Meet Morten Koefoed, Group Strategy: “Working outside your comfort zone is where you really move, learn, and start to drive change!”

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work in one of the best strategy consultancy teams? Carlsberg Group has been listed in the top 20 best in-house strategy consulting teams in Denmark, which is a good reason to invite you inside our strategy team and provide insights on what it's like to be a part of it! In this article, we share what can be expected of a role within strategy and the learning opportunities that come with it, as Morten Koefoed, Group Strategy Director, guides us through his career story.

What does your daily life look like in the Carlsberg Group Strategy Department?

"I am part of a team of 7 people working with Corporate Strategy for the Group, which since 2015 primarily revolves around our Sail'22 strategy. On an annual basis we break down the Sail'22 priorities into annual strategic themes and targets. This year's theme was initially At Full Sail Together, but when COVID-19 hit we had to adjust to a new reality leading to the temporary theme for H2 2020 called Navigating the Storm.

Besides managing and tracking the overall strategic priorities for the Group we also support the business in specific projects where there is a need for alignment across a wider group of stakeholders and where we can contribute with either experience or tools from previous processes as well as insights from a Group perspective. Seeing things from a Group level allows you to make comparisons and pose challenges to the business which you then need to balance off vs. the specific local market situation and knowledge. I enjoy working within strategy because you get exposure to a wide range of business challenges. Throughout my time in Carlsberg I've come to appreciate both the scale and complexity of Carlsberg as a global business and the learnings associated with this. Working in Carlsberg Group Strategy means gaining access to the full value chain and supporting and collaborating with many departments, functions and colleagues. This allows us to continue to expand our knowledge about the business while taking part in a broader range of projects and driving progress and change on our priorities."

What do you see as the main factors for positive developments in your career?

"First of all, I have learned from my managers and colleagues in various situations experiencing both positive and negative outcomes. Secondly, it's been very valuable for me that my managers have generally trusted and empowered me to take on projects and responsibilities which I might not initially have known how to manage. This may not provide the optimal solution at first, but the learning opportunity you build up is very valuable and it also serves as an important motivation and catalyzer to take on more assignments. Generally, I believe that allowing people to take responsibility and make mistakes (within reasonable limits) is an investment worth making. Working outside your comfort zone is where you really move, learn, and start to drive change!"

What would your career advice be to anyone who wants to kick off a career within strategy?

"Generally, I think it is less important where you kick off your career because you can always work your way towards what is most interesting and enjoyable for you, if you do a good job and show the willingness to learn and improve. In my experience it's difficult to know what you'd like to work with before you've actually tried it. It was not necessarily in my career plan to work within strategy, but when the opportunity came up I found it a natural extension of my experience within Carlsberg and a way to gain new skills and knowledge - especially about the more commercial parts of our business which has always been of great interest to me.

I would advise you to find a role that's aligned with your values and where you'd be passionate to go to work every day. It makes me proud to work for a company that gives back parts of its profit to the society by supporting admirable projects within art and science. On top of this, it is fun to work in an environment where people are extremely passionate about their job and are all working to make Carlsberg a little bit better every day."

For our colleagues who are interested to know more about our Carlsberg Graduate Programme, you can find out more here!​