Rasmus, CEO at DSHwood A/S

What do you do?

DSHwood is wholly-owned by the Danish Forest Association. As a company that belongs to forest owners, we have a professional focus on securing long-term sales conditions for forestry products at competitive prices. We have purchasing offices in Denmark, Germany, France and Scotland, and sales offices in India, China and Vietnam. We employ around 50 staff and trade over 1 million m3 of wood annually all over the world.

Throughout my career, I have always had an interest in strategy and management. I have therefore specifically sought to improve my skills in this area – through my studies, and through my jobs, from when I was student up to my current job at DSHwood.

This combination of trade, international focus and practical forestry has led me to my current position.

I have also always been aware that the global economy drives the timber market. I have therefore always looked outside Denmark, to understand the context. This has given me market insight, but also a broad understanding of other cultures.

Throughout my career, I have focused on the commercial angle in forestry and have always sought to create the best possible economics for forest owners, for example through the sale of forest products. This combination of trade, international focus and practical forestry has led me to my current position.

I have always been interested in working with people. In my youth, I worked as a football coach, and in my earliest jobs I was always interested in gathering the team and taking responsibility. It was therefore natural for me to apply to do the reserve officer degree programme in Danish Defence. It was a great course, and I was certain afterwards that I would work with both strategy and management in the future.

Following my years with Danish Defence, I spent a year in the USA organising outdoor recreation courses for young people. My focus on strategy, outdoor life in Danish Defence and in the USA, and a general interest in nature, inspired me to study forestry. In the early 2000s, not many people believed in a future for practical forestry in Denmark. We were just a few passionate individuals who did. The entire bachelor programme was interesting, but I felt I lacked a connection to the forestry sector. I achieved this in part through my student job at the Danish Forest Association. However, I quickly realised that it would be a big advantage to gather inspiration outside Denmark.

I therefore decided to do my master’s degree at Göttingen University in Germany. It was a huge change to come to a country and university where the forestry sector was important and was given a strong focus in national policy. My time in Germany confirmed for me that I wanted to work in practical forestry. But I also became aware of the poor economics in forestry. I therefore sought a better understanding of the international market.

Because of the programme structure at the time, I had to write my thesis in Denmark. While I was doing my Graduate Diploma in Business Administration at CBS, I started writing my master’s thesis on ‘An analysis of the European wood pellet market’, written for Energi2, which was part of Ørsted at the time. I had always planned to get involved in practical Danish forestry, to learn the ‘trade’ of forestry management and wood. I got the chance when I started working as a forester in central Jutland at Hedeselskabet.

After taking part in the internal career development programme, I was offered a position as head of the landscape planting department. Later, the opportunity arose to become a forester for the Danish Forest Owner Cooperatives (Skovdyrkerne) in north-east Jutland. After five years in this position, I was offered the job of Jägmästere at Koberg Godsförvaltning in Sweden. In 2017, I moved back to Denmark and started as CEO at DSHwood.

The MSc in Forest and Nature Management degree is a very broad natural science programme. As a manager, I can therefore interact with the vast majority of fields in the company, even though I am not a specialist. If you want to work in management, it is difficult to specifically educate yourself for this role. 

I have really enjoyed taking and seeking responsibility in all my jobs, and constantly supplementing my education and working life with the areas where I needed to improve.

Most competences are acquired through experience and constantly challenging yourself in areas where you are weak. Nobody is perfect, but the earlier you start working with management, the quicker you become a better leader. If you also have a passion for a given field, you can always combine the two. Management is needed in every field.

I have really enjoyed taking and seeking responsibility in all my jobs, and constantly supplementing my education and working life with the areas where I needed to improve. In my case – the combination of nature, wood and forestry, and economics, trade and management.

Most people focus on what they are good at. There is also nothing better than living out your passion, and this has to be what drives your entire education. But nobody is perfect. We therefore all have competences that we can still develop.

Most people focus on what they are good at. There is also nothing better than living out your passion, and this has to be what drives your entire education. But nobody is perfect.

My advice is to dare to challenge these competences, while knowing that it is difficult to achieve good results in areas where you are weak. This is precisely the point of education. To improve and develop as a human being.

Whether it is meeting new people, doing a presentation in front of a large audience, or specific fields where you are weak, this is really where you learn and develop as a person. And who knows – perhaps it will even be exciting.

Apply and read more about the international MSc degree Forest and Nature Management.