Anne’s perspective on who she likes to surround herself with may seem unordinary at first, but as you’ll read it’s this unconventional way of looking at life that creates truly meaningful relationships.

“I consider myself very Danish, so I really enjoy surrounding myself with people who aren't. This led me to signing up as a mentor in our Refugee Mentoring Programme. I didn't know what to expect - but I knew I could help make a difference for someone who needed a bit of guidance.

I was a bit nervous at first, but after we met there was no doubt: this was the perfect match. Rania and I really hit it off right from the beginning.

My role was to provide guidance and help Rania settle into corporate life in Denmark: how to get a job, what to consider in an application, and how it differs from what she was used to. But in my mind, that wasn’t the place to start a conversation. First, I wanted to get to know her. How is her family doing? What about her children and husband? So, we started by talking about family, kids and school. Only afterwards did we move on to talk about how to build a CV and all of that.

I have a Master's Degree in Language, so talking to people who come from different parts of the world inspires me a lot. I believe we become wiser when we switch our focus away from ourselves. It is very easy to choose friends who look and speak like you, but for me it is also boring if that's all you do. We learn a lot by meeting people with completely different cultures, religions, and backgrounds. And from a business and innovation perspective, diversity of thought makes us so much stronger.

Today, Rania works at Novo Nordisk and has gained her Danish citizenship. I've gained a tremendous amount of perspective from mentoring her - and the cherry on top is a strong friendship that persists to this day.”