Anne Birigitte Lundholt (born 11 June 1952) is a member of the Danish Conservative People's Party and businessperson who served in the Danish Government and the

Folketing The Folketing ( da, Folketinget, ; ), also known as the Parliament of Denmark or the Danish Parliament in English, is the unicameral national legislature (parliament) of the Kingdom of Denmark—Denmark proper together with the Faroe Islands ...

. She was deputy director of the industry organization Textile Industry from 1980 to 1988, deputy chair of the Junior Chamber Denmark between 1983 and 1984 and CEO later chair of the Furniture Manufacturers Association (later the Danish Furniture Industry) in 1988. Lundholt was appointed

Minister of Industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mini ...

in 1989 and as

Minister of Energy An energy minister is a position in many governments responsible for energy production and regulation, developing governmental energy policy, scientific research, and natural resources conservation. In some countries, environmental responsibilities ...

the following year, standing down from both posts in 1993. She was a member of the

for the Ringkøbing County constituency from 1990 to 1997. Lundholt was appointed Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1990.

Early life and education

Lundholt was born in

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

on 11 June 1952. She is the daughter of the engineer Niels Ebbe Lundholt and the office assistant and homemaker Aase Andreasen Lundholt. Lundholt has one elder brother and was raised in Fredericia. In 1966, she joined the Young Conservatives in Fredericia to protest the cooperation of the

Social Democrats Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote so ...

and the Socialist People's Party after the two parties gained the most seats in the

. Lundholt was the Young Conservatives' chair from 1969 to 1970, and became a mathematics student at in 1971. She then studied political science at

Aarhus University Aarhus University ( da, Aarhus Universitet, abbreviated AU) is a public research university with its main campus located in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the second largest and second oldest university in Denmark. The university is part of the Coimbra Gr ...

between 1971 and 1977. Lundholt enrolled in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting wi ...

and was a member of the constituency board of The Conservative People's Party in Aarhus during her time at Aarhus University.

Career

She unsuccessfully ran for the Folketing at the three general elections held each year from

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

in the constituencies of , and . Following Lundholt's graduation as

cand.scient.pol. Cand.scient.pol. (Latin: ''candidatus/candidata scientiarum politicarum''; Danish: ''kandidatgrad i statskundskab''; English: ''candidate of political science'') is a candidate's degree (i.e. an advanced degree) in political science, awarded by sev ...

in 1977, she moved to Copenhagen and was employed as a secretary at the from 1977 to 1980. Lundholt endorsed equality between men and women but not positive discrimination due to her belief that "women had to fight on their existing terms". In 1980, she became office manager and later deputy director of the industry organization Textile Industry. Lundholt simultaneously studied for a higher diploma in foreign trade at the

Copenhagen Business School Copenhagen Business School (Danish'': Handelshøjskolen i København'') often abbreviated and referred to as CBS (also in Danish), is a public university situated in Copenhagen, Denmark and is considered one of the most prestigious business schoo ...

until 1983. From 1983 to 1984, she was deputy chair of the Junior Chamber Denmark. Lundholt was appointed CEO of the Furniture Manufacturers Association (later the Danish Furniture Industry) in 1988 and was promoted to chair the following year. She was an examiner at the Copenhagen Business School's course in international economics and business management between 1988 and 1989 and again from 1993. Lundholt accepted the offer of the post of

by the Prime Minister

Poul Schlüter Poul Holmskov Schlüter (; 3 April 1929 – 27 May 2021) was a Danish politician who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1982 to 1993. He was the first member of the Conservative People's Party to become Prime Minister, as well as the first ...

and she took up the position on 2 December 1989. The following year, she was appointed

to become a dual minister and she served in the position from 18 December 1990 to the fall of the Schulter government on 24 January 1993. At the

1990 Danish general election General elections were held in Denmark on 12 December 1990.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p525 Although the election resulted in a strong gain for the Social Democratic Party, Poul Schlüter's coa ...

, she was elected to represent the constituency of Ringkøbing County for The Conservative People's Party in the Folketing from 12 December of that year. As Minister of Industry, Lundholt opposed subsidies for the business industry in the form of business promotion and supporting outsourcing. While the Minister of Industry, she had to deal with opposition to the adoption of a carbon dioxide tax. Lundholt was The Conservative People's Party's political spokesperson from 1995 to 1997. She resigned her post following an election to appoint a new party chair in 1997. Lundholt left the Folketing on 8 October 1997. Between 19 March 1997 and 7 November 1997, she was a member of the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the parliamentary arm of the Council of Europe, a 46-nation international organisation dedicated to upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Assembly is made up o ...

. She held a number of posts in the business industry. From 1997 to June 2005, Lundholt was the CEO of the industry organisation

Danish Bacon Danish Bacon was a brand under which Danish bacon was sold in the United Kingdom. The product had "Danish" stamped on the rind between wavy lines. The Danish farmers producing Danish Bacon and their co-operatives were represented by Danske Sl ...

before she tendered her resignation. She was appointed to the board of the bank

Nordea Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a European financial services group operating in northern Europe and based in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The bank is the result of the successive m ...

at its general meeting in Stockholm in April 2005, and was appointed the chair of the board of

Banedanmark Banedanmark (; previously Banestyrelsen) is a Denmark, Danish company that is responsible for the maintenance and traffic control on all of the state owned Rail transport in Denmark, Danish railway network. History In 1997, Banedanmark came into ...

by the Ministry of Transport and Energy in late March 2006. She was CEO of the Veterinary Medical Industry Association between 2007 and 2011 and was appointed an export ambassador for South Korea, Turkey and Vietnam by the Danish Government in 2011 before the scheme was ended in November 2011 following the election of

Helle Thorning-Schmidt Helle Thorning-Schmidt (; born 14 December 1966) is a Danish retired politician who served as the 26th Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015, and Leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. She is the first woman to have held each p ...

Awards

In 1990, Lundholt was appointed Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog. That same year, she was named Politician of the Year for 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lundholt, Anne Birgitte 1952 births Living people People from Fredericia 20th-century Danish women politicians 20th-century Danish businesswomen 21st-century Danish businesswomen Aalborg University alumni Copenhagen Business School alumni Danish chief executives Danish women business executives Conservative People's Party (Denmark) politicians Members of the Folketing 1990–1994 Members of the Folketing 1994–1998 Women members of the Folketing Women government ministers of Denmark Danish Ministers of Climate and Energy Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog