Mads Falkenfleth
Director and Founder
Mads has a profound interest in the existential questions that define our interaction with the world. Why do we live out of sync with nature and why do we accept that some people suffer under poverty while others enjoy extreme abundance? The financial crisis of 2008 inspired him to study economics and learn more about the economic system and its relation to the crises of our time. It became clear to Mads that the economic system is a source of many social and ecological challenges and thus also part of the solution.
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Since his studies, Mads has worked on rethinking economics. He has helped to found and organize Rethinking Economics (RE) for more than a decade and established the global network, three local university groups, and two national chapters. He remains active as a board member of the global network. The great engagement in RE has been about academia and marked by intellectual curiosity. It has also equipped Mads with an in-depth knowledge of the economic approaches often summarized in the term "new economic thinking."
Mads gets the idea of a think tank for wellbeing economics from three sources:
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First, he meets Katherine Trebeck and her ideas on wellbeing economics in 2016, which later led to the establishment of a global "Wellbeing Economy Alliance" and a government coalition for 6 countries, called "Wellbeing Economy Governments."
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Next, he starts working at the Danish Happiness Research Institute in 2017, where he meets Michael Birkjær.
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Finally, he follows how other RE members establish think tanks based on new economic thinking in England, Germany, and the Netherlands in the years 2017-2021.
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These events inspired Mads to establish a Danish think tank for Wellbeing Economy, and in 2022 he started fundraising for what became WELA with the help of his friend, Michael.
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As founder and director, Mads is responsible for WELA's strategic direction and external representation. He also works to support the global New Economy field succeed and create a wellbeing economy that delivers wellbeing and protects nature, whatever it means for GDP.
