Emil from ATP: Be prepared for a non-linear career plan

Can you tell us more about your background?

I was born and raised in the north of Sjælland – very close to the ATP headquarters. I was what you would call a normal high school student. I had math as my major, I was not a business student. Then I enrolled into CBS for a degree in Economics and Business Administration. Then I thought that auditing may be a way for me, so I chose that for my Master’s. But through a student position in Basico, a management consultancy firm, I realized that I was more interested in being at the other side of the table – not auditing the companies but being on the inside and having an impact on what happens.

Where did your interest in business and economics come from?

Mathematics was just something I was good at and had a flair for. I have mostly been always interested in how to run a company. My father has his own pharmacy, so we often had discussions around the dinner table about how the company was run, about dealing with employees, new hires, difficulties. When my sister and I got a bit older, we also joined in the discussion. It was like a family business, and my sister is employed there today. So we still have those discussions.

I always wanted to work in a business and have an impact within one. Mathematics just pushed my way to economics. Sooner or later, everything you do in a business affects the bottom line, so why not focus on that? In my student job, I learned a lot – I almost worked full time while doing my Master’s. I may have skipped a few things, but I was focused on getting practical experience. The auditing subjects were more of a base for me, I focused more on my courses in lean, management, and leadership.

To get the return on investment from graduates, you have to give the graduates a lot of experience and responsibility early on and then maintain the steep learning curve throughout the program and afterward. ATP, in my experience, does that very well.
Emil Aldershvile

Do you then value practical experience more than education?

I felt like getting practical experience was the space for me where I had the most potential to develop as both a student and an employee. It was also a lot more fun, and I liked putting the theory into practical context. I knew I wasn’t going to be a professor, scientist, or researcher, so I had to have practical experiences to have an interest in the theory. But education and experience should be balanced.

What attracted you to a graduate position after you finished studying?

Actually, I accepted a job as a financial controller after my studies, so I had a regular job. Through network contacts, I was contacted by Henriette Fynsk who is now vice president in ATP. She reached out to me because of my profile, saying they had a graduate program in ATP which I found interesting. I saw, and still see the graduate program as a possibility to accelerate your career. You get an opportunity to get into a business that wants to actively invest in you and hopefully get a big return on investment later on. I felt that was the best way to accelerate my career. ATP was also a bigger company than where I worked before and there were multiple opportunities after finishing the graduate program.

How was your experience in the program?

Very good. Of course, there are always things to improve, but it was five years ago now and the program is still alive, and I believe it has only gotten better. I would have liked a program that would have lasted more than a year because there is more to learn. However, I think that ATP does well in keeping the focus on developing their employees even after the graduate program. That made the experience very good.
To get the return on investment from graduates, you have to give the graduates a lot of experience and responsibility early on and then maintain the steep learning curve throughout the program and afterward. ATP, in my experience, does that very well.

Were you more attracted to the graduate program concept or ATP?

A combination of both. ATP is an interesting company because of its position in Danish society. We are not a public company, we are not a privately owned company, we are somewhere in between. And we have all of Denmark as our customers, one way or the other. For me, being still in the early stages of my career, it was a big organization, and I hadn’t experienced that before. The size and the complexity of ATP were something I thought was interesting.

After 6 years, I still think that. The steep learning curve and the different leaders that I had motivated me to stay at ATP. I have been lucky enough to be in a position where I have been given opportunities to keep developing myself, my skills, and my network. As long as I still get challenged, I don’t see any reason for changing companies other than it could be interesting to see how they do things at a different company. But I still have a lot of years left to experience that.

It’s a part of my personality to always drive towards more. I have to have the feeling that I am making a difference.
Emil Aldershvile

Was it easy to drive your career through ATP? Do you still want to accelerate more?

I still wish to accelerate my career at ATP – it’s a part of my personality to always drive towards more. It could mean being in a higher place organizationally or just a different challenge – I have to have the feeling that I am making a difference. If I ever get to a point where I don’t think that, I would have to change jobs or positions, otherwise I wouldn’t be the best version of myself.

I think I have shown where I can be valuable for the company and my leaders, and when there are opportunities, like being a project leader on the corona relief effort, I just grasp every single one of them there is. I tend to think: I haven’t done that before, maybe I’m good at that, maybe I’m not. Maybe I will think it’s a fun way to work, maybe I won’t. No matter what, I am an experience richer.

I also have been a bit of a demanding employee – I know what I’m good at and what I’m not good at. If I’m used the right way, then I climb mountains for you, and if not, I will find something else. If you are going to work hard and long hours, and want the best for the company, then you also have to know your place and be sure you are used the right way.

What was your corona relief project about?
The aim was to pay out 1000 DKK to all welfare beneficiaries in Denmark. The project started in summer 2020 and I did not have any summer plans anyway so I said: Let me be a part of that. That evolved into me being a project manager on a larger scale. The difficulty was having that project at the same time as being a team leader. I have to admit that my team has suffered a little bit because of it. Having two hats on is not the best way to do it. That was my learning. But on the other hand, it was an interesting project and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Our CFO at ATP gave a speech to the ATP young professional network and there was a question about the best career advice he has received. And he said: Just do it, like Nike! If you’re given an opportunity, don’t overthink it. Don’t think: Am I good enough? What are the consequences if I fail? If you believe you can do it, most often you can, and your leaders are obliged to give you help. I’m trying to live my career that way and see what happens.

You certainly seem to grasp the opportunities – you are also a part of the staff association in ATP. What do you do there?

On behalf of all the employees that want to be a part of it, and using that power of about three thousand of them, we make good deals with different companies and make arrangements such as movie theater, museum, cultural tours. I joined because two of my close colleagues were in it. I suddenly have a network in ATP that I wouldn’t know at all if I weren’t a part of the association.

Were you always this driven?

During my studies, I wasn’t totally motivated. Then I started my student job. Seeing what you can do if you have the spirit and the drive lit a fire under me and inspired me to succeed in something. I haven’t been the best student, get the best grades, but hard work and a bit of luck get you a long way. I always had the drive for more.

What are the best traits you have seen in the people you have worked with?

I have had five different direct leaders over the last six years. What characterizes most of them is the drive. They also know what their strengths and weaknesses are, and then they focus on the strengths. On top of that, I think the very best are those willing to listen to everyone, talk to everyone, and to learn and get feedback. Our CEO often says that feedback is a gift – no matter if positive or constructive, you gain pieces of information you didn’t have before. It’s a good mantra to have. I try to keep these traits with me.

Our CFO at ATP gave a speech to the ATP young professional network and there was a question about the best career advice he has received. And he said: Just do it, like Nike! If you’re given an opportunity, don’t overthink it. Don’t think: Am I good enough? What are the consequences if I fail? If you believe you can do it, most often you can, and your leaders are obliged to give you help. I’m trying to live my career that way and see what happens.
Emil Aldershvile

What’s the best advice you have for graduates?

Apart from trying new things, be prepared to not have a linear career plan. By trying new things, your career will swivel, but as long as you stay hungry, get results, add value, you will move in the direction that is right for you.

8 rapid questions

 

1. How much do you sleep?

Seven hours a night.

 

2. Favorite book

The Expanse by James S. A. Corey.

 

3. Do you feel lucky?

Yes.

 

4. Do you meditate?

In my own way. I try to relax by listening to my body when I am tired and just pull the plug and do nothing to charge my batteries.

 

5. Who do you admire?

Steve Jobs.

 

6. What’s your superpower?

My energy.

 

7. What’s your worst habit?

Snoozing in the morning.

 

8. What’s something you believe to be true and others don’t?

Everybody can be what they want to be.