"Happiness is the freedom to be true to yourself and the courage to pursue a life with purpose"
Malene Rydahl – Heureux comme un danois
Planting seeds of happiness
Malene Rydahl is a writer, keynote speaker and executive coach. She is specialized in well-being and performance in companies inspired by the Danish leadership model. She was born in Denmark and has lived in Paris for more than 20 years. Malene Rydahl explores why Danish employees are some of the happiest in the world and how that leadership style directly impacts results financially in a positive way.
Based on her research and extensive corporate experience, Malene Rydahl wishes to extend to the corporate world her knowledge of engagement, innovation and performance.
Studies have observed that a vast majority of employees around the world are not engaged in their work. This results in high staff turn-over, increased sick leave and above all lack of creativity, innovation and productivity for companies.
Malene Rydahl is the author of the best-selling book “ Happy as a Dane” (Heureux comme un Danois – Grasset) published in more than 12 languages all over the world. The book was awarded the prize of the most optimistic book in 2014. She wrote a second book, “ Le bonheur sans illusions ” (The illusions of happiness), published in 2017 by Flammarion, which has been republished in paperback under the title “Les 5 pièges du bonheur” (J’ai Lu, 2018).
She is a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). She also gives lectures on the Danish leadership model at French school of politics and international relations Sciences Po Paris and prestigious business school HEC Executive Education, as well as INSEAD in Singapore as a TEDx speaker.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER, MASTERCLASS AND EXECUTIVE COACHING
She travels the world to share with executive leaders and companies her findings on why the Danish people are some of the happiest in the world and how the leadership style in business directly impacts performance positively as well as fosters trust, innovation and engagement. She works with major French and multinational companies as a keynote speaker and helps integrate and activate the programs through her masterclasses and executive coaching on leadership and well-being.
She has designed a comprehensive program to meet the needs of businesses:
- Keynotes
- Well-being surveys
- Masterclass trainings
- Executive coaching
She has 18 years of rich and extensive experience in the corporate world (luxury, hotels), which qualified her as one of the “ 24 women of the year ” in 2012 according to the French magazine L’Express.
In 2018, she was part of the official delegation of the French President Emmanuel Macron for his state visit to Denmark, and she was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, an honor given by the French state. She also holds the honorary title of Goodwill Ambassador to Copenhagen.

Trust – Freedom to be you – Engagement
