Employee portrait: Jesper works with hardcore numbers and a belief in soft values
Real estate has always piqued Jesper Bahn Damgaard's interest, making his role as CFO in the real estate industry a natural fit. He has held this position for nearly seven years at Sjælsø and, since March 2023, at Balder. Even though much of his work revolves around hardcore number-crunching, it's the soft values that Jesper prioritizes in his daily life as a leader.
As a child, he grew up on a farm in North Zealand, where he was expected to work from an early age. Helping with various tasks was a natural and exciting part of farm life, and he has taken that culture into his professional life:
"Even though you have a job title – in my case CFO – I believe we get further by helping out wherever we can. We shouldn't be too constrained by our positions and responsibilities but should work together to handle the challenges that arise. That's the culture I've tried to bring into my professional life," he explains.
And there is plenty of professional life to manage. Jesper, who holds a master’s degree in economics and auditing, serves as the CFO for both Sjælsø and Balder, two related companies, with Balder owning 49% of Sjælsø.
A familiar real estate industry
The advantage of having a foot in both companies is significant. When Jesper accepted the CFO position at Balder, the benefits were abundantly clear:
"I already knew the management, many of the partners, and the properties that Balder has built over the years in collaboration with Sjælsø. The real estate industry isn't that large, so my 15 years in total at Sjælsø has undeniably provided me with a lot of experience and insights that I can apply daily at Balder," he says.
While Sjælsø has been existing since 1981, Balder was founded in 2011. Stepping into the role of CFO in a younger company offers, according to Jesper, numerous advantages:
"There are still many exciting things and processes at Balder that need to be defined and strategized. I'm thrilled that I can help shape these things going forward, even though there has already been excellent strategic work done. I'm also very enthusiastic about the fact that, in many cases, there's not far from idea to action, and we maintain an informal atmosphere. It suits me perfectly," Jesper explains.
The Same Jesper at home and at work
Sitting next to Jesper during lunch, you can be sure that he will ask about his colleagues' well-being and how they are doing. For Jesper, the soft values are important - this is who he is as a person, both in private and at work:
"I may be an atypical CFO in many aspects. Even though I work with finances and sign off on annual reports, it's the human relationships that matter most to me in my daily life. I prefer the soft values, and I'll do everything I can to ensure that my colleagues find joy in their work - it also benefits the bottom line," he explains and continues:
"I also work with a trust-based leadership style, where those reporting to me have a 100% responsibility for their tasks. That's how it works best, especially now in my dual-role function. Besides, I'd rather focus on the future than dwell too much on financial history and the past. For me, it doesn't help much to speculate on what we could have done differently in the past unless it can be used moving forward."
A family man, fitness enthusiast, and playful spirit
Privately, Jesper lives in Bagsværd with his wife and two children. He has an active life with plenty of cycling and at least one annual ski trip.
"I'm not good at sitting still and become quickly restless. That's why I cycle a lot daily. I'm also a bit of a playful spirit and enjoy taking my kids to various amusement parks. It's almost as much fun for them as it is for me."
Finally, a fun fact to about Jesper: He suffers from a fear of heights – so much that his daughter was worried about whether he could work on the 5th floor at Balder. Despite his phobia, Jesper luckily manages to go to his office desk several times a week.