Jens Kann-Rasmussen says goodbye to VELUX

As the grandson of VELUX founder Villum Kann Rasmussen, and the son of former VELUX CEO Lars Kann-Rasmussen, VELUX has always been part of Jens Kann-Rasmussen's life. For the past 25 years, it has also been the focal point of his professional life, but no longer. November 1st, Jens Kann-Rasmussen will leave the VELUX Group to dedicate his time to the Villum Foundation as Chairman of the Board.

Though he celebrates his official 25th anniversary in the VELUX Group this November, Jens Kann-Rasmussen was actually only a teenager, when he was first employed by VELUX.

“When I was 16, my father arranged for me to test a set of instructions for how to build in an electrical product. I got DKK 500 to do it, so that was really my first paid job in VELUX. I also had some short-term employments the following summers, and frequently participated in various anniversary celebrations where I met different people from VELUX. So when I started as a trainee in 1996, it felt like coming home,” Jens Kann-Rasmussen recalls.

The following two years, he worked in different areas of the business as part of the then management trainee program and quickly build up a good network across the VELUX Group. He worked in IT, was involved in developing the VELSUN (VELUX Solar Energy) business and drove around with German sales representatives to customer meetings. As a manager, Jens Kann-Rasmussen has also been around various parts of the VELUX Group. He took part in implementing Eurobiz (now GloBIZ SAP) and has helped build the spare parts database which is still used today. He also spent two years as manager in VELUX GBI, relocating to Scotland with his family.

“Working in GBI was a great experience, and I really learned a lot during my two years there. We spent a lot of time optimizing the customer centre experience by listening to customer needs and how we could meet those, and we succeeded. That was a lot of fun to be part of.”

Back in Denmark, Jens Kann-Rasmussen has continued as manager of different departments, his shifts determined by both business needs and his own wishes to explore other areas.

“To me, it has been important to move around the company and gain new perspectives, for example by moving from headquarters to a sales company or vice versa. But if I could change one thing about my career in VELUX, I would spend more time in Supply. I have great respect for everything that goes on within that area and for the employees who deliver high quality every day. I do have an understanding of production, but I would have liked to get a deeper knowledge of it.”

Almost like any other… Being a third generation Kann-Rasmussen, Jens has undoubtedly gotten a bit more attention than other VELUX employees, but he has tried not to let his heritage influence his work life too much:

“Maybe people laugh a little harder at my jokes. But I have always tried to downplay my family name, especially in the beginning, and I feel people treat me as any other employee once they get to know me. Expectations are the same for me as for everyone else – engage in the business and do the best you can,” he says.

“When you are young, you don’t know very much about anything, you just have to try your best. I have learned a lot about being a manager in the last twenty-plus years. In the beginning, I was probably quite reserved, but I found out that sharing isn’t dangerous and that you get a lot back from the employees if you open up.”

Looking back on the last 25 years, Jens Kann-Rasmussen has seen the VELUX Group grow larger and turn more corporate.

“From being small, isolated companies, we have become more streamlined. What we do now is more coherent and planned. But we still have room for new ideas and local initiatives and that is extremely important, if we want to keep developing the business. For my own part, I am happy to have contributed to various strategic projects that have been important to the company.”

Looking into a sustainable future Going forward, Jens Kann-Rasmussen will spend more time with the Villum Foundation as Chairman of the Board. The job is not new to him, as he has held that position for the last six years alongside the position as Senior Director. But time has come to focus his efforts - and spend more time with his family - even if it means saying goodbye to the VELUX Group.

“I am quite happy with this decision and look forward to concentrate on being Chairman. It is a very exiting job and a great privilege to give money back to society. It is also a big responsibility, because the money comes from 19,000 people’s hard work, so we must try to get as much ‘bang for the philanthropical buck’ as possible,” says Jens Kann-Rasmussen.

Sustainability has long been a theme in Jens Kann-Rasmussen's professional life, from working with VELSUN products back when he was new in VELUX to engaging heavily in our current sustainability strategy in Products, and it will continue to be a focus in his future work.

“Sustainability is top of mind right now, not only in the company group and the foundations, but also in society in general. We need to change our behaviour, but it is an incredibly difficult task. So, it gives me great joy to grant money to projects which can help move us in the right direction.”

Though he will no longer be at VELUX HQ on a daily basis, Jens Kann-Rasmussen will be keeping an eye on the business:

“I hope to keep in touch with the Group, and if anyone would like to know more about the foundations and the work, we do, they are welcome to invite me for a team meeting. I look forward to following the various VELUX projects and the new strategy from my new chair, and I wish all the talented people working with these initiatives the best of luck. I feel quite confident that VELUX is in good hands.”