Every decision made at the management table will have an impact on the company’s success. A wrong market strategy can cost the life of a company, more or less overnight. “You need, as a CEO, to have that clearly in mind,” says Mikael Hoier. He is the CEO of Lowenco A/S. The company has facilities in Denmark that make high-end refrigerated units and freezers using well-known quality components and also offers custom-made freezers and storage unit solutions where GMP requirements must be followed worldwide.
Mikael aims to contribute to making the world a better place. He says, “Every time we can replace conventional market solutions with our new solutions that use significantly less energy, we contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.”
Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between the World’s Leaders and Mikael Hoier.
Every leader has a unique definition of success. Tell us about your thoughts about success and why you feel that way.
Success is when my staff succeeds and me as a leader leads to getting my employees to fulfil their full potential. When they are a success, then, I’m a success.
Challenges make you stronger. What is your take on this? What were the roadblocks that taught you valuable lessons in your professional journey?
In my opinion, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” as Kelly Clarkson sings. Challenges are development for human beings, as I see it. We need to learn every day – this is what develops you as a person, as a company, as well as the whole world.
The main roadblocks on my road to CEO on the personal development side have been learning to trust that people can do the job as well as I can, and that I needed to handover some jobs to colleagues rather than just do everything myself.
Accepting that not all people have the same working enthusiasm as me and that this is OK was also something that took some time to learn/accept. But people are different, and this is what makes the world colorful.
Tell us in brief about the products and services of Lowenco A/S.
At Lowenco, we produce high-end cold storage facilities, refrigerated units, and freezers from well-known quality components in our facilities in Denmark, but we are also able to deliver custom-made freezers and cold storage facilities where GMP guidelines must be applied worldwide.
We have strong experience with cold storage facilities for high demand markets like the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. We are performing Factory Acceptance Tests, including performance tests documented according to customer requirements and GDP.
What are the core values of Lowenco A/S and how does the company stay abreast of the growing competition in the industry?
Our values: We are building our daily operations on our core values: We are creating success through team efforts and competences are essential for the future development of Lowenco. Knowing the customer’s expectations and needs is half the way – the remaining half is producing solutions that help the customer achieve their objectives. Innovation and out-of-the-box thinking define Lowenco. The only area where we aim for predictability is in the quality of our solutions. At Lowenco, we believe that we all have a common responsibility to make the world a better place. Read more about how we support the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the link UN Sustainable Development Goals (lowenco.com)
As a visionary and an established business leader, what is your vision for the company?
My vision is to bring Lowenco to the position of being the most recognised and trusted supplier of high-end cold storage facilities for pharmaceuticals and biotech firms around the world. I want to continue the great development process already started to become an even stronger and greater company to be a part of. To continue executing our growth strategy to grow our business, grow our market share, enter new markets, expand the workforce to become present more locally world-wide – to serve our world-wide clients even better than today.
But not only the best-in-class product, but also keep the position of being the most innovative and “green” solution for the benefit of our clients, the environment, and the individual – all of us. Creating a better world, one unit at a time.
What are your responsibilities as the CEO of Lowenco A/S? Walk us through your regular day at work. Also, define yourself in one word.
The overall responsibility is to grow the company. Fulfill the huge potential that exists for Lowenco. Strategic planning and execution of the strategy and creating a great culture and a great working environment for all of us. Be available for my staff.
One word that describes me is not an easy task. ‘Dedicated’. I think this will cover me best as a person. Dedicated to my job, to the tasks given to me, to making results, to the people around me, to what happens around me in general.
• My message to emerging leaders:
Be yourself. Trying to be someone else is not you. Develop the people around you and they are the key to your success. Give yourself to the company instead of expecting to have it. Give yourself to your employees and do not expect just to have a job. By doing so, you will get so much more in return than you are giving. Nobody else can take care of your career and your life in general. Take full responsibility for your own personal development and you will succeed in life.
Learn everything about yourself. You need to know yourself before being able to know and develop others.
