Helle Thorning-Schmidt, born in 1966, is the former Prime Minister of Denmark.

She held the office of Prime Minister from 2011 to 2015 and was the leader of the Social Democrats from 2005 to 2015. She was the first woman to hold both offices. After a defeat in 2015, she announced that she would step down as Danish Prime Minister and leader of the Social Democrats. In April 2016, she ended her political career and served as executive director of Save the Children, a non-governmental organisation, until June 2019. Since 2002, she has been co-chair of the Facebook Board of Supervisors.

She successfully led Denmark through a complex financial crisis during her tenure as Prime Minister. At the same time, she was able to reduce child poverty and increase investment in education. As a member of several foreign policy think tanks, Ms Thorning-Schmidt remains heavily involved in these geopolitical issues and uses her extensive political and international expertise to advise several businesses and non-profit groups.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt holds a degree in political science from the University of Copenhagen and a diploma from the College of Europe.