TRIMIT Anniversary

In 2016, Jesper Madsen accepted the challenge of starting TRIMIT in Norway. From his kitchen table in Sandefjord, he began building a company – almost – from scratch. Ten years later, TRIMIT Norway has 20 employees and growing success.

Before joining TRIMIT, Jesper had more than 15 years of experience in IT, working with ERP systems and industry solutions. He had lived and worked in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

He already had a permanent management role when TRIMIT approached him, but the opportunity struck a personal chord:

“Something else entirely was whether I wanted to see whether I could manage on my own, start a company from scratch, and find customers and employees myself. It was an opportunity I just couldn’t say no to,” says Jesper.

It also offered the chance to be independent while being part of something bigger, with expertise and financing behind him.

There was no manual to follow. TRIMIT had never started up abroad before, but colleagues lined up to help, with some travelling to Norway to take part in projects.

“You felt all the way through that this was something TRIMIT wanted, and that the employees at TRIMIT wanted too,” he says.

From day one, Jesper focused on sales, demos and reconnecting with the three Norwegian companies that already used TRIMIT through another partner. Today, Merida and Stormberg are among the customers still on board. TRIMIT Norway was also fortunate to begin working with Floyd right at the start, and they have been part of the journey ever since.

With Danish resources to draw on, Jesper began building a Norwegian team. One principle stood firm: growth would be organic, brick by brick.

“What we wanted to create was a workplace where there was room for everyone, and where there was a good working environment. That was number one,” he says.

A Leader Who Leads

Asked what his colleagues would say about him as a leader, Jesper doesn't hesitate:

“I think they'd say that I'm the leader who leads. That means there's a lot of freedom here. People know what tasks they have, and they get a lot of freedom to solve them. And I'm always ready to help.”

He values an open leadership style, where colleagues can bring their own ideas and develop – even when it means doing things differently than he originally imagined.

From Wearing Every Hat to a Strategic Helicopter View

In the early years, Jesper wore every hat: salesperson, project manager, customer contact, HR – and whatever else needed doing.

With 20 employees, his role has changed:

“Now we've reached a completely different position, where I get to work more strategically with things. That's exactly what I prefer to do.”

What makes him most proud is the company they have built together, especially the inclusive working environment with its many different personalities and nationalities.

Four Danes Who Became Norwegian

Jesper is one of four Danes who moved to Norway together, originally for just two years:

“We felt it was such a lovely everyday life that we became Norwegian.”

Today, he lives there with his wife, Pia, and has two grown-up daughters.

“They've been part of the whole journey, and they have supported me all along. I like to say that they are ‘TRIMIT-ified’. I have their full support, and that means the world to me,” he says.

From Football Pitches to Wine Regions

Outside work and family, Jesper enjoys sport, hunting and wine. He plays company football, goes hunting with colleagues and combines travel with visits to wine regions.

Company football includes a full season in the first division of the Norwegian company football league. Two local prisons also field teams, making for an unusual away match:

“The other prison, they're not allowed to leave, so that's the only away match we play. We simply play it inside the prison,” says Jesper.

Every year, the team sails to an island in the Oslo fjord for the match.

“We get a lot of praise from the prison staff for showing up. It's their break from everyday life, after all.”

Jesper has also served on the boards of Global Sandefjord and the local handball club. Today, he chairs the boards of Norges ME Foreningen region Vestfold, a patient association, and Rubyelise AS, his family's flower shop in Sandefjord.

The Next 10 Years

“I hope to get the chance to continue in the role I'm in now, but to develop further within it. And I hope to get to work more with leadership and strategy.”

Congratulations on your 10-year anniversary, Jesper, and a massive thank you for everything you have done – and continue to do – for TRIMIT.