On a Mission: the UIA World Congress of Architects 2023's CEO Mette Lindberg on Helping People Grow

By Julia Gamolina

Mette Lindberg is CEO of the UIA World Congress of Architects 2023, a triennial congress founded in 1948 to rebuild Europe across political, national and cultural differences post-WWII. This year’s theme is about how architecture can be a vital tool in reaching the seventeen United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Mette Lindberg holds a Master’s Degree in Communications and Learning Design, and has worked in the realm of architecture, urban design and philanthropy for more than thirty years. In her interview with Julia Gamolina, Mette talks about creating stability, persevering through challenges, and asking for help, advising those just starting their careers to be kind and to experiment.

JG: Tell me about your foundational years — where did you grow up and what did you like to do as a kid?

I was born in a small town on the shores of the North Sea, on the west coast of Denmark. The town was very windy — my whole family suffered from constant sinusitis — but the area had a rough beauty of its own, with what seemed like an endless sky, long streaks of sandy beaches and huge waves. The sea was the livelihood for almost all inhabitants, and when the industries in the harbour turned fish into fish-flour, the whole city smelled awful. I learned at an early stage that nature was not just for fun and pleasure. It was also a workplace, and it could be dangerous. Every summer tourists drowned in the surf while trying to rescue their kids’ bathing toys — the under tow was no joke — and we were raised to show respect to the nature around us and take our precautions. Nevertheless, I loved it, and I swim year-round to nurse the feeling of origin from and connectedness to nature.

When I started school, we moved closer to Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. My parents, who both worked with learning and education, were very interested in art, design and architecture. They had an architect design and build our house in a former fruit plantation — a super modern house with white walls, sliding doors in monochrome colours, a large atrium, a flat roof and windows floor to roof. They loved it – I, on the contrary, envied my friends’ cozier homes in older buildings with curvy stairs, wall-to-wall carpets and wooden panels. I still have an emotional bias when it comes to buildings with large, white surfaces.

I grew up in the Seventies, before smart phones and internet, and our parents never really knew where my sister and I were during the day. After school we spent most our time with friends from the neighbourhood, playing in the streets, building dens in the forest, growing veggies and flowers, painting on all available surfaces, and creating all kinds of strange objects. We were in the middle of nature and enjoyed lots of freedom and confidence. It was a very privileged childhood — very stimulating, and very safe.

How did you get your start in your career?

After high school I was certain that I would never go to school again. I was done with tests and grades, and just wanted to use my creative skills and work as a graphic designer. I also wanted to make money enough to have my own home.

In my early teens, my life had changed completely. My parents had split up in a cruel divorce, my mom got sick with breast cancer, and my sister moved to New York. My mother luckily survived, but some years later my father died in a climbing accident. I was on my own. My response to these life altering events, and the emotional pain that followed, was to start building a home of my own, hoping to gain some control over at least my own life.

By sheer luck, I got a job as an art director assistant in a small design studio. After some years of practicing, I had my own business. I loved everything about it — the meetings with clients and suppliers, the smell from the speed markers, the structure of different kinds of paper and the process from idea to print. It was tactile, it involved all my senses, it was complex and fun.

Then Apple came and revolutionized the business in many wonderful ways, but for me the fun was over. Instead of using all my senses, I was suddenly stuck in front of a screen all day. I had to move on and realized that it was time to learn some new skills, so I started studying again and I loved it. I was thirty years old, a mother of two small girls, a wife, and had my own business – I had to learn fast how to plan and prioritize my time to make ends meet.

“I have learned that if you ask for help, you will get it, even when you think it’s too late, too much, or too crazy...I have certainly changed my ways after having met so many helpful and generous people and so many supportive partners lending strength to the project.”

— Mette Lindberg

How did you get to architecture, and eventually to your role as CEO of UIA? What does your role entail and what are you focused on at this moment?

At university I studied how work and learning processes could be supported by the surroundings – how the right atmosphere, space and place could interact with what was going on and become a driver, or the reverse, for a fruitful outcome. Hence, after finishing my thesis, I started to work with organizational change and learning as a process consultant with construction clients. Then, I became the leader of a space planning company, and after that I entered a large philanthropic association within the built environment. After twelve years as the head of a creative team that made all kinds of debate activities, congresses and development projects, I became my own boss again, making all kinds of projects in the realm of architecture, master planning, urban mobility and design. That led me to the UIA.

This job, as CEO of a large international congress focusing on how to create more inclusive, equitable and regenerative societies, is a dream job. I have a dedicated team and we are working together with a diverse and enthusiastic group of specialists, scientist, architects and project managers from around the globe — everybody doing their utmost to create some game changing and memorable days of ideation, learning and networking. We are on a mission here – trying to save the planet using architecture as a vital tool. I am focused on bringing diversity and inclusivity into how we design and build. Not only cities and buildings, but also into the way we debate and talk about our lives, society and the future. In Denmark we can be quite norm driven in the ways we plan, act and live. We are missing valuable insight and learnings on that account. The congress is a power house of knowledge and solutions just waiting to be shared.

Looking back at it all, what have been the biggest challenges? How did you both manage through perceived disappointments or setbacks?

I sometimes think of the congress as a bumble bee. Due to the amount of unforeseeable stress this large project has endured, it shouldn’t be able to fly. But it does. First, we had two years of Covid-19. When restrictions finally ended and we began to feel some progress, then came the war in Ukraine. Then the recession, then sky-rocketing energy prices and to top the misery, inflation. It was like a never-ending stream of bad things that we could not control.

So, we have been working hard to curb the negative effects these challenges have had — on investors, suppliers, the travel industry — not to mention the team spirit. But we are here now, ready to launch, and the buzz is getting louder and louder.

What have you also learned in the last six months?

I have learned that if you ask for help, you will get it, even when you think it’s too late, too much, or too crazy. I tend to ‘do it alone’ when under pressure, but I have certainly changed my ways after having met so many helpful and generous people and so many supportive partners lending strength to the project.

“To me success is in the movement, in the transition from one state to another. I love to see people grow — learn, improve, connect.”

— Mette Lindberg

What are you most excited about right now?

I am totally excited about the many projects the congress has already set off. We’ve facilitated international and local debates, discussions, articles, research and inventions, school projects, competitions and building projects — the impact is strong, and the scope is wide. I am full of wonder and gratitude over this. And we haven’t even started yet. I feel that we are building legacy, even before the congress has taken place.

Who are you admiring now and why?

I am in awe of the next gen’ers, their strong spirit and their will to do things differently — to stand their ground, to claim for diversity and fairness, and to embrace activism. It’s an inspiration to us all and we are having a series of sessions, exhibition and workshops powered by student and young professionals to nourish this movement.

What is the impact you’d like to have on the world? What is your core mission? And, what does success in that look like to you?

My mission is to build societies, environments and relationships that enhances curiosity, learning, and human growth. To me success is in the movement, in the transition from one state to another. I love to see people grow — learn, improve, connect. I am a sucker for learning new stuff and solving problems, and I freak out if I stand still too long. This is not necessarily always a good thing, which I have learned the hard way. Too much of it, burns you out.

Finally, what advice do you have for those starting their career? Would your advice be any different for women?

My advice for those starting their career is to be kind, brave and bold. Don’t be afraid to move in new directions — the road towards your dream job can be very different from what you planned. Don’t give up when disappointed, you are learning valuable stuff and will stand even stronger, even if it hurts. And finally, be bold! Take chances and learn as you go. And if you fail — and we all do — accept it, forgive yourself, learn from it and move on. You will find your way. And remember; you will ‘meet yourself’ some time in your career. This means that what you send out, you will bump into some day. That goes for you as well as for the unkind and arrogant bosses, colleagues and clients you will meet on your way — so spread some good vibes, be fair and have confidence in yourself and others.

I think of my advice as unisex. We should encourage and help each other to move forward, reflect and take action, no matter what anyone’s gender, age, colour or position is.