Name: Jesper Johansen
Job title: Director, people & organisation – Europe
Company name: Novozymes (bioindustrial products supplier)
Sales: £991m
HQ: Bagsværd, Denmark
Number of employees: 5,000+


What's it like to work for your company? Challenging. In all parts of our organisation we challenge conventions in the way we work in R&D, sales and marketing, production and staff functions.

Why is it a good employer? Trust is a key word. In our organisation, trust is something you are met with, not something that you first have to earn.

What's the best thing about working there? Working with influential colleagues at all levels. We encourage leadership to be embraced by everyone, and influence is something you receive and look to impart from day one.

Does the company offer any unusual benefits? Bicycle helmets! We want to support a healthy lifestyle for staff who want it, but we also offer more traditional benefits such as stocks and shares options for all employees.

How does the company differ from its rivals? At Novozymes we not only have a financial goal, we have an ambition to deliver radical innovation to our customers, drive the world towards sustainability and make it great to be a "Zymer" that's what we call our employees.

Is there a definable culture? Yes, anchored in our values, brand, leadership competencies and employer brand.

If the company were a car what would it be and why? A Volvo Flexifuel running on 85% bioethanol, which lowers CO2 emissions.

What's the training like? Innovation is a key word in the company. We depend on our staff continuously developing skills and competencies. We help by providing training, courses and seminars within the different functions. We also support employees who wish to shift between the different company functions.

What's your proudest achievement recently? In February we reached our goal of developing an enzyme solution enabling the biofuel industry to produce biofuel based on agricultural waste at a price on par with gasoline.

What is the most important HR issue? Last year our employee satisfaction increased by 10% globally. We are working on keeping that level, which is very high.

Are you looking for any people? We are always looking for good people around the world so my best recommendation is to set up a job agent on our website so you get noticed, when there are new postings in your field of expertise.

How does one go about applying for a job? Visit www.novozymes.com. The careers section is very good

What tips would you offer jobseekers? Make sure your CV is up to date and black holes are explained.

Is the company working on anything exciting? Yes, we have developed enzymes enabling brewers to produce beer based on 100%-un-malted barley. It's a great-tasting beer that also saves on CO2 emissions.

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