Expat experiences invaluable
Peter La Cour Gormsen is a director in Finance. He now works out of Denmark, but has spent an important part of his career as an expat. His experiences are invaluable when working in a global team.
It's important to step outside Denmark into an international environment closer to the customers and the markets. Sitting in the "ivory tower" can be very different from being in the field. From HQ you don't see things from an affiliate's point of view. Some of the communication coming from HQ is almost embarrassing, so it’s a great experience to be out there.
My new position covers the same areas as the old job, so I had relevant preparation for the new job, detailed knowledge and understanding. My experiences abroad, however, provided something different, elements I use every day because many of the people I work with are outside Denmark.
Leading a team in the US is different from leading a team in Denmark. It's not necessarily the same things that drive people in different countries. If you look at Denmark, we have a flat structure and a high level of autonomy, while in the US it's more hierarchical.
What's important in my current job is building businesses and managing a portfolio of new platforms in new market segments we really didn't have five years ago. A lot of it has come through acquisitions so we are seeing a lot of new people from other corporate cultures. You also see the differences in leadership, norms, and behavior.
Peter La Cour Gormsen
M.Sc. Finance and Economy
Director in Finance
Bagsværd, Denmark