On October 9, Dan Laursen, Quality/EHS & Purchasing Manager at Faiveley Transport Nordic AB, will start EFL’s management program Leading IMPACT. He chose Leading IMPACT largely because of the business cases, impact teams and the ability to combine the program with work. We interviewed him about his expectations ahead of the 15-month program about to start.
Hello Dan. You’re starting Leading IMPACT on October 9! What made you choose Leading IMPACT?
Our CEO Johan Malm and I discussed my professional development and looked into many different management programs that would fit my profile, my development, and could be combined with my current position.
And why did you choose Leading IMPACT over other management programs at the same level?
The decisive factor that made us choose EFL was the structure EFL established with the ability to combine the program with my current position, a parallel business case from our business and in particular the feedback from an impact team at our workplace.
What do you look forward to developing most in the program?
Personally, I hope the program will help me improve on some of my weak sides and strengthen my strong sides, thus making me a better leader. It’ll also be really interesting to get input from the other participants on our business and how we can continue its positive development.
You work at Faiveley Transport Nordic AB. Please tell us about this company.
In Landskrona, the company was founded over 100 years ago and is now a part of Wabtec Corporation, a global system supplier to the rail industry listed on the Fortune 300. Its headquarters for the Nordic market is in Landskrona where we have a complete company with everything from engineering, development and full-scale production to aftermarket, component sales and maintenance. We are fortunate to work in a very green industry and continuously engage in efforts both internally and in collaboration with our customers to further improve our environmental footprint.
What does your role as Quality/EHS & Purchasing Manager entail?
I am responsible for our quality department (including sustainability and safety) and the strategic purchasing department while also representing these functions in our management team. A large part of my job is to develop the company’s culture in relation to our overall strategy and continuously develop efficient processes with a cross-functional approach by integrating people with various personalities, skills, cultures and backgrounds.
What qualities are important to succeed in your role?
Basically, I think communication is essential to how well my team and I perform. My role involves creating the right conditions for employees to perform well. Creating a structure, a clear strategy linked to a long-term vision. Given that my role is spread across multiple areas, I must maintain a high level of integrity in my leadership because quality and purchasing can frequently come in conflict with each other.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Personally, I thrive on going to a stimulating workplace and constantly developing. I think this is reflected in my leadership as well, given that I focus on developing both individuals and teams. To me, development involves coaching my employees based on their circumstances in order to achieve ongoing improvement and meet long-term goals.
Please tell us about your background
I’ve been employed with Faiveley Transport for almost exactly 8 years now. My journey with the company began with coordinating and developing our quality efforts in collaboration with our customers. Since then, my position has evolved into its current form. I previously came from sales and marketing with a degree from Lund University.
