The former Prime Minister of Denmark has been appointed Strategic Advisor of the world’s first identity-validating, regulatory-compliant blockchain network.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who was also Secretary General of NATO, has joined Swiss blockchain firm Concordium.

Mr Rasmussen served three terms as Prime Minister of Denmark – from 2001 until 2009 – and previously held several other high-profile positions in the Danish government, including Minister for Taxation and Minister for Economic Affairs.

Following his tenure as Prime Minister, he was elected as Secretary General of NATO, where he served for five years before stepping down in 2014.

The former Danish PM is also the Founder and CEO of Rasmussen Global – an international political consultancy dedicated to tackling issues on democracy, transatlantic relations, security policy, economic development, and the European Union.

Democracy

In 2017, he founded the Alliance of Democracies – a non-profit organisation dealing with the advancement of democracy and free markets across the globe.

Lars Seier Christensen, Chairman of Concordium, said bringing such a high-profile figure on board was a key appointment.

“Given the enormous scope and far-reaching potential of the Concordium Network, it is essential for the Concordium Foundation to harness the knowledge of those with invaluable in-depth strategic expertise,” he said.

“Anders will play a pivotal role in our global expansion plans to move into areas that require a blockchain solution for secure and private communications, as well as liaising with governmental departments that will benefit from its implementation.

“Our network will support tamper-proof voting systems to protect the institutions of civil society, which are fundamental to the functioning of democracy.

Trusted

“With Anders’ guidance, Concordium is better equipped to become a globally trusted network for secure transactions, most notably by improving the integrity of the voting process.”

The Concordium Foundation aims to create the world’s first ubiquitous, standardised, and fully-compliant blockchain network, designed to provide both a solid store of value and the global backbone for keeping track of the world’s transactions. Its network features a protocol-layer identity-validating mechanism, which will ensure that every user on the network is identified and every transaction involves provenance tracking.

Speaking after being unveiled in Zug, Switzerland, as the company’s Strategic Advisor, Anders Rasmussen said he was keen to apply blockchain technology to election processes.

“We are only beginning to see the benefits that blockchain technology will bring to our societies, including in our democratic processes,” he said.

“Concordium’s blockchain-based voting solution offers a means of voting that is trustworthy, quick, and cost-effective. I am pleased to be working with Concordium to make sure that every vote is counted.”