Michael Carstens Email & Phone Number

Copenhagen, Dk

København V, Hovedstaden, Dk

I oversee all IT and digital in Western Europe, the largest region in the Carlsberg Group with 13,000 employees and a USD 5.5 billion revenue in 2022. I am part of the Carlsberg Top 80 Extended Leadership Team, the Western Europe Leadership Team, and the global IT leadership team.The goal for the Western Europe IT team is to enable a net revenue growth of 3-5% CAGR and achieve an organic operating profit growth that is higher than the rate of revenue growth with technology and digital products, and most importantly, to provide stable operations of the 500+ manufacturing, supply chain, finance, ERP (SAP), HR, and commercial applications that improve customer experience and makes our colleagues more productive every day.To reach our goals we have developed a technology strategy that has four key elements. Growth through business-to-business e-commerce, a flexible Business Foundation with an upgraded ERP platform, a secure Technology Foundation with cloud and cyber security, and Data and Analytics to get faster and better insights, decisions, and actions. By focusing on these four elements, we drive growth, boost efficiency, lower operational risk, and enable data-driven decisions. Selected results:I lead the technology enablement of Carlsberg's new global 5-year business strategy, Sail '27, translating business objectives into a technology strategy with OKRs, budget allocations, and initial plans. Transformed the sales force efficiency by implementing an image recognition sales execution tool with machine learning, which resulted in increased sales and reduced time spent on administration. Reduced the business impacting IT incidents by 20% (2022 vs. 2023). Achieved a 90% employee engagement score among my 8 direct reports and 80% across the whole 100+ FTE Western Europe IT team. Sponsor of the global Celebrate Diversity in IT initiative and trained 50+ leaders from other functions on DE&I, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership.

København V, Hovedstaden, Dk

As the leader of all IT and digital in the Central Europe region, one of four regions in the Carlsberg Group, I was a member of the global IT leadership team. Our goal was to enable the regional business strategy to gain market share, increase net revenue, and boost EBIT, and operational efficiency with technology and data solutions. The three-year IT and digital strategy for the region aimed to create a scalable and efficient technology foundation that enabled digital solutions and a data platform that could drive top-line growth or enhance productivity and efficiency. A key program to achieve this was an ERP upgrade that standardized and automated finance, supply chain, and sales processes. My main stakeholders were the Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member overseeing the Central and Eastern Europe regions and the Managing Directors of the Central European markets. Selected results: Created the three-year IT and digital strategy for the Central Europe region, which was fully in sync with the three-year business strategy to increase net revenue and boost EBIT. Deployed an internally developed B2B e-commerce platform to support the strategic sales channel shift to online. This led to increased net revenue, improved customer satisfaction, and higher operational profit compared to the control group.

København V, Hovedstaden, Dk

I managed a team of 120 IT experts and 200+ external FTEs (HCL) who oversaw Service Management, End User Computing, Service Desk, and platforms such as Citrix, ServiceNow, and O365. We aimed to create the best digital workplace experience in the world. We accomplished this with the Connected Employee strategy that helped our colleagues to be more efficient and involved in the digital transformation of the Carlsberg Group with tools such as Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Power platform. Additionally, I was appointed CIO for the Nordic markets and end-to-end accountable for all IT and digital in the Nordics. Selected results: During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of Carlsberg’s 24,000 office workers and sales force could connect, collaborate, and work from home smoothly from day one due to a project that deployed Microsoft Teams and trained end users in new ways of working before the pandemic. Enhanced the end user IT experience and raised the end user satisfaction from a 77% to 98% favorable score. Successfully delivered the Asia IT Infrastructure Transformation Phase II Program, the New Carlsberg Central Office IT project, and the Windows 10 Upgrade project and rollout of 11,000 new PCs in 4 months. High team engagement (88% favorable).

Mechelen, Be

Member of the Advisory Board for CIONET Denmark. The Advisory Board gives direction and advice on CIONET’s activities in Denmark.CIONET is the biggest international network of IT executives with more than 6,000 CIOs and IT Directors from leading brands.

Copenhagen, Dk

The Maersk Group is a Fortune Global 500 transport and logistics company with multiple brands and is the largest container shipping company in the world with +80,000 employees. As Head of Headquarters IT, I managed a team of 20 in-house team leaders, project managers, applications managers, and 100+ outsourced application supporters. The department covered everything from business engagement and requirements gathering to project implementation, operations, and end-user support. Our mission was to provide value-adding IT services and drive the digitization of the Maersk Group headquarters functions.The department also provided global applications to business units in the Maersk Group such as the group-wide intranet platform for 65,000 users, a mobile app for 16,000 devices, an HR system supporting 13,000 seafarers, and 40 other business-critical IT systems and mobile apps. Selected results:Developed the Maersk Group’s strategy on internal and external communication platforms, aligning the needs and wants of multiple business units with a limited budget. Deemed ‘Best in Class’ compared to peers in a Gartner Consulting benchmark on the operating cost and FTE efficiency of the department.Developed and deployed the global Maersk News mobile application to 16,000 company-owned mobile devices thus increasing the readership of the Maersk Group news significantly. Transformed the use of video communication in the Maersk Group through insights attained by implementing Google Analytics. Reduced the operating cost by 6% by renegotiating contracts and by optimizing the use of software licenses. High team engagement (87% favorable).

Copenhagen, Dk

Established an Office of the CIO in Headquarters IT. The objective of the team was to create value for the business by ensuring cost-efficient and stable delivery of Headquarters IT services. This was achieved by implementing more efficient Contract and Vendor Management processes, a tighter budget control governance, a Run/Build FTE allocation, and by implementing a cross-team Project Portfolio governance. Selected results:Sponsored a transition project to outsource all headquarters IT infrastructure services to an internal IT infrastructure provider. The project had no negative impact on the business or employee engagement. Negotiated a 27% discount on the purchase of PCs for the global Maersk Group Headquarters from Hewlett-Packard.

Copenhagen, Dk

Managed an IT Support and Operations department with two team leaders 17 IT technicians and project managers. The mission of the department was to enable the global Maersk Headquarter to focus on core business by providing high-quality onsite IT support, LAN, IP telephony, printer, mobile phone, and data center services. Selected results:Developed and implemented the ‘Close the Quality Gap’ strategy. The department’s process maturity improved by 23% and customer satisfaction improved by 30%. Reduced the operating cost of IP telephony by 25% through a sourcing project and the overall running cost of the department by 11%. Improved the department’s employee engagement score by 17% from 68% favorable to 85% favorable.

Copenhagen, Dk

As Head of IT Support I managed 1 team leader and 10 IT technicians in Copenhagen and a team of 30 Service Desk agents in India. Selected results:Improved the customer satisfaction of the Service Desk from 3.9 to 4.5 (5 scale) through a Lean Six Sigma project.Managed the outsourcing of the Service Desk to Hewlett-Packard without service degradations or negative impact on the business. Reduced the operating cost of the LAN by 20% and the operating cost of the printers by 46% through sourcing projects. Managed a Windows 7 upgrade program involving 300+ applications. The overall customer satisfaction with the program was 3.7 (5 scale).

Ballerup, Sjælland, Dk

KMD is the largest Danish IT company. As Solution Manager I managed project teams during presales and bids for EU tenders to sell KMD’s SAP based ERP system. Furthermore, I improved the implementation and support strategies for this product. This role involved frequent pre-sales presentations for customers. Selected results: Successfully managed 19 tender projects. The success rate was 15 winning bids out of 19 tenders.Conducted strategy workshops with the management of the Implementation and Support Division (600 employees). The outcome was faster implementation and improved support of the SAP ERP system.

Ballerup, Sjælland, Dk

As Graduate I rotated to different departments in KMD. In the Consultancy department I gained insight into the implementation of SAP systems and the necessary change management processes to achieve a successful implementation. In the Energy department, I formulated strategies for a key product line and developed business cases for potential new products.

In this position, I gained experience in designing business plans and business strategies for small transportation companies.

Harvard Negotiation Institute - Improving Your Negotiation Effectiveness

M.A., Communication

B.Sc., Business Administration