She has made the decision and put a period to it. But there is still something "very personal" at stake for Maria Rørbye Rønn.

It seems that Maria Rørbye Rønn has an intuition so strong that it is difficult to challenge with rational arguments and is not swayed by fleeting feelings.

Intuitively, she agreed to be appointed as DR's general director, almost before the question had been fully formulated over a phone call fifteen years ago.

Just a few weeks into the job, she could not help but pursue the permanent position. An inner force took over. And when the thought of putting a period to her time as one of the most powerful people in the Danish media industry presented itself in the summer, a lengthy internal discussion ended with an open declaration.

- It wasn't really that difficult a decision, says Maria Rørbye Rønn.

Today, she has announced that she will step down as general director by the end of the next summer.

Maria Rørbye Rønn is 60 years old and holds a law degree. Most of her career has been spent at DR. (Photo: © Liselotte Sabroe, Scanpix)

DR is strong right now, and the timing is good for a new board to be appointed, which will have sufficient time to find a successor, the arguments go. Maria Rørbye Rønn, well-practiced in delivering well-prepared explanations, repeats them almost verbatim.

But there is more at stake.

- It means something to me - personally - that DR is passed on to the next, she says.

Maria Rørbye Rønn does not take off her gloves, even though her days as general director are officially numbered.

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In sync

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For nearly 30 years, Maria Rørbye Rønn has worked at DR. She started as a lawyer in DR's Copyright Department in 1995 and climbed the ranks in the legal department until she was appointed as general director.

> "The population chooses us in a time when there is so incredibly much content to choose from."

> Maria Rørbye Rønn, general director at DR

Today, it seems that she and DR have grown up together. She describes it herself as DR having "entered her blood," and you can hear it in her tone when she speaks about the ever-disputed, state-funded media giant.

- The population chooses us in a time when there is so incredibly much content to choose from, says Maria Rørbye Rønn and acknowledges, "We have managed to keep up with the times."

- We have succeeded in developing ourselves in a way that we are still in touch with the population and have a high level of trust.

It's about holding on to core values, even in a time of rapid, disruptive changes, Maria Rørbye Rønn explains.

Something similar seems to apply to her herself.

- You go through an enormous development when you're in a job like mine, and the learning curve has been steep, but I have always been focused on holding on to myself and who I am, she says and continues:

- There are so many opinions about everything we do, so you have to stand by your values.

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The dying sickly one laughs last

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Perhaps it was the lack of clear values that led former DR board chairman Michael Christiansen to present Maria Rørbye Rønn as a "sickly, dying one."

Descriptions of Maria Rørbye Rønn as a "dry lawyer" and her being described as gray and dull have been difficult for her to shake off.

But today, she is primarily described as decent - a value she herself holds higher than all others.

Even though the debate about her competence has annoyed her, she acknowledges that time has worked in her favor. Maria Rørbye Rønn is a leader, and she experiences that even the creative media industry has recognized that it requires a broad set of competencies.

- Even Danish Media has hired a director with my original professional background, she says with a not entirely hidden grin in her voice.

- It's important what you bring to the table and that you're good at what you do.

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'The absolutely hardest'

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As the top leader at DR, Maria Rørbye Rønn has had to stand her ground for both unpopular, in her view necessary, decisions, and those that have just been unfortunate.

During the 15 years she has been general director, one decision in particular has left a deeper mark on her: The long-term neglect of DR's Girls' Choir.

- It was the absolute hardest thing I have had to deal with, I have had to face many girls who had been subjected to things in DR's care that they should never have been subjected to, says Maria Rørbye Rønn.

She read all the reports herself when Politiken's exposure of a sexist and manipulative environment among the young girls led to an external lawyer's investigation, and she was acutely aware that it was her responsibility to treat them with dignity, respect, and to clearly express that DR had failed them.

- It was important for me to treat them with respect and dignity and to make it clear that DR had let them down, says Maria Rørbye Rønn today.

There is no precise date for when Maria Rørbye Rønn will step down as general director. But it will be by the end of the next summer. (Photo: © Linda Kastrup, Ritzau Scanpix)

What challenges await her outside of DR, Maria Rørbye Rønn does not yet know.

She is curious about the future and about how she can use all she has learned as general director at Denmark's largest media house elsewhere.

But before she gets that far, the news, children's universe, "world-class drama production" - and all the other things Maria Rørbye Rønn highlights at DR must be passed on to capable hands.

For she is not yet ready to say goodbye to DR.

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