Claus Andersen-Aagaard works as CEO of GreenLead
I started in consulting in 2006, guiding customers to optimize their business together with a team of professionals. Afterwards I joined Vestas Wind System, the world’s largest wind turbine company in 2008. In the wind turbine industry, I pushed for cost consciousness in the design of our wind turbines. In the changing market in 2008-2012 that was the make or break condition of the industry.
I was part of the core team working together with 200 engineers and sourcing specialist to drive out cost and keeping the quality intact. I worked to develop the offshore turbine V164, the onshore V112 and later versions of the V90. I also worked with developing business cases for establishing production factories for wind turbines, machine shops, foundries and casting facilities and establishing of harbors in Northern Europe to dispatch offshore wind turbines to offshore sites.
In my next position, I moved to Greenland in 2012, to work for Royal Arctic Line, in a job as Chief financial controller and head of Business Partnering. Royal Arctic Line is the Greenlandic monopoly shipping liner company and port operator. I was hired to lead the project of building a new international harbor in the capital, Nuuk, but also worked extensively with business optimization and finance controlling.
After the harbor was completed, I was tasked with designing a joint venture between the largest Icelandic liner company and the Greenlandic liner company to take full advantage of the new harbor. Together with the C-SUITE and several talented colleagues, we created the Arctic Shipping Corridor connecting Greenland, Iceland, Faroese Islands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark into one liner system with a shared fleet of 3 x 2150 TEU vessels.
In 2017 I was headhunted into the position of CFO for Nukissiorfiit, the state-owned monopoly company responsible for all utility in Greenland – electricity, heating and water. As CFO I guided the development of the all the financial and administrative departments, and took great part in designing the strategy for the company. Together with the CEO and the CTO we directed Nukissiorfiit toward a more sustainable, profitable and cheaper utility company for the benefit of all citizens of Greenland.
One of my signature projects was the decision to erect two new hydro power plants costing 450 mill. USD, which will deliver clean energy to Greenland, taking the public renewable production ratio to 90 % for all of Greenland. For 9 months I had the privilege to lead the company as interim CEO, while maintaining the position as CFO. I did not wish to continue in this function, as it took me too far away from day-to-day operations.
During my time as CEO, CFO and CAO, I was directly responsible for the Finance department, the Accounting department, the Human Resource department, the Sales department, the Legal department, the Customer service department and our internal Business Partnering department. I directly lead departments with 50 employees, and when I directed the whole company, I was responsible for +400 employees, +500 mill. USD in assets and a turnover of 120 mill. USD.
I chose to relocate back to Denmark into a position as senior advisor to the CEO of Nukissiorfiit. In this role I have promoted Greenland’s hydro power potentials, with a focus on unexploited potentials with 12-15,000 GWh of energy, with Greenland looking for investors. I have an in-depth knowledge of the technology, the possibilities in Greenland and the workings with ministries and the government.
After my role as senior advisor, I have started my own consulting company together with 3 talented people with knowledge and experience from doing business in Greenland, from the fields of engineering, process optimizations, leadership and project development. In this new company we provide advisory services concerning project development within renewable energy and sustainability projects, in Greenland and Northern Europe.
The company is called GreenLead and we advise companies in the green transition. We specialize in the biggest energy plants like hydro power stations, PV solar energy parks, wind turbine parks, energy optimization of industries and organizational readiness for the green transition particularly for technical organizations.
