- Please provide detail of your background (educational background and professional journey)
Original I am educated as Electronic Technicians and 17 years ago graduated with an Academy Profession Degree in Leadership and Management.
I have been in sales for the last nearly 22 years. Always technical related sales, where I have benefit from my technical background. It is, and have always been important to me, that I have been able to “talk the same language” as my clients. The last nearly 12 years have been in management positions as Sales Manager, General Manager, Sales Director/CCO – and now CEO.
I have always had – and will continue having, ambitions and clear goals with my career.
If I can contribute to the benefit of the company and its development and growth, as well the development of the people around me – I’m in, having a mission and gives full speed. When I have the feeling, that I have contributed to the company and the people with what I can contribute with – I’ll need to move forward.
In my previous company, I started as Sales Manager (General Manager) with full responsible including P&L, for the sales subsidiaries Denmark. After a period of 5 years of declining in turnover, I was brough onboard to make the change. After analyzing the markets, the trends as well the internal staff. I made a strategy on how to get this turned. – I managed to turn the 5 years declining to 4 years with year-on-year growth, even with changing the team “on the fly”.
When people stuck in “we are used to do”, “we have tried this and it is not working”, “this is not possible” – they cannot be a part of my team. If a change needs to be like here, you cannot just do like you did yesterday – then the decline will just continue. By building up a brand-new motivated team – this was possible. I managed to create and develop a team of strong individual businessmen, who took ownership of their own job – and my role become more and more a supporting function to my team. And this is exactly what I understand of leadership. My most important role as leader and manager is, to get the optimal out of each individual person and to develop them to become “self-propelled” – and to a point where they do not need me along any longer. And as mentioned earlier – when I’m no longer needed, it’s time for me for the next chapter.
My personal goal/ambition have since my early 20’s has been very clear and straight forward; Sales Manager when I’m 30, CEO when I’m 40 (both check/ reached at an age of 28 and 40)– financial independent to choose whatever I like when I’m 50. Whether this will be as now working all day as CEO, stepping down, working with Board work in various companies, investments – or just relaxing – who knows, only the future can tell.
But for me it is very important to have goals and milestones. – Maybe you are not reaching all of them – but having a vision and missions in life, I believe is very important for the personal development. And this is something I’m trying to tell my staff and even trying to give to my kids.
As mentioned earlier, goals and ambitions have always been a big part of me – at home as well professional and as business leader. When I go into something – it’s with 110% focus. When I started my career as Electronic Technician Trainee, I discovered early, that I didn’t want to continue on this road and couldn’t see myself repairing televisions etc. when I become 50. But of course, I finished my educated – this is what I have been brought up to “finish what you have started”. And after finished education it was clear to me that I needed to meet people, talk to and with people – and I moved into sales, and have not regretted.
But ambitions were there at an early stage in my career. So, I decided to startup education after work – in the evenings – with a clear goal – to have a management education. I took different classes at business schools over a period of 6 years beside my fulltime career job, with more and more responsibility. Graduated with an Academy Profession Degree in Leadership and Management, it was time to go for a management position – which I did. And things have moved fast ever since.
At my previous job at GM, several satisfaction survey as well more leader evaluation was made. – My staff evaluated me – and so did my CSO. The feedback from the staff as well from the CSO was very nice readings – and this just confirm me the way I would like to lead my staff. This have been some very nice comments and scores – and have been my best recognitions. A recognition from employees which I’m leading, coaching and manage every day – is the ones knowing me best – and therefore the best recognition to get.
For sure the development I have been a part of the last 6 years at LOWENCO, have also been a great recognition from the clients. – The trust in me and the products I’m talking to them about – and the figures from more years talks its own language. With me developing the strategy, executing the strategy and the only one during sales – I think I do have a huge influence in this development and journey LOWENCO have been on over the last years – developed the company from a EBITA of € 270,000 the year before to € 10.8M. in the 2021 financial year. Of course, the promotion to become CEO at LOWENCO is for sure also a huge recognition – the founder and owner hands-over his “baby” to me – with full confidence that I can lead the firm and bring LOWENCO to the next level and beyond.
- Throw some light on your company and its major products/services/offerings.
There are many different thoughts of how to change the future, and at LOWENCO, we are designing some of them with our cold storage facilities.
We are one of the leading manufacturers of cold storage facilities, and we have formed a strategy on how to change the expensive, inefficient, and non-environmental friendly temperature controlled storage. The solution has been developed under the brand names CON20 and LSSU and more cold storage facilities are under development.
At LOWENCO, we produce high-end cold storage facilities, refrigerated units, and freezers from well-known quality components in our facilities in Denmark, but we are also able to deliver custom-made freezers and cold storage facilities where GMP guidelines must be applied worldwide.
We have strong experience with cold storage facilities for high demand markets like the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. We are performing Factory Acceptance Tests including performance tests documented according to customer requirements and to GMP.
At LOWENCO we have unique product solutions to the pharmaceutical market. A product which are so much more than just a product. We are not only offering Large Scale ultra-low temperature freezer storage solutions, but solutions where highest quality goes hand in hand with highest possible safety – safety for the people handling the products going into the very low temperature storage area of -80C and safety of the products been stored – and a unique low energy consumption per liter of product stored. In every product we are developing – saving of energy is essential – without any reflection on the quality and performance. We want to help, making the world a better place to live. The name LOWENCO comes from Low Energy Cooling – and our slogan is – Creating a better world – one unit at a time. Every time we can replace existing solutions used in the market with our innovative solutions with much lower energy consumption, we are helping to reduce the Co2 footprint – and Creating a better world.
LOWENCO vision and mission:
To support the biotech and pharmaceutical industry and create a more sustainable world through transformative ultra-low temperature storage solutions.
We want to be part of creating a better world – one unit at a time
- What led you to start/join your company?
I’m not the founder of LOWENCO – but I have been “on the sideline” from nearly day one. Before I came to LOWENCO, I was General Manager of another company, supplying temperature transmitters to LOWENCO. And after my first meeting with the founder of LOWENCO at the very early start of LOWENCO, I clearly remember my own “speak to myself”, when walking from the LOWENCO workshop back to my car; “This is a company I really would like to be a part of”.
Three years later I became a part of LOWENCO.
I was original hired as Sales Director / CSO with one single message from the owner; “Build-up a sales organization and grow the company”. This is exactly such challenge which drives me – a challenge I couldn’t reject and just needed to take. Starting from scratch – and build-up a vital part of a company for growth, to bring brilliant product solutions to a very interesting market like the pharmaceutical and healthcare segment.
Being a new company with new products and technologies, trying to get into a more conservative market are not always easy – and it takes some time to convince clients to go for new technologies and new way of looking at ultra-low temperature storage solutions. But with more years of hard work, the breakthrough has come.
I founded the strategy for the sales and growth and executed it over the following years – and we are now seeing the result of many working hours, travels, meetings and consistency – a company in extremely growth. Until my promotion in 2020 to CEO, I have had the freedom to ack and develop the organization as I preferred with full support from the owner. This support has just continued after the official promotion to CEO from the owners as well the Board of Directors – and has continued with the new owners, Impilo and SHS Capital, who acquired LOWENCO back in February 2022.
- What sets your company apart from its competitors?
- How important is well-being in employee performance?
It is extremely important – well-being is essential. We are trying to create (keep developing) an open and honest environment, where all are important and knows they are important to the company, positiveness, and humor – gives us a great working environment.
Great products to work with – and where people can focus on quality instead of quantity, this I believe brings proudness into the job – and proudness brings ownership for what you do. And all summed-up gives a great working environment – a great atmosphere – and a great place to be, which I believe motivates all the employees – including myself.
Additional I’m personal strongly motivated by having the possibility to develop people and to develop the company. To see people growing in their positions, personal as well professionally, is really motivating me. Success is based on people – so is our growth.
Be transparent and speak to you staff. We execute yearly Employee Development Dialogues, quarterly follow-up sessions, yearly Employee Satisfaction Surveys – followed by team sessions for initiatives to become an even better place to work etc. We have just succeeded to become Great Place to Work certified – even by first survey.
In one sentence: Well-being is the key to success!
- How do you continue to grow and develop as a leader?
I am closely following the trends in the market and our segment of product solutions, by having a close contact to clients in combination with getting feedback from our sales team. Visiting clients and exhibitions to get newest feedback from the market.
To be informed about trends in the market you are operating within is essential to your success as business leader.
Hard work, very business oriented and focused. Learning and getting the knowledge about the client and market needed for making business. Open, honest and direct communication – internal as well external. Availability to the clients as well to the staff.
- What is the most important trait in a business leader’s career?
As leader, be yourself – trying to be another is not you. Develop the people around you – they are the key to your success. Give yourself to the company – instead of expecting to get. Give yourself to your employees and do not expect just to get. By doing so – you will get so much more return that you are giving. Your and nobody else can take gave of your career and your life in general – take full responsibility of your own personal development – and you will get success in life.
Learn everything about yourself – you need to know yourself, before being able to know and develop others.
- What are your company’s future aspirations? And how do you plan to achieve those?
My plans for LOWENCO is clear. I want to continue the great developing process already started to become an even stronger and greater company to being a part of. To continue executing our growth strategy to growing our business, grow our market share, entering new markets, expand the workforce to become present more locally world-wide – to serve our world-wide clients even better than today.
I need to fulfill the huge potential LOWENCO have, before my goal is achieved.
I see LOWENCO growing to be twice the size as today within 3 years – turnover, EBITDA as well organization – to overcome the request from our clients.
With the correct focus, a great thoroughly worked out Business Plan, extremely dedicated employees, fantastic disruptive products, and great clients – I’m sure we will succeed and achieve our goals.
- Provide us a closing quote
As mentioned earlier – be yourself – trying to be another is not you. Develop the people around you – they are the key to your success. Give yourself to the company – instead of expecting to get. Give yourself to your employees and do not expect just to get.
Learn everything about yourself – you need to know yourself, before being able to know and develop others.
We appreciate you for fillings out this questionnaire. Thanks for your time & patience.
