In the presence of the graduating Executive MBA class (14th class), SIMI Chairman Kenneth Plummer awarded the SIMI Strategy Award 2007 to Marianne Thellersen, Director, Novozymes, for successful leadership of the recommendations of her final business project.

Attended by representatives from the award panel and Marianne's boss, Peder Holk Nielsen, the ceremony took place 30 November 2007.



Marianne Thellersen won the prize ahead of three colleagues who had all achieved outstanding results:

1) Michael Lentge Andersen, Terma, for the project "Terma - Capitalizing on Public Safety & Emergency Opportunities"

2) Christian Husegaard, Bang & Olufsen Medicom, for the project "Repositioning Bang & Olufsen Medicom in the Drug Delivery Injection Business"

3) Vera Li, Fritz Hansen, for the project "Fritz Hansen's Expansion into the Russian Market"

All four nominees were presented in the Danish business newspaper Børsen, 30 November 2007.

The SIMI Strategy Award is given each year to a SIMI graduate who has been extraordinarily successful in creating value to his or her sponsoring company after graduation. The award is given with the collaboration of Børsen, FUHU, The Danish Society for the Advancement of Business Education and Research, and SIMI.

The award panel is composed of:

Ralf Boscheck, Professor of strategy, IMD
Leif Beck Fallesen, CEO and editor in chief, Børsen
Claus Kotasek, Chairman, SIMI Alumni Association
Martin Lauth, President, FUHU

Kenneth Plummer said of the award, "To live up to our mission statement being 'a resource to industry', SIMI exam projects must have high academic standards in terms of direct relevance and applied value to the sponsor. We have been particularly impressed by what Marianne has achieved both in her final business project and since her graduation."