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WORK TITLE: Happy as a Dane
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1975
WEBSITE: http://www.malenerydahl.com/
CITY: Paris
STATE:
COUNTRY: France
NATIONALITY: Danish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malene_Rydahl
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1975, in Aarhus, Denmark.
EDUCATION:Received degree from Niels Brock Copenhagen Business College.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Speaker and author. Bang & Olufsen, Paris, France, executive; Les Ouvriers du Paradis, Paris, France, account manager; Hyatt Hotels Corporation EAME, director of corporate communications.
Copenhagen Goodwill ambassador.
MEMBER:Positive Economy Forum advisory committee.
AWARDS:Named one of the “twenty-four women of 2012” by L’Express magazine.
WRITINGS
Author’s works have been translated into Russian, Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese.
SIDELIGHTS
Marlene Rydahl hails from Denmark, which is renowned as the country with the happiest people in the world. Before Rydahl became a writer, she was an executive in the corporate world. During this stage of her life, she was affiliated with Les Ouvriers du Paradis, Bang & Olufsen, and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, where she served as director of corporate communication for the company’s Europe-Africa-Middle East division.
It was during Rydahl’s stint in the corporate world that she first began studying the concept of happiness and started to make presentations and publish articles on the subject. Denmark’s status as the world’s happiest nation became her main focus. Rydahl left the business world in 2015 in order to concentrate solely on speaking and writing. She also works as a goodwill ambassador for the city of Copenhagen.
Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World is the culmination of Rydahl’s research on happiness. The book explores just what factors contribute to keeping the people of Denmark so happy. She breaks down her findings into ten points that illustrate what sets the Danish people apart from the rest of the world. Among the ten elements Rydahl highlights are the elimination of the gender divide, people’s faith in one another as human beings, schools that prioritize learning and nurture over high grades, less emphasis on financial success, the ability to slow down and enjoy life, and individuals’ ample opportunity to pursue personal goals. Each of these points receives its own dedicated chapter, in which Rydahl explores how it manifests itself and works so well within Danish society. Rydahl also interviews several Danes about their overall satisfaction with life.
Alongside her inspection of Danish culture and happiness, Rydahl devotes a portion of the book to giving advice on how to achieve personal satisfaction. In a favorable review in BookPage, Julie Hale commented: “From start to finish, Rydahl lays out a persuasive case for making 2017 the year of living Danishly.” A writer in Publishers Weekly stated: “More journalistic than prescriptive, [the book] … will complement the many other ‘happy Dane’ books reaching the market.” Booklist contributor Patricia Smith observed that Happy as a Dane functions well as “a conversation starter because it opens readers’ minds to other cultures and prompts reflection.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 15, 2016, Patricia Smith, review of Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World, p. 5.
BookPage, January, 2017, Julie Hale, “Keep on the Sunny Side of Life,” review of Happy as a Dane, p. 15.
Publishers Weekly, November 21, 2016, “Happy Denmark,” review of Happy as a Dane, p. 101.
ONLINE
Malene Rydahl Website, http://www.malenerydahl.com (September 5, 2017), author profile.
Malene Rydahl
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malene Rydahl
Malene Rydahl presenting her first book at the Seoul International Book Fair 2015.jpg
Malene Rydahl presenting her first book at the Seoul International Book Fair (october 2015)
Born 1975
Aarhus, Denmark
Nationality Danish
Occupation Writer, speaker
Website http://www.malenerydahl.com
Malene Rydahl, born in Aarhus (Denmark), is a former executive in corporate communication and currently a writer and speaker specializing in happiness and well-being.
She is the author of the book Happy as a Dane, initially published in France by Grasset (Heureux comme un Danois)[1] in April 2014. The book has been translated and published in more than 10 countries and is coming out in the United States in January 2017, published by Norton.
After the publication of her book, Malene Rydahl was given the honorary title of Goodwill ambassador of the city of Copenhagen.
In February 2016, she was selected by the OECD secretary general Ángel Gurría to present her work to the organization.[2]
Contents [hide]
1 Life and career
2 Other commitments
3 Bibliography
4 References
5 External links
Life and career[edit]
Malene Rydahl worked 18 years in the corporate world as an executive in corporate communication before starting a career as a writer, keynote speaker and executive coach.
After 6 years as a manager and executive at Bang & Olufsen in France, she joined the advertising agency Les Ouvriers du Paradis (WPP group) as the account manager of Le Bon Marché (LVMH group). She then joined Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and was the group's director of corporate communication for the EAME region until 2015.[3]
Malene Rydahl has a degree in international business strategy from the Niels Brock business school of Copenhagen.
Her professional career qualified her as one of the "24 women of 2012" according to the French weekly magazine L'Express.[4]
Alongside her work at Hyatt, she started a career as a writer and keynote speaker specialized in happiness and well-being, using the case study of Denmark, her native country, regularly at the top of international rankings on happiness. She explores why Danish employees are some of the happiest in the world, and the positive impact of happiness on economic results. She wrote Heureux comme un Danois ("Happy as a Dane") published by Grasset in France in April 2014.[5][6][7][8] The book became a best-seller and was awarded the Prize for the Most Optimistic Book in the same year.[9][10] It has since been published in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Russia, and is scheduled to come out in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Poland, Turkey and Czech Republic. Since 2015, Malene Rydahl is a full-time writer, keynote speaker and executive coach.
As a speaker, Malene Rydahl takes part in various events organized by international corporations and non-profit organizations on happiness at work and management practices. She is represented worldwide by the London Speaker Bureau.[11]
Among other interventions, Malene Rydahl was invited in February 2016 by Ángel Gurría, secretary general of the OECD, to present her work to the organization's experts.[12] She has also spoken at the École nationale d'administration – France's national school for the highest civil servants – and she gave a TEDx talk at the INSEAD business school in Singapore in 2015.[13]
Other commitments[edit]
Malene Rydahl was part of the advisory committee at the creation of the Positive Economy Forum[14][15] led by French economist, writer and public servant Jacques Attali and under the sponsorship of the President of France. She supports Europe Tomorrow,[16] a French social start-up which aims at mapping local social and environmental innovations across Europe, by being a member of its advisory board.
She is also an associate of the Danish startup 42° Raw,[17] a healthy 100% plant based fast food concept. The company has 3 restaurants in Copenhagen.
In 2014, she was appointed Goodwill ambassador of Copenhagen.
Bibliography[edit]
Heureux comme un Danois, Grasset, 2014
MALENE RYDAHL: AUTHOR, KEYNOTE SPEAKER, GOODWILL AMBASSADOR
malene rydahl - heureux comme un danoisAfter 18 years of rich and extensive experience in the corporate world, most recently as Director of Corporate Communication for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in EAME, Malene Rydahl qualified as one of the “24 women of 2012” according to the French magazine L’Express.
Prior to her time with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, Malene worked six years for Bang & Olufsen during the period of the turnaround of the company, she also held a position with WPP in France heading the key account “Le Bon Marché” (LVMH) of the agency.
She is now a full time writer, speaker and executive coach wanting to share the secret of what the Danes can teach us about happiness and how we can all live better, more purposeful lives. She also explores why Danish employees are some of the happiest in the world and how that directly impacts results financially in a positive way. She works with major French and international companies and she has recently been selected by the Secretary General to speak at OECD on happiness and how to live better lives. She has spoken at ENA (the French prestigious school which teaches future civil servants) and she was invited as a speaker at TEDx INSEAD in Singapore in 2015.
She is the author of the book “Heureux comme un danois” (Happy as a Dane) published by Grasset in France in April 2014. The book became a best-seller and was awarded the prize of the most optimistic book in 2014. It has been published in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Russia and will come out later in 2017 in Spain, Germany and United States.
COMMITTED TO HAPPINESS
Alongside her career, Malene Rydahl has taken strong commitments. She was part of the advisory committee for the creation of Positive Economy Forum in 2012, an initiative lead by Jacques Attali under the sponsorship of the President of the French Republic. She is also an associate of the Danish start-up 42° Raw, a healthy fast food concept with 4 current restaurants in Copenhagen. Moreover, she supports Europe Tomorrow, a French social start-up which aims at mapping local social and environmental innovations across Europe.
In 2014, her childhood dream of becoming an ambassador came true as she was appointed Goodwill ambassador of Copenhagen.
Malene lives in Paris but travels all over the world.
Keep on the sunny side of life
Julie Hale
BookPage. (Jan. 2017): p15.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 BookPage
http://bookpage.com/
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Most of us would agree that happiness is a state of mind, one that requires more than a little maintenance. Perfect for giving your attitude a tuneup, the books below are all about achieving--and sustaining--a sunny mindset. Get ready to focus, reflect and feel happy, starting today.
In a 2016 United Nations report, Denmark was named the happiest place in the world, a title the country has earned in previous years. The sod, it seems, really is greener in Scandinavia. What's the key to Danish contentment? Copenhagener Meik Wiking, a researcher for the World Database of Happiness, believes it's hygge (pronounced hue-gah), the feeling of snug domesticity, companionship and security that's central to the country's culture.
[...]
Author Malene Rydahl presents a different take on what makes Denmark tick in Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World (Norton, $14.95, 144 pages, ISBN 9780393608922), arguing that her homeland is flourishing thanks to a solid social framework and a value structure that emphasizes personal contentment instead of status. Her 10-secrets list features qualities that define Danish society--traits such as trust, a supportive educational system, a sense of unlimited opportunity and an appreciation for simple pleasures.
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When applied to our personal lives, Rydahl says, these big-picture elements can generate the same sense of positivity that makes Denmark the happiest place on the map. Rydahl, who is Copenhagen's goodwill ambassador, suggests simple shifts in perspective. By focusing on community, calibrating the career-life equation and developing independence and self-worth, we can create a strong foundation for fulfillment. From start to finish, Rydahl lays out a persuasive case for making 2017 the year of living Danishly.
Happy Denmark
Publishers Weekly. 263.47 (Nov. 21, 2016): p101.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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A new trend locates the secret to happiness in one Scandinavian nation.
[...]
Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World
Malene Rydahl, trans. from the French by Kate Bignold and Luisa Nitrato Izzo. Norton, $14.95 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-0-39360892-2
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In this slim volume, Rydahl, a Danish former corporate executive named the goodwill ambassador of Copenhagen after her book's initial publication in Europe, provides a primer to the unique attitudes and practices of her homeland. Ten simple keys characterize the social model: trust, education, freedom and independence, equal opportunity, realistic expectations, solidarity and respect for others, work-life balance, relationship to money, modesty, and gender equality. Addressing education, Rydahl asserts that Denmark does not seek to create an elite; free tuition and grants make schooling accessible to all, and high achievement ranks lower than personal happiness. As to money, she writes that Danes are quite relaxed, and that being rich is not a priority. The concept of hygge is related to work-life balance, with the Danes pursuing a friendly and familial intimacy that enhances well-being and adds meaning and purpose to life. She also makes appealing claims about gender equity in Danish life, stressing that there are few hang-ups about sex and almost no gender discrimination. Plentiful facts, data, recent sociological research, and personal stories are packed into this cogent little volume. More journalistic than prescriptive, it will complement the many other "happy Dane" books reaching the market. Jan.)
Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World
Patricia Smith
Booklist. 113.8 (Dec. 15, 2016): p5.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
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Happy as a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World.
By Malene Rydahl.
Jan. 2017.128p. Norton, paper, $14.95 (9780393608922). 158.1.
Denmark is a cold, dark Scandinavian country that has some of the highest taxes in the world and is one of the 12 remaining monarchies in Europe. But before grabbing your pitchforks to liberate the Danish people, you might want to read Rydahl's thought-provoking explanation of why Denmark perennially ranks at the top of world happiness surveys. In this short read, Rydahl examines 10 reasons why she believes Danes lead happy lives. These include trust, education, work-life balance, and gender equality, and each is carefully explained with a combination of statistics, personal anecdotes, and examples from Danish culture. Rydahl takes care to point out that Denmark is not perfect and highlights some pitfalls of growing up Danish, including prolific alcohol use and fewer opportunities for gifted students. While it might initially feel boastful to some readers, Happy as a Dane is, at its core, an examination of what happiness truly means. This international bestseller is a conversation starter because it opens readers' minds to other cultures and prompts reflection. --Patricia Smith