President of the Party of European Socialists and former prime minister of Denmark, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen nominates Thorkil Sonne for his work in helping those with autism thrive in the workplace.
| Jan/Feb 2010 issue
Thorkil Sonne. Founder, Specialisterne. Copenhagen, Denmark.
Thorkil Sonne is an extraordinary personality. He shows that private business can have a very human face. He just doesn’t accept that people who have another entrance to life cannot be treated in a normal way and be given normal chances. His idea has been—and still is—to put all his efforts and talent into helping people with autistism. He simply says that everyone can do something special; it’s just a matter of finding the right talent and the right place to explore that talent in the best possible way. And he helps create that situation. Thorkil and his club transformed people with autism into information technology (IT) specialists and created special circumstances for them so companies could employ them and transform their characteristics into opportunities. Through this idea and this new approach, these people are now among the best in the IT sector. And we have learned through Thorkil’s club and vision how we can include the talents of these people and make their world and our own world richer.
— Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists and former prime minister of Denmark
