Denmark has made a strategic return to Malaysia, rebuilding its diplomatic presence with renewed ambition. Leading this resurgence is H.E. Kirstine Vangkilde Berner, a seasoned diplomat with two decades of experience, now taking on her first posting as Denmark’s envoy. Ambassador Berner is at the forefront of strengthening bilateral ties and has been entrusted with establishing and leading Denmark’s new embassy in Kuala Lumpur. While the embassy’s permanent location is set to open by the end of 2025, operations are already in full swing. Underscoring Denmark’s renewed commitment to Southeast Asia, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen visited Kuala Lumpur in December 2024, engaging in high-level diplomatic discussions with the Malaysian government and officially inaugurating the embassy.
H.E. Kirstine Vangkilde Berner, Denmark’s Ambassador to Malaysia
“The Danish Foreign Minister’s visit marks a strong and deliberate signal of our wish to strengthen our bilateral relationship with Malaysia. Malaysia is an important partner to Denmark and a key country in Southeast Asia. We have decades of long and strong relations with Malaysia to build on and we want to foster an even stronger equal partnership with Malaysia and contribute as an equal, future-focused ally.
The last Danish Foreign Minister visit to Malaysia was back in 2007 however, we have of course had other high-level visits over the course of the years – the latest being the Malaysian Foreign Minister’s visit to Denmark in 2022. Our Malaysian partners and interlocutors have been very welcoming, and – I must say – interested, constructive and helpful; there is definitely a mutual interest in strengthening the bilateral relationship between the two countries” says Ambassador Kirstine Vangkilde Berner.
Easy Settling In
Since arriving in August 2024, Ambassador Berner and her family have been excited and found Malaysia to be a welcoming new home.
“We really like it here; we find Malaysia very welcoming and easy to settle in – also as a family.”
Joining the Ambassador are three family members: her husband Michael and two sons, one of whom will join them later this year after finishing a year at boarding school in Denmark. Michael also has two grown-up children back in Denmark and works part-time remotely as a lawyer.
“It is very important to us that he can keep his own career and work-life balance while we are in this special situation as a family, moving every third or fourth year.”
“We had the opportunity to visit Sabah and the Kinabatangan River to experience the rainforest and wildlife. The nature there is astonishing! We are already planning more trips as a family, and there’s a lot on our wish-list. That’s obviously a very nice part of life here – that we get to explore the country and region.”
H.E. Kirstine Vangkilde Berner, Denmark’s Ambassador to Malaysia and Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen
Establishing an Embassy from scratch
“Personally, I am really happy that we now have a set-up in place with all the key functions and a very dedicated and professional team that is already busy handling inquiries from Danish companies, planning new activities and developing our business here.”
“When you establish a new embassy, you have a very strong focus on getting the shop up and running. So that has been a very strong priority for me; to establish a strong, dedicated team. And we are already very satisfied with how we have succeeded with that so far,” smiles the ambassador and adds: “The other side of the important work is of course to reconnect and build the network.”
The Ambassador also highlights that a priority for the reinstated embassy has been to communicate actively on social media to raise awareness about Denmark’s full return to Malaysia.
While the new embassy is being established in a high-rise tower within KLCC, the temporary embassy currently operates from serviced offices, offering consular services.
“For the new embassy building itself, we will be doing everything from scratch. I compare what we have to do here with a start-up business because you really set up everything – the procedures, logistics, administration, etc.”
A residence has already been established, which includes a space for events and receptions, furnished with Danish design.
Crisis Management and Consular Affairs Competencies
Ambassador Kirstine Vangkilde Berner brings a broad spectrum of expertise to her role, gained over a twenty-year career with the Foreign Service, including experience from previous overseas postings.
“I am a classic diplomat in the sense that I’ve had a career with postings both at home and abroad. You get to build your competencies in different areas when you move from one department to another in the home service and do postings in different countries…”
Most recently, she served as Deputy Director for the Consular Affairs Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “I possess strong competencies in crisis management and consular affairs; helping Danish citizens in distress abroad. Having dealt with very difficult consular cases gives some kind of robustness because you often navigate in a crisis situation where you have to react quickly, assess and analyse the situation, while you also have a very strong focus on the person in need. That was a really interesting, rewarding, and also hectic period in my professional career,” says Ambassador Berner.
Spearheading the Green Transition
Now, as Ambassador, her focus has shifted towards business and trade: “We have significant Danish commercial interests here and a strong commercial profile. Assisting Danish companies in Malaysia, of which we have around one hundred, is a core activity for the embassy. We will work to expand the commercial activities and investments between Denmark and Malaysia.”
One of the key focus sectors will be food and agriculture.
“We have a dedicated food and agriculture specialist posted to the embassy and a standing government-to-government Memorandum of Understanding since 2016. Our main export from Denmark to Malaysia is within this area, so there’s a lot to do there. We are also looking to support new areas of collaboration going forward. We’ve already experienced a lot of interest from Danish companies in other sectors, so I’m quite confident that the Embassy will be supporting a broader range of commercial activities here,” says the Ambassador.
The second major focus area, as the new Royal Danish Embassy gets its feet on the ground, is the green transition.
“During the Foreign Minister’s visit, we launched the Green Transition Alliance, which is the Embassy’s new strategic flagship project. Major Danish companies active in various fields within the green agenda and already present in Malaysia have joined this new alliance with the aim to engage in an equal partnership with Malaysia in support of the green transition agenda. We’re seeing very ambitious goals and national roadmaps in Malaysia for the green agenda, and we strongly believe that Danish companies have good solutions to offer in support of this green transition,” states the Ambassador, who advocates for strong public-private partnerships to move the green agenda forward.
The Ambassador highlights that Danish companies possess strong expertise in several key areas, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, water management, environmental sustainability, and healthy urban living.
The Embassy’s focus on the green transition is further strengthened by the expertise of Mr. Mark Perry, Head of Trade at the Danish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. “He comes with solid experience from the region, having previously held the same role at the Danish Embassy in Singapore, with a particular focus on the green sector,” says the Ambassador.
EU Ties & The Nordic Connection
Officially, the Ambassador has visited Penang as part of a visit from the EU: “It was a great opportunity to visit some companies, the Penang Institute, and of course also engage in dialogue with the state government to really witness and see for oneself the impressive ecosystem in Penang, and also the opportunities for Danish and European companies there.”
This was only the first of many trips for Ambassador Kirstine Vangkilde Berner as she continues to engage with other Malaysian states and further explore opportunities for Danish business.
And yes, the “very close” Nordic collaboration continues, including through the annual Nordic Day, which is arranged jointly by the Nordic embassies around a theme – incorporating joint discussions with partners and networks in Malaysia.
So, yes, Denmark is back in Malaysia. But more than that – it’s here to lead as a trustworthy and reliable Green partner.