Biography

Image via Save the Children

Helle Thorning-Schmidt became the first female Prime Minister of Denmark from 2011 to 2015. 

Helle Thorning-Schmidt was born in 1966 and studied political science at the University of Copenhagen, and then earned a master’s degree in European studies in 1993 from the College of Europe in Brugge, Belgium. Having earned another master’s degree, in political science, from the University of Copenhagen (1994), Thorning-Schmidt became an administrator for the Danish Social Democratic Party’s delegation to the European Parliament (1994–97) and then worked as a consultant for the Danish Confederation of Trade Unions (1997–99). In 1999 she was elected as a member of the European Parliament (1999–2004). In 2005 she was elected to the Danish Folketing (parliament) and that same year was chosen as the leader of the Social Democratic Party. 

After her time as Prime Minister she became the first female CEO of Save the Children International since 2016. In January 2019 she announced that she would be stepping down as CEO. Since 2020, Thorning-Schmidt has served as a Co-Chair of the Facebook Oversight Board.​