“I am a shipping man. I started out in 1990 and have worked with companies such as Clipper and Spliethoff in locations all over the world, but in 2015 I started to realise that I had a few gaps in my knowledge.
That realisation was good for me, and I view it as sound business insight because when you’ve been doing something for a long time – I was 46 back then – it’s easy to think that you know it all. Throughout my career, I have progressed up the ladder and have opened offices in the US, run big companies and attempted a management buyout, but I started to recognise that perhaps I was missing out on opportunities or even becoming dangerous because I didn’t actually know it all after all.
Copenhagen calling
Our industry is changing quicker than ever before and I wanted to stay relevant and involved. I needed more tools in my toolbox – and so I looked to CBS. Of course, I knew about the Blue MBA already and its reputation as the leading shipping maritime MBA programme in the world, but when I started to dig a little deeper, I recognised that the course absolutely reflected the dynamic, fast-paced world that I was working in.
There’s been a shift from our traditional, asset-based mentality in the shipping world and everything, even the language that companies are using, is changing. It’s not about the ‘steel’ (or perhaps even the ‘ships’), it’s more about ‘people’ and ‘supply chains’ and that’s something that I recognise and welcome. Ours is an industry that has been around for a long time and it’s only right that we start to consider the whole ecosystem and the needs and input of everyone. It’s not what we do, but how we work together – and that can help you unlock competitive differentiators in the market.”