7 Open Questions to all board candidates

Thor Larholm November 24, 2023 0 Comments

7 Open Questions to all board candidates

Answers by Thor Larholm

Motivation to apply

What drives you to seek a role within Volt’s board? Could you share a personal experience or a particular aspect of Volt’s mission that resonates deeply with you and compels you to contribute at a leadership level?

Having been active at the local, national, European and trans-national level, I am ready to dedicate myself fully to our shared European project – to use my experience within Volt and knowledge of Volt, to build supporting structures that allows others to shine.

My drive in Volt has always been on empowering people to develop a progressive and united Europe with opportunity, equality, justice and wellbeing for all its citizens. My ambitions for Volt are bigger than my capacity and I’m running as co-president to make them a reality.

We share a vision of a Europe that can do better and be more on so many fronts – and we are in a unique place in time to make that change happen. 

It’s time for us to build the Volt that we can be so Europe can get the Volt that she deserves and the Volt that she needs.

Previous Experience in Volt

Please elaborate on your previous involvement within Volt. How have your past experiences within the party shaped your understanding of its values, goals, and challenges, and how do you see these experiences informing your potential contributions on the board?

I met Volt in June 2018, a month before Volt Denmark was founded. 

My very first Volt experience was to campaign in the streets of Copenhagen, followed by my very first Volt event – Copenhagen Pride 2018. 

Going to the General Assembly in Amsterdam in October 2018 to vote on the Amsterdam Declaration and see the purple spirit on full display is what gave me the spirit to engage myself.

Since then, I have worked in many different roles:

  • 2018: Policy Lead of Volt Denmark
  • 2019: Country Lead of Volt Denmark
  • 2019 – 2020: Founded and chaired the Country Council
  • 2020 – 2021: Chaired 5x EUR General Assemblies
  • 2020 – 2022: EUR Policy Lead for Volt Europa
  • 2021 – 2023: Non-Executive member of the European Board

Qualities and Skills for the Job

In your view, what specific qualities and skills make you a strong candidate for a board position in Volt? How do your unique attributes align with the demands of this leadership role, and how do you envision leveraging them to drive positive change within the organization?

Intimate knowledge of how Volt functions at all levels and first hand experience of how our supporting structures can empower us to have more impact. 

On a more personal level, I grew up in a town of 10,000 people called Vojens in the border region of Denmark/Germany (North Schleswig) – just like 30% of all European citizens live in border regions of neighbouring countries, taking up 40% of our entire land mass. 

I was one of three children to a 23 year old divorced mother and was later joined by two half-brothers. I am a non-academic high school drop-out that left in year 12 to start working in IT, who has experienced hardship and clinical depression first hand (like 83% of everyone will).

Somehow, I have managed to create a thriving international career with multiple startups and CTO roles on my CV. My life experience has taught me that there is immense value and potential in even the most unsuspecting and given me the tools to build the supporting structures they need so they can realize their full potential.

Plans to Fulfill the Role in the Board

If appointed to the board, what specific plans do you have to make a significant impact within Volt? Could you outline some concrete initiatives or strategies you would prioritize to further the party’s objectives and enhance its influence on the political landscape?

Key priorities on my most immediate list of next steps to fulfill the role as co-president are

  • Quit my current full time job
  • Move to Brussels for 6 months in December or January
  • Create a physical party office in Brussels – the heart of the EU bubble
  • Build political partnerships and alliances
  • Focus on more diverse funding opportunities to ensure post-EP election growth
  • Empower the Expansion Team to grow Volt in all chapters
  • Dedicate 3 full time (or equivalent) interns to the non-exec board members
  • Move to another EU country for 6-12 months in July for local presence impact

Increasing the Impact of Volt

Volt’s mission is centered around creating a more united and progressive Europe. How do you envision expanding Volt’s impact as a movement, both in terms of increasing its reach and effectiveness in advocating for change? What innovative approaches or collaborative efforts do you think could enhance Volt’s influence on a broader scale?

We now have 18 full time employees until June and have a budget for 10 FTE the rest of 2024. The Political Campaign team (PolCa) will get a lot of strategic support from the next board, but they can operationally run the EP campaign together with the GSO, Comms team, Expansion leads and more – independently of the current or next board.

That’s why the next board has to focus on what comes after the EP elections in June. We need to have a clear and strategic focus on how our 3, 8 or 15 MEP seats can be used to drive growth in our local teams and chapters – the very foundation of Volt for years to come, the place where we will grow to become a Europarty.

We still have to improve our own supporting structures so we can have a more meaningful impact towards a united and progressive Europe. To do that, we need to build the organisational capacity that can expand our movement beyond closed circles and become entrenched in civil society through actions that have local impact. Our real campaign is what we do between campaigns, when we build citizen engagement and drive social innovation projects through the Academy and Community teams.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Effective teamwork is crucial in a leadership role. Can you provide examples of instances where you’ve successfully collaborated with diverse teams to achieve common goals? How do you plan to foster collaboration and synergy among board members to drive Volt’s mission forward cohesively?

Back before the EP elections in 2019, we had an informal coffee chat club where the country leads of all national chapters met every other week called VCR – Volt Country Representation. 

I joined VCR after becoming country lead of Volt Denmark and quickly saw it lacked structure – so I started informally chairing, before formally chairing, by making sure we had an agenda, that it was agreed in advance and that we shared meeting minutes with all of Volt Europa. 

This might sound like a small change, but it took a lot of outreach, coordination and making sure we kept to the format, with access rights based on roles not people, before it was entrenched in the formally established body of Volt Europa that we now call the Country Council. 

That dedication to transparent communication is why our founding policy team leads Zuzana Struharova and Colombe Cahen-Salvador asked me to become EUR Policy Lead. I immediately interviewed several candidates to be my female co-lead and struck gold with Ines Consonni. 

I’m very happy to see that this transparency continued when Charles Evain and Sophie Joanna Steier took over and I’m thrilled to see this continue now with Fabian Gaukel and Ilca Italianer.

Setting clear expectations in advance and following up on them is key to forming a functioning team. Communicating openly and transparently on those agreed expectations is what can transform any team into a powerhouse of change.

Long-Term Vision for Volt

Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Volt as a political force? How do you see the party evolving over the next few years under your potential leadership? What strategic directions or transformative changes do you believe are essential for Volt’s sustained growth and relevance in the political arena?

It’s 2029, and Volt is already a Europarty. Our current structure of nationally registered parties has changed to become a single organisation, setting clear expectations between chapters from a tried and tested Code of Conduct and a radically transformed policy program. Our movement is active every week to engage citizens in our federalisation efforts.

It’s 2034, and Volt is entering the governing coalition of Ukraine with 200,000 registered party members across Europe. Our foreign policy affairs committee is finishing negotiations with Alexei Navalny on renewing trade deals between Russia and the European Union.

It’s 2039, and Volt is running for the EP elections with a Spitzenkandidat – a lead candidate that can get elected to become President of the European Commission. That person was born in 1990, after the fall of the Berlin wall. A member of Volt born in 2000 is nominated to be on Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women from their work in climate and healthcare.

Volt has to become more politically active – at all levels – to become part of the political discourse. We have to build political talent for the elections to come by doing the work we would be doing if already elected – such as submitting answers to public hearings on new legislation. We have to be more socially active – at all levels – to build the popular backing needed that ensure the longevity and realisation of our dream for a united and federal Europe.