.. and I'm the CEO of BOLIA International A/S, where I’ve had the honor of leading our creative journey and international expansion since 2005.
Before joining BOLIA, I built my career in international retail and e-commerce, working across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. What brought me to BOLIA – and keeps me inspired every single day– is a deep passion for Scandinavian design, creativity, and creating meaningful experiences for our customers.
Outside the office, I’m a music producer, mountaineer, and self- proclaimed familianaire, enjoying life with my wife, our three kids, and our dog. Even after 20 years as CEO, stepping into the BOLIA universe still feels as exciting as day one. It’s a journey I’m truly grateful to be on– with the best team by my side.
This year marks our 25th anniversary – and what an incredible journey it’s been, shared with our amazing colleagues, designers, manufacturers, partners, and customers. Together, we’ve built something extraordinary: a design community rooted in creativity, collaboration, respect, and a shared passion for beautiful spaces.
If you want to know a bit more about me and my quick ideas, you can find some of the great questions I got during a recent interview with an international design magazine.
BOLIA began its journey in 2000 as a pioneering online company – one of the very first furniture brands in the world to sell the entire collection online and use the website as a sales platform alongside physical showrooms. Since then, we’ve grown a lot, but the biggest change has definitely been in our collection.
In 2005, we made a strategic decision to become a true design company. We stopped selling generic products and started designing and developing every single piece ourselves. We fully embraced our Scandinavian roots, focusing on honest materials, craftsmanship, and the perfect balance between form and function. At the same time, we rolled out a range of sustainable initiatives that remain a core part of who we are today. That philosophy still drives BOLIA forward.
Read more about our design philosophy
Honestly, I’m just incredibly grateful to have been part of this amazing journey with BOLIA – alongside brilliant colleagues, designers, manufacturers, partners, and friends over the past 20 years. I still remember my very first day back in 2005. At that time, BOLIA was a small start-up with just 10 people at HQ. And I remember thinking to myself, “This little gem is going to be something big.”
Today, we’ve grown into a global company with nearly 100 stores in 13 countries, webshops in 30, more than 600 retailers in over 50 countries, and an inspiring global partnership with Steelcase – not to mention more than 800 passionate colleagues. Yet despite all of that, I still feel the same way every morning when I walk through the door: “This little gem is going to be something big...”
In the beginning, we only worked with Danish and Scandinavian designers. But over time, we realised that Scandinavian design is really more about values and what you love than just where you were born or raised. So today, we collaborate with a diverse group of incredibly talented designers from all over the world – most of whom actually grew up outside Scandinavia.
This brings fresh energy and new takes on what we call “New Scandinavian Design.” It keeps our brand evolving, shapes our creativity, and pushes our sustainability efforts forward with every new collection.
We also discover amazing new talent through our BOLIA DESIGN AWARDS, a proud tradition we started over 19 years ago. It’s a great way to open doors for talented, new designers – and it helps us keep seeing things in a new light and create positive change.
Read more about our BOLIA DESIGN AWARDS
My heart beats faster when everything just clicks – when form, function, and feeling come together in a single design.
It’s about simplicity with a spark of cleverness. About beautiful, well-balanced shapes that feel new, yet still have a strong sense of identity. It’s about materials, craftsmanship, tactility, and uniqueness. It’s about sustainability and longevity – but also about commerciality and the potential to grow a single piece into a full design family.
And finally, I also love when the design has a special story to tell – a curious detail, a playful reference, a hidden feature or just another quirky little thing that gives the design an extra bit of personality.
Like the Bowie armchair, which is named after our lovely French bulldog, Bowie. He loves jumping up in armchairs and living a life of luxury and comfort. So Bowie seemed like the perfect match when we were looking for a name for the armchair series. Here he is, proudly posing in his very own Bowie chair at home.
Haha, my taste in music is pretty all over the place. I go from mindful ambient and melancholic classical pieces to atmospheric movie soundtracks, then jump straight into ’90s hip-hop tracks, but on most days, deep and progressive house is what gets my heart beat faster.
I’ve to admit, I rarely tune into traditional radio stations – I’m all about streaming through Frisky, Proton, Mixcloud, Spotify, and Soundcloud.
Music is a huge part of my life. It’s always playing wherever I am. I’ve got full AlphaTheta DJ gear set up right in my dining room and even in our summer cottage. The whole house is wired with speakers, and my car? Always driving with a juicy playlist.
I started DJing to pay for my studies in high school, and now many years later, I still love working with music and making mixtapes.
You can enjoy some of them at BOLIA Soundcloud.
I started mountaineering during a period when I was stuck in mental chaos with way too much energy, and I needed a new perspective. On my first trip, I set course for Kilimanjaro with four friends and that adventure became a turning point in my life. It helped me turn my focus inward, and I returned home much calmer and more balanced. Since then, I have summited many of the highest mountains around the world, explored the farthest corners, experienced the world’s many cultures, and met the most amazing people on our planet.
When I need to recharge, I dive into the things that truly fuel me. Whether it’s unwinding with my wife over a glass of good red wine, hitting the trails for a run or workout, or nourishing myself with natural foods and supplements, I’m always intentional about restoring my energy. Ambient music and meditation, along with walks on the nearby beach or in the woods with our lively French bulldog, Bowie, help me find calm.
Sometimes I lose myself in playing The Last of Us on my PS5 – yep, for the 20th time. I also love visiting and spending time with our three lovely kids, who all live and work in Copenhagen, or escaping to our summer cottage in beautiful Falsled, where swimming, sauna sessions, and the soundtrack of nature create the perfect reset.
Here’s the twist: for me, hard work and tough challenges can also be a form of relaxation. There’s something deeply satisfying about pushing through and seeing real results. The fun thing about energy is that sometimes, you have to use it to get it.
That is not an easy question, but OK, here are...
1. Avoid worrying too much:
We are spending too much time on worrying about issues from the past and possible problems in the future. Let go of worries and enjoy the journey right now. Don’t ignore problems but handle them when they arise. In the end, now is all we got.
2. Love difficult:
One of my favorite mountaineering quotes is "You make the path as you walk it". Avoid choosing the easy way out or walking in the footsteps of others. The bigger the challenge, the greater the reward.
3. Write a letter to yourself:
The world is constantly changing and evolving – and so are we. Change usually happens slowly, day by day, without us even noticing. That’s why it’s a good idea to pause and reflect on your direction, your purpose, and the common thread running through your life.
For the past 18 years, I’ve written a letter to myself every year. It’s an exciting and personal process that helps me stay grounded and focused – while also reminding me of the journey I’m on, what I truly value in life, and the responsibility that naturally follows from the choices I make.
I actually just asked her – and she said that I have never been good at asking for her opinion….
Haha, meta jokes aside. Honestly, I’m a terrible swimmer, hopeless at remembering names, and I definitely don’t spend enough time with my wonderful kids. I can be as stubborn as a mule, and I’ve somehow convinced myself I’m a great chef – even though I never cook.
– and the list goes on and on…
Oh, that’s a big question. I’ll try to make it short.
After a full day of meaningful conversations and tough decisions, if I end the day knowing I’ve made positive changes, nudged a project in the right direction, or inspired the people I’ve met – even in the smallest way – that’s a good day in my book.
You know, if you can change one person…..
