Simon’s career journey

My career path in Danske Commodities

I started out as a student employee in the Renewables team (now PAM), where I soon after landed a full-time position as Market Developer / Originator. My main focus was to investigate ways of expanding the massive success we had with Germany’s Direktvermarktung to other countries with similar market regulations. Besides pure market/business development, I also acted as a sort of Originator for renewables products and early-day flexible asset management – predominantly in the UK, Spain and Sweden. As an example, I helped develop the UK market strategy that eventually helped us land the Beatrice case.

In 2016, Danske Commodities wanted to start the implementation of our Allegro system and I was offered a role as Senior Business Analyst, where I, together with team consultants from the UK energy consultancy, Baringa Partners, was responsible for front office deliverables in the project. That’s where I learned the “consultancy toolbox”, which I later applied when I taught Structured Problem Solving in DC University from 2017-2020.

After Allegro Phase 1 was delivered for our power business, I went on to a role as IT Business Partner. Here, my focus became more strategic and holistic as I was responsible for aligning the ambitions in IT’s and Power Trading’s unit level plans.

In 2019, I participated in LAP and was soon after offered the role as Head of Business Analysis, which I started in December the same year. The PMO part was added about half a year later, and that’s the role I am still having.

Benefits from cross-organisational experience in my current role

In my current role, I am heading a team whose primary purpose is to implement strategic products across – and therefore to be experts in – the Danske Commodities value chain. Therefore, I am benefitting extremely much from having first-hand experience with some of the strengths and challenges in other teams, especially around our physical asset management. Also, my time as IT Business Partner gave me a view into the world of resource prioritisations that often goes on one or two levels above me. And, if nothing else, it at least gave me an understanding about the challenges of resource prioritisations and its impact on making realistic plans.

My advice to those contemplating an alternative career journey

First of all, follow your heart and do what you think is fun and gives you energy. In that way, you will soon enough find your own path. Personal development is never as linear as you imagine, and you most often only learn something truly valuable about yourself in the face of challenges. And if you do something you think is fun, it’s much easier to get back up on the horse and learn from it. Second of all, continue being curious about yourself and your personal journey. It’s a life-long ride, and I, for one, surely haven’t found my final destination. That would also be a little bit sad, actually.