I am happy to share that I have graduated as an Authorized Associate in IDDAS and Verifier for The SMETOOL and maturity scoring based on the ISO 17029 standard. Through our newly developed online tool, we give you an accurate insight into your company's challenges and answer how developed and resilient your company is.  Together we r...

The summer holidays are coming to an end soon, so the time is coming to warm up for a new board season. On the back of the Corona, many talk about "new normal". After the stranglehold of the restrictions, the hardest-hit industries have not yet found their feet - so it is probably too early to say with certainty what the future will bring and what ...

The Danish Competitiveness Council strives to help Denmark stay relevant in the future global competitive business environment. As part of their work, they invited business leaders to share their perspectives on the topic, i.e. what should Denmark do going forward to achieve an excellent business position in this arena? What is our moonshot project...

Press release November 8, 2012

Kohberg offensive

Kohberg aims to be the customers’ preferred supplier of bread, no matter where they buy or enjoy it. To achieve this, Kohberg merges all in all 4 companies into one strong company and assigns a new CEO who knows the industry in depth and has a proven track record.

PRESSRELEASE                                                                                                                                                        20. May - 2014

Telecare Service merges with the two largest competitors in Norway and Finland, and hereby establishes the largest mobile phone and tablet repair services provider in the Nordics. The merger more than triples Telecare’s revenue which is expected to amount to approximately DKK 675m in 2014. Telecare’s majority shareholder, the private equity fund CataCap, is behind the consolidation, which is financed through the issue of SEK 350m in corporate bonds, along with capital from existing owners. In addition, the global investor Adveq, headquartered in Zurich, will become a co-owner.

Telecare Service has, since 2010, built a leading position in the Danish market for repair and service of mobile phones. In 2012 the company successfully entered the Swedish market in which it has achieved a leading position today. In June 2013 the private equity fund CataCap became majority owner of the company with the ambition to catalyse additional growth in Sweden and the remaining Nordics.

I have previously focused on the trend of board professionalization and competent teams. Recently, I read a really good book on the subject, which I would like to tip you about. Lars Bo Hansen and Steen Ernland have written "The Active Board", which focuses on how the board can develop the business and create competitiveness. 

The book’s 250 pages are easily read, but it does certainly not make it worse. It is at eye level and catches the reader with concrete punchlines - a book that you do not easily leave on the bookshelf.

No longer only about management - leadership will make the difference 

The book points out new guidelines for the modus operandi of the board. Without slackening control, more focus must not surprisingly be forward-looking, which puts greater demand on the board leadership itself. It is no longer only a question of management with focus on plans, control and doing the right things. Now leadership it is evenly important to ensure execution and that right things are done right. The book provides concrete input for the board composition based on both individual professional skills and collaborative skills relating to the team in question. A steady stream of real life examples are turned into checklists for the board’s own reflections, and not least its self-evaluation.

My own leadership experience tells me that management is about “What” and leadership about “How” - and that the ability to strike the right balance between the two is key to accelerate change and deliver top results. Thus, I am happy that the authors of the well-known book Blue Ocean Strategy, W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, have now also released the more dynamic Blue Ocean Shift – focusing on the transformational process of “how” to actually make it happen. 

It’s an updated repetition of the blue ocean strategy elements wrapped in appreciated research on how some of the best companies have managed to succeed. I can only recommend that you read the full book your-self, but let me share a couple of appetizers spiced with my own reflections.

Private equity governance has for years set the route for management professionalization with industrial advisors on their board teams. As any other business, they however also from time to time experience that even the best plans fail due to lack of execution skills for which leadership is key. Thus, a leadership advisor approach may be maturing as a supplement to their classical industry advisor approach – what do you think?

Clear trend on board professionalization and competent teams

Private equity funds have long been at the forefront when it comes to professionalization and composition of board teams based on business challenges and competence needs, rather than classical networking relationships. With a typical exit horizon of 4-7 years and clear ambitions to maximize value creation during the ownership period, it has been natural to introduce new management paradigms from top to bottom of the management systems.

The employees create value through the customers, but skilled owner-managers nevertheless find it difficult to get the good plans to actually take place. They are often buried in daily hands-on chores. Here, an active and professional board with wide leadership experience can provide a competency allowance for redemption of employees' full potential - even at reasonable prices.