Emma Holten

Emma Holten – Rethinking economics & value

Emma Holten has established herself as a powerful and credible voice at the intersection of economics, gender equality and public policy. With a background in modern culture from the University of Copenhagen, she brings both academic depth and cultural insight to her work. Her key strength lies in her ability to question dominant economic models while remaining practical, concrete and highly relevant to real-world decision-making.

In her lectures, Emma Holten guides the audience through the history of economic ideas, from the Enlightenment to today’s management tools and policy frameworks. She demonstrates how traditional economic thinking has consistently underestimated care work, relational values and forms of labor that do not fit neatly into classical models of productivity and growth. These blind spots, she argues, continue to shape political decisions, organizational structures and working life across sectors.

Deficit – The Value of Care

In 2025, Emma Holten published her critically acclaimed book Deficit – The Value of Care in Norway. The book quickly achieved international success and sold more than 50,000 copies in its first year in Denmark alone. Deficit has since been translated into a wide range of languages and has received several prestigious awards, including the Politiken Literature Prize, the Library Reader’s Prize, the Sara Danius Prize and the Sprout Prize. The book was also nominated for the Montana Literature Award.

In Deficit, Emma Holten exposes how economic systems systematically overlook the value of care, maintenance and relational work, even though these forms of labor are essential to holding societies, institutions and workplaces together. The book has resonated strongly with readers, policymakers and professionals who recognize the growing gap between material prosperity and social sustainability.

From prosperity to structural imbalance

A central theme in Emma Holten’s work is the paradox of modern societies: high material wealth combined with rising social pressure, dissatisfaction, inefficiency and structural imbalance. Through sharp analysis and compelling storytelling, she shows how undervaluing care and human interdependence leads to burnout, fragile organizations and short-sighted political solutions.

With great professional authority, Emma Holten poses a fundamental question to her audiences: if we fail to value what actually sustains society and working life, how can we build a future that is truly sustainable? Her lectures do not offer simple answers, but they provide new frameworks for thinking, acting and leading differently.

A speaker for leaders, organizations & the public sector

Emma Holten is an engaging keynote speaker who connects equally well with leaders, decision-makers, HR professionals, academic communities and employees across both public and private sectors. She combines social critique with concrete perspectives that encourage reflection, dialogue and innovation. Her ability to tailor global socio-economic challenges to specific national and organizational contexts makes her particularly relevant for conferences, leadership events and strategy days.

She delivers lectures in fluent English, Danish and Swedish, and has extensive international experience. Emma Holten has spoken across Scandinavia, Europe and globally, including at the UN Conference on the Status of Women, the Guadalajara International Book Fair and for the European Commission.

Advisor & public intellectual

In 2023, Emma Holten was appointed advisor to the Danish government’s study of power structures in Denmark, further underlining her influence on contemporary policy debates. As both a public intellectual and consultant, she bridges research, politics and practice, offering perspectives that challenge established assumptions while opening space for more balanced and humane economic thinking.

Book Emma Holten for your event if you are looking for a keynote speaker who combines intellectual rigor, strong storytelling and a fresh perspective on economics, care and the future of work.