If you’ve had any dealings what-so-ever with the American Chamber of Commerce in Denmark (AmCham), you’ll know the name Stephen Brugger. And with good reason.

Brugger has served as the head of AmCham Denmark for over 15 years now, leading the non-profit organisation for all but two years of its entire existence. And the Amchampagne will be flowing today at the organisation’s Denmark offices as it celebrates Brugger’s 60th birthday.

Growing up in California, Brugger first came to Denmark back in 1981 as part of the DIS study program and then returned again in 1984 to work in the architecture industry in Aarhus. He has called Denmark his home ever since.

Under Brugger’s stewardship, AmCham has grown steadily to over 250 member companies, with most having investment interests in Denmark and the US.

READ MORE: DuPont awarded AmCham’s ’Foreign Company of the Year’ award

Breaking barriers
Among some of the more noteworthy Danish members are Novo Nordisk, Maersk, Vestas, Danske Bank and Danfoss, while international giants include Bayer, Shell, IBM, Dell, AIG and Coca Cola.

Aside from striving to promote a competitive environment in Denmark, AmCham Denmark is also behind the annual ‘Foreign Company of the Year’ award, which highlights the importance of direct foreign investment and the positive impact foreign companies have on Denmark and Danish society.

Last year, the US chemical conglomerate DuPont was selected as the winner of the ‘Foreign Company of the Year’ award, while this year, Vestas has been named the AmCham 2017 Transatlantic Company of the Year.