Who We Are – PinkPolarBear.org

The PinkPolarBear Foundation is built around various objectives: supporting the Polar regions in a period of rapid change; educating the public about polar sciences and climate; contributing to climate change awareness; mitigation and adaptation; defining and implementing CSR action plan; implementing technology solutions for low carbon emissions among others.

Sustainable social and economic development is also a focus area: when strengthening communities through education and by closing the knowledge gaps, one will most likely move towards sustainable development.

Currently, in our initial phase, the foundation aims to work together and co-sponsor projects of the International Polar Foundation to develop specific educational projects for Greenland.

The PinkPolarBear Foundation will not reinvent the wheel but will leverage on and cooperate with existing organizations internationally and locally in Greenland.

The registered domicile of the foundation is the Municipality of Sermersooq, Greenland.

Stakeholders

The PinkPolarBear Foundation seeks to establish an additional bridge between the founding member companies, the Greenland society, and authorities, connecting those further with international organizations in the area of Arctic research and projects.

For instance, the Greenland Ruby mine is taking something from nature but also giving back to human species and nature via the PinkPolarBear Foundation. The mine also contributes to the Greenland society with revenue income and employment opportunities. Partnering with the Greenland society is a key success factor for Greenland Ruby A/S.

After a thorough and in-depth selection process, the PinkPolarBear Foundation has selected the International Polar Foundation as its initial operating partner. This partnership safeguards continuity and provides an effective fulfilling of the mission, vision, goals, and ambitions of the PinkPolarBear Foundation.

Partnerships

The PinkPolarBear Foundation is open for selected partnerships with like-minded people and corporations. One of our first commercial partners is Hartmann’s from Copenhagen. Apart from being one of the founding members, they contribute part of their sales to the PinkPolarBear Foundation.

Within common global goals, the PinkPolarBear Foundation understands that each partner has different strategies and objectives for launching a partnership. As a result, the partnerships with corporations or institutions are tailored to best meet their partners' expectations.

The partnership approach will give Greenland Ruby A/S and its PinkPolarBear Foundation the opportunity to provide its own signature and identity towards Greenlandic related projects or programs.

The PinkPolarBear Foundation ensures that the global value of partnerships is coherent across the board, even though content and features might differ from partner to partner.

Local Founding Members

The PinkPolarBear Foundation is an initiative of Greenland Ruby A/S but is open for selected partnerships with like-minded local people and corporations.

The Foundation will be ran independently from the Greenland Ruby A/S operations.

In order to establish a strong foundation in the Greenlandic society as well, the Foundation will also invite Greenlandic companies to become founding members or sponsors.

Founding Members

Board Members

Thorbjørn FriisBoard Member

As a student of Philosophy and the History of Ideas, Friis has worked with management and management systems in such a diverse field of industries as pharmacy, the National Health Service of Greenland and security services. Friis moved to Greenland with his parents as a child and returned after studies and work in Denmark. He is currently working as Compliance Officer in Greenland Ruby.

Emil SkjervedalBoard Member

Emil is a creator of change, a door opener, and an advocate at the highest level. Emil has several years of management experience, where the focus has been on the management of employees and on the management of processes across companies, organizations, and people. Among other things, Emil has gained experience over several years as the business manager in Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, where he in close collaboration with the local business community has created results.

Ulrik HartmannBoard Member

Hartmann has been trading diamond jewelry and investment diamonds for three decades, and his passion and expertise especially lies within the rare pink and champagne colored diamonds. He opened his first high-end jewelry store in Copenhagen in 1997 and has launched the world’s first jewelry collection featuring the exceptional Greenland Rubies in 2018.

Erik A. JensFoundation Chair

Jens has held management roles at financial institutions, most recently with ABN AMRO, in Amsterdam, Dubai, Dublin, Zurich, Zug, Antwerp, Brussels, New York, and London. He comes with an all-around international experience in corporate and private banking, wealth and asset management, including hedge funds and private equity.

Ellen Lerch HøjBoard Member

Lerch Høj has been working at the Employers’ Associations of Greenland in the field of business development within mining and oil industry. Besides that she worked in the field between business and research as a member of the Greenland Research Council from when it was founded in 2014. Today Ellen lives in Nuuk and works for GrønlandsBANKEN as chief innovation officer.