diverse neurodiverse groups to create a unified community that celebrates their societal impact. It challenges conventional perceptions of neurodiversity as a deficiency and advocates to governments, industries, educational institutions, and charities for greater awareness and the elimination of systemic bias. Its programs encompass awareness initiatives, embedding neurodiverse viewpoints into education, research, and mental health services, along with leadership development and networking opportunities. ION aims to reach one million members across 100 countries by 2025.
Valeur stresses that neurodivergent individuals are essential contributors across all sectors yet continue to face marginalisation. She rejects framing neurodiversity as an issue requiring correction, highlighting how such perspectives fuel discrimination. ION opposes "conversion therapies" intended to "cure" neurodiversity, condemning them as harmful and prejudicial. The organisation also calls on employers to refrain from pressuring neurodiverse staff to conform and to actively combat workplace discrimination. Studies indicate only 58% of autistic employees disclose their diagnosis to HR departments; Valeur is committed to enhancing professional support for neurodivergent workers.
In an interview with Raconteur, Valeur highlighted the critical role of senior leaders openly embracing neurodiversity to serve as exemplars and foster transformative cultural shifts within corporate settings.
Autism
On 13 July 2020, Valeur revealed she is on the autism spectrum, having been diagnosed in 2017. She encouraged employers to prioritise individuals' strengths and potential contributions rather than focusing on limitations, advocating a shift in narrative to retain valuable talent. An HR sector report praised her transparency as a bold act since few business executives have publicly shared similar neurodivergent diagnoses. Valeur pointed out that workplaces must adapt better since many autistic people find conventional interview processes and extrovert-oriented environments challenging.
In 2015, prompted by a friend's suggestion, Valeur completed an online assessment followed by a formal autism diagnosis. Her family responded calmly, but receiving the diagnosis helped clarify her personal experiences. Growing up in Copenhagen, she encountered social exclusion at school and underachieved academically due to insufficient support—a reflection of systemic obstacles faced by autistic students.
Her professional journey in banking across Copenhagen and London highlighted her capabilities; she was regarded as a "female pioneer in capital markets" and frequently perceived as "one of the boys." Valeur observed that autistic women often exhibit traits akin to neurotypical men regarding behaviour and interests. Her strong affinity for numbers suited her two-decade career on stock exchanges and trading floors.
Valeur advocates for corporate boards to embrace neurodiversity more fully, recognising that conditions such as dyslexia, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can drive improved organisational outcomes. She emphasises that meaningful progress requires challenging conventional norms rather than accepting them uncritically.
Honours and awards
In 2014, Valeur earned a place among The 2014 IFC Power Women Top 200 as recognized by City Wealth Magazine. Three years later, she received the "Director of the Year for a Small Organisation" accolade at the Jersey Director of the Year Awards, hosted by IoD Jersey. By 2018, Valeur was acknowledged as one of the 100 most influential women in Denmark, highlighting her significant leadership and influence.