“I have gained a lot of experience to handle difficult and chaotic situations.”

Can you tell us a bit about how you got into sales and into the construction industry?
I started my sales career as an internal salesman at a Danish construction tool supplier, so there was an immediate connection to the building sector. After working internally for a while, I quickly got the opportunity to work in the field and get into touch with the industry firsthand. As a project consultant, I was responsible for large construction projects and started to gain a great knowledge of the construction industry and its customers.
That knowledge became handy a few years later, when I got the opportunity to help launch a new brand in Denmark. The Swedish company ESSVE had just entered the Danish market and searched for someone with experience to establish it as a supplier of construction tools. That task definitely helped me further growing my network. Parallel to working as a sales manager, I also started three years of academy education in management - that was certainly a challenge, but it proved to me that the process of growth never ends, and it is never too late to improve in every area.

What motivated you to join Xella Denmark as Key Account Manager?
The spark that initiated it was the contact to an old acquaintance: Normann G. Karlsen, who is now sales manager at Xella Denmark, was my boss at my first sales job. We had a great work relationship, so when he asked if I wanted to help put Xella’s Hebel brand on the map in Denmark, I started thinking about the job, and accepted. I think Xella is an exciting company, showing interesting development opportunities and it is great for me personally to be able to use my established network in the building industry for a whole other kind of product.

How do you plan to approach this?
I will work closely together with people from the Danish industry, visiting project developers and construction companies, trying to find fitting projects to incorporate Hebel and establishing it gradually. In addition, I’m responsible for our other products in the region of Southern Denmark where my established network from over the years will help to promote the sales. I try to contribute to a positive development in the brand awareness and use my experience in the market to consult the relevant stakeholders. What’s beneficial is that I really believe in Hebel as a great brand with interesting properties, making it a task where I can truly dedicate myself completely.

You also have a lot of professional experience refereeing football matches, is there something you can share about that?
Oh, I could write a whole book about it! When I quickly rose through the ranks of the lower Danish leagues - I knew I had a talent. After just two years I was able to make my debut in the first division - the Danish Superliga - at the age of 27, where I refereed from 2003-2016. I got to be an official FIFA-referee for international matches in 2006, which I continued to do until 2013.  It was a great and rewarding feeling that what you did on the pitch was good enough for the top level. It was just being yourself, preparing and performing on the pitch, helped by your team. There were quite a few big games that I remember fondly. I have refereed in Champions League matches and international matches. the biggest of which was England against Belgium in 2012 at Wembley. I also have quite a few assignments as fourth official in the Champions League where a semifinal in the Old Trafford in Manchester and a quarter-final in the Arsenal-Stadium in London come to mind as good memories.
 

How did you handle the pressure in these high-stakes games?
I have been pushed close to the edge on several occasions. The one I remember most clearly was a match in the Champions League between Manchester City and Ajax Amsterdam, where there was a huge pressure on me after the game when the favorited City went out in the group stage. While that had affected me personally, it was also the point where I have started to work on my mindset with my mentor, who is an experienced soldier. He taught me to shut out everything I can't influence myself, and that has really pushed my mental boundary. When I work in business, I use that experience to have 100% focus on what I can influence myself. By this, I can always stay convinced that I know my craft, and nothing from the outside can take my confidence in that.

How has your experience as a FIFA referee influenced you in your professional career?
Officiating the big matches requires a strong lead. I have gained a lot of experience to handle difficult and chaotic situations and even open conflicts. I can still use part of that today, mainly it helps me to read the room and the people I interact with. The experience in communicating effectively in such situations also helped me be more empathetic and listen to people which is essential in creating and maintaining relationships with business partners. Another aspect that you can take from refereeing to sales business is the comfortability with being the center of attention and dealing with the pressure that comes with it. I think I can handle that quite well!
Personally, my journey also taught me, that it's great to have a set of rules, but that without having a certain amount of freedom and without using that set of rules to its full potential, I would not have reached the level where I was and where I am today. It is a question of working within a framework that exists and then making the necessary and right decisions that lead to the best possible result.