Who are you & what do you do?

In short, I take care of the human side of business by facilitating good relationships at work. I believe that insightful leadership, clear communication and shared responsibility are key elements in a healthy company culture - this might be due to me having been part of the Danish Scout Association all my life, where these values are seen as a natural part of how kids learn and grow together. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked to turn these values into practice in a variety of business contexts - from public organisations over tiny tech startups to established financial companies like Banking Circle.

Why do you choose to work in Januar?

I joined Januar because it was clear that the founders believe in the value of creating a great place to work and taking care of the people in it. It was also a chance for me to build the foundation and set a direction for a company culture from the very beginning. Today, it also motivates me to be part of quite a diverse team with one thing in common: the drive to make a positive impact.

Why is it exciting to work in People & Culture - particularly in a fintech startup?

People & Culture to me is like working in the machine room, greasing the nuts and bolts. Only, it’s not a machine, but a complex system of human relationships, where you need to understand and navigate team dynamics and individual motivation. It’s not always the most visible work in the business, but it sure is impactful!

I like the pragmatic approach that characterises a startup: you aim for making things work, rather than making them perfect. But I’m also a big advocate for doing things properly, and in the field of finance, you have to set high standards and be diligent about your work.

What have you learned while working in Januar?

I learned to embrace the paradox of being a fintech startup: we need to both grow and grow up very fast. On the one hand, we’re inventing new ways of doing things, so speed and agility is crucial. On the other hand, we must live up to some of the highest compliance standards, which requires thoroughness and diligence.

It takes a special mindset for people to thrive in that environment. And it’s essential that leaders continuously communicate about what is happening, what is expected, and why certain decisions are made.

What do you look forward to for Januar in 2023?

Taking the business to the next level! 

It’s a very exciting and intense time in Januar, as we recently received our licence from the DFSA and are now working to raise our next funding round. So we need to deliver the absolute best we can across the business, while attending to requests from several external stakeholders and doubling down on core deliverables. It’s like, you can see the finish line, but don’t know how far away it is - and the finish line of this sprint is then the starting point of a marathon, which you need to prepare for at the same time.

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