Time to calculate and create in a global nutrition business
I work with a small, talented and ambitious in-house business development team in Arla Foods Ingredients. We assist and advise management in all major strategic decisions, from M&As and joint ventures to building new plants and product lines. It’s like working for a professional management consultancy. Except that here, we become industry experts and can truly impact the industry from the inside. I follow projects from idea to post-implementation, and – among some of the best things about my work – I still get to have dinner with my family every day.
Business impact beyond the bottom line
Growing up in North Jutland, I was raised with a strong sense of independence. I always dreamt of being an entrepreneur: To make decisions, create new businesses, and find new ways of creating value. That is in fact my job description at Arla Foods Ingredients today. I calculate new business cases, evaluate different scenarios and make decisions that directly affect our strategy and investments. It’s a fast-paced environment with very short ramp-up time from idea to inception. And that’s important, because our products also affect our customers and their customers, like infants, patients and the elderly. It’s a job with real positive impact.
Science with the power to transform business
What fascinates me about Arla Foods Ingredients is the impact of our business and the science it’s built on. When we turn whey, a waste product, into specialty ingredients, it's value increases exponentially. That means we can have a wildly transformative impact on new suppliers as well as our own results. They supply the raw material. We supply the science, patents and technology to turn it into functional, nutritious ingredients. Access to raw materials is the only limit to our growth, so we scour the world for new joint ventures. And every project needs a carefully calculated business case from my team – on top of the science.
Colleagues that carry you through
In my team, we have to know how every step of our value chain affects the next. That’s a challenge. Uniquely, Arla owns the entire chain from cow to final product. We rely on colleagues throughout the organization to keep us updated. And we rely on each other for onboarding, input and help. We’re a young team in Business Development. I’m the oldest. Most of us have small children with all that entails. When opportunity knocks and we need to move fast, we make an extra effort so we can all still spend time with our families. Taking paternity leave is one of the best decisions I've ever made. Jumping into the sea every Sunday morning in winter seems less so, but it helps me bring a cool head to work.