Some careers you choose. Others feel like they’ve always been part of you.

Maybe because I was born into it.

My family had a meat business, so from a young age, I knew what it meant to buy, sell, and build relationships around food. Trading isn’t just what I do – it’s what I know.

When I joined ESS-FOOD, it felt like coming home. I had worked in smaller trading companies before, but ESS-FOOD was on another level. A place with real structure, real ambition – and a culture that still felt human.

That’s rare.

What keeps me going is the pace. The constant change. The need to adapt and find new solutions every single day. One day it’s a logistical issue at the border, the next it’s covering an urgent demand using five different suppliers. You think fast. You act fast. And you do it together.

Because trading is a team sport.

In the Spanish office, we don’t just work together – we trust each other. We back each other. And I always try to bring a calm, optimistic mindset, even when things go sideways. I’m not the one who panics. I’m the one who says: Relax – we’ll find a solution.

And we do.

I’m proud of the impact I’ve made. Like when I created a simple Excel tool to manage supplier prices. That small idea grew into a global platform we now use across ESS-FOOD. I didn’t build the system – but the idea came from our team. From a need to make things better.

And that’s the spirit I love here.

We’re part of a big group, yes. But decisions are still made by people. We’re trusted to lead. And when we fail, we learn. That’s part of the culture – a Danish culture, with values I truly admire. Especially the importance of work-life balance. I have a daughter, and ESS-FOOD gives me the space to be both a good father and a good trader.

Not many places offer that.

What I hope new colleagues learn from me is simple: Stay positive. Don’t fear the “no.” If you fight for it, half the no’s will become yes.

That’s something my father taught me. And something I live by.

Because even after 25 years in this business, I’m still learning. Every day. And that’s what keeps me here.