Asia House actively promotes stronger ties between Denmark and Asia, providing a unique platform for businesses and professionals in Denmark seeking connections in Asia. We are well connected with a broad range of stakeholders, from major companies and high-level decision makers to SMEs, NGOs and universities. We maintain strong relationships with Asian ambassadors, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its embassies in Asia and other relevant Danish ministries. Asia House provides a neutral Danish/Asian meeting ground in a unique historical setting.
As an independent, neutral, and non-profit organization, we focus on Asian countries and regional cooperation. We create and share relevant information on Asia, investigating business opportunities and publishing our findings. We host a wide range of seminars and events for partners, members and the public. On a general level, we create and translate academic knowledge into a commercial context, providing the basis for new business opportunities.
We provide a solid project model, initiating projects, co-funded by the EAC Foundation, that promote business opportunities in Asia. Benefitting from Asia House facilities, network and a professional understanding of both commercial interests and the Asian context, we carry out projects that combine the interests of many stakeholders. The EAC Foundation can provide funding for the initial feasibility studies, if the project is deemed relevant and scalable to our general vision.
• 1897: H. N. Andersen founds The East Asiatic Company.
• 1900’s: The EAC establishes itself as the largest and most expansive enterprise listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.
• 1912: The EAC’s pioneering ship, Selandia, enters service as the world’s first diesel-powered ocean-going motorship.
• 1930’s: The EAC and its subsidiaries are spread over six continents.
• 1940’s: The EAC employs a global workforce of about 40,000.
• 1951-53: The EAC ship, Jutlandia, is sent to Korea to serve as a floating medical facility (highlighted by Danish musician Kim Larsen in song, “Jutlandia”).
• Until 1974: The EAC is the largest company in Scandinavia.
• 2005: The EAC donates Asia House to the EAC Foundation. In the 2000s, the subsidiaries of EAC are gradually sold to the benefit of shareholders, who receive some of the most substantial dividends in Danish business history.
• Today, Asia House preserves the EAC legacy, showcasing how pioneering approaches can lead to lasting success and global influence. The EAC’s visionary spirit, thinking, and practices were central to its success, shaping Danish business history and offering lessons in resilience and global connectivity.
The EAC serves as an important chapter in global business history with a spirit and purpose that still proves much relevance today: opening Denmark up to Asia and the world at large.
You can delve deeper into the EAC’s story by exploring additional information here and unlock access to six complimentary documentary videos.
Did you know
… That Asia House preserves the distinctive spirit and heritage of The East Asiatic Company (EAC)?
… That the EAC, founded in 1897, was a true “born global” business?
… That the EAC grew more rapidly than any other Danish company before or since, employing more than 17,000 people in 1917?
… That the EAC was the largest company in Scandinavia in the 1970’s and one of the largest shipping companies in the world?
… That the EAC’s founder, H. N. Andersen, was known for his distinctive leadership philosophy aiming to foster a mindset needed
to ensure success and open Denmark up to Asia and the world at large?
At Asia House, our mission is to provide direct access to Asia for Danish business and professionals. We are a neutral and financially independent non-governmental organisation with strong historic ties to Asia. We host events, share information, and connect stakeholders across organisational divides, whether it be private companies, public institutions, business organisations, academia, or individuals. We operate on the philosophy that opportunities arise from synergies.
Our vision is stronger ties between Denmark and Asia, for the mutual benefit of all parties involved. We welcome all initiatives and project ideas that contribute to our vision of stronger ties between Denmark and Asia.
Asia House is the last bastion of the East Asiatic Company, which for more than 100 years was one of the most successful and influential international enterprises in Denmark’s history and which paved the way for cooperation, trade and partnerships between Denmark and the Asia Pacific region.
Located at India Quay in Copenhagen, Asia House was built as the first headquarters of the East Asiatic Company (EAC), founded in 1897 by captain H. N. Andersen. At its inception, the EAC’s organisation consisted of offices in Copenhagen, focused on shipping and shipbuilding, and in the Far East, where the main business was teak forest concessions and timber exports – as well as the import and export of various Asian and European commodities.
Asia House served as the EAC’s headquarters until 1907. In the years that followed, the building was used as a hiring office for sailors, a ticket office for passenger ships, a laboratory and administration complex for a pharmaceutical group, an international wool trading centre, a customs office, an exhibition centre and more.
Asia House is owned by the EAC Foundation which was established in 1988, and which today serves as a focal point for its work to preserve knowledge of the EAC’s history and importance and provide a meeting place for all those who have an interest in Asia.
From the outside, Asia House looks much the same today as it did when it was erected in 1898: the rustic red brick on its strong foundation is well-preserved, in keeping with the style of the then newly constructed harbour of India Quay in Copenhagen at the Southern Freeport. Most of the original interior has been impeccably preserved, in part innovatively renovated to respect the building’s origins. Some of the rooms contain historic pieces from the EAC’s rich history in Denmark and abroad, while others have been furnished with exquisite modern Danish design classics.
Asia House is owned by the EAC Foundation, (the Benevolent Foundation of The East Asiatic Company Limited), established 9 June 1988. The EAC Foundation supports initiatives, activities and projects which contribute to maintain, strengthen, and develop commercial and cultural relations between Denmark and Asia, through direct financial support or activities organized by Asia House.
Asia House was given to the EAC Foundation in 2006 as a gift from The East Asiatic Company. The Foundation is today domiciled in Asia House. Read more about the Foundation here.