Specialisterne launched in Switzerland today October 20 2011, following Denmark, Scotland and Iceland to become the third licensee of the Specialisterne model. Specialisterne Switzerland, led by CEO Thomas van der Stad, celebrated the launch today at a reception held at their offices in Zollikofen near Bern. Guests at the event included Thorkil Sonne, Founder and Chairman of Specialist People Foundation (SPF), the Board of Specialisterne Switzerland, as well as a number of prominent local guests. Specialisterne Switzerland will focus on helping people with autism spectrum disorder and similar challenges secure employment in the Swiss labor market.
Author Archives: Specialist People Foundation
Specialisterne Launches in Switzerland
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Specialisterne Opens for Business in Switzerland
Specialisterne launched in Switzerland today October 20 2011, following Denmark, Scotland and Iceland to become the third licensee of the Specialisterne model. Specialisterne Switzerland, led by CEO Thomas van der Stad, celebrated the launch today at a reception held at their offices in Zollikofen near Bern. Guests at the event included Thorkil Sonne, Founder and Chairman of Specialist People Foundation (SPF), the Board of Specialisterne Switzerland, as well as a number of prominent local guests. Specialisterne Switzerland will focus on helping people with autism spectrum disorder and similar challenges secure employment in the Swiss labor market. Continue reading
Ashoka Globalizer Thorkil Sonne – Taking Social Change to a Global Level
There are very few people in this world who can call themselves an Ashoka Globalizer. Here at Specialist People Foundation, we are proud to say that Founder and Chairman of the Board, and Ashoka Fellow since 2010, Thorkil Sonne is one of these few. It was Thorkil’s work with Specialisterne and the Speciallist People Foundation that originally brought him to Ashoka’s attention. Ashoka, a global network of over 2,500 social entrepreneurs, active in more than 70 countries, welcomed Thorkil into the exclusive Globalizer network earlier this year. Being named an Ashoka Globalizer is one of the highest accolades in the world of social entrepreneurship. The program identifies approximately 40 Ashoka Fellows whose ideas are considered the “most ready to globalize,” and then aims to leverage Ashoka’s global reach and network of social and business entrepreneurs to link these ideas to the financial, strategic and intellectual support they need to go global.
“The benefits that comes from being named an Ashoka Globalizer are invaluable, says Thorkil. “It opens so many doors and provides you with a world of opportunities that make it easier to truly gloablize social innovations such as Specialisterne.”
Watch the Ashoka Globalizer video on You Tube
And watch this video about Ashoka
Ashoka Solutions Forum
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Thorkil has been invited to speak at the Ashoka Solutions Forum in Minneapolis on 16 November. Here Thorkil will share his experiences about Specialist People Foundation and Specialiserne.
Sonne to Ashoka Globalizer Summit
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As an Ashoka Globalizer, Thorkil will be attending the 2011 Ashoka Globalizer Summit in Vienna November 5-7. At the summit, roughly 30 of the world’s leading social and economic entrepreneurs come together to explore the future of scaling innovation.
SPF Keynote at F.ounders 2011 Conference
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Thorkil has been invited to make the keynote presentation at F.ounders 2011.
Specialisterne Around the World
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Specialisterne Feature in New York Times
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Iceland and Scotland Grow Their Business
Business is progressing for Specialisterne Scotland and Specialisterne Iceland with both organisations growing. Just a few short months after launching Specialisterne in April, the Iceland organisation is expanding – and not just in terms of the number of employees. An assessment manager joined the team on June 1; the same day that the company moved into larger offices. They have since welcomed eight new candidates into the assessment process, and plan to take in more before the end of the year. They also plan to hire a personnel manager early 2012. The Icelandic consultants are also keeping busy with a number of interesting assignments, for example they worked on building a new website for the island of Videy, Iceland. This is where the Imagine Peace Tower - a memorial to John Lennon from his wife Yoko Ono – is located. The new website is due to launch on Lennon’s birthday October 9. “Things are moving forward,” says Bjarni Torfi Álfpórsson, General Manager Specialisterne Iceland. “We are really pleased with our progress, and happy with the positive response we are getting from companies here in Iceland.” Continue reading