21 August 2018

EU Commissioner is the new distinguished alumnus at UCPH

Alumni

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager is the new distinguished alumnus at the University of Copenhagen. Margrethe Vestager is recognized for her outstanding contributions within her field of expertise and for demonstrating commitment and loyalty to the University.

Margrethe Vestager at University of Copenhagen, when she was Minister of Economic Affairs and the Interior. Image: Martina Zamboni

Margrethe Vestager holds an MSc in Economics from 1993 from UCPH, and from then quickly made a career to holding a leading position in the Danish Ministry of Finance. At the time of graduation, she was already active in politics as a member and General Secretary of the Social Liberal Party in Denmark.

In 1998, only five years after graduating from UCPH, Margrethe Vestager was appointed Minister for Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs, the then youngest female minister in Denmark. Her first but not her last post as minister.

Taking on giants

Since then Margrethe Vestager has moved from Danish politics to Brussels. In 2014, she took office as EU Commissioner. Margrethe Vestager has a highly visible profile on the international scene, where she has taken on giants such as Google, Amazon and McDonalds. The Economist has pronounced Margrethe Vestager the most effective cartel breaker for years, and with great flair, she has managed to firmly put cases of tax evasion and fair market conditions on the popular agenda.

She is the only Dane to appear on Time Magazine's 2017 list of the most influential people in the world, and in Denmark, she was named Dane of the Year 2016 by the Berlingske newspaper.

Margrethe Vestager has transcended from being a successful politician to EU citizens’ watchdog at the very highest level. She says that if her hands are trembling when she is up against one of the giants, she thinks about the 500 million citizens behind her.

The celebration of Margrete Vestager as a distinguished alumnus takes place on 6 October 2018 in connection with the Alumni Day at the University of Copenhagen.