In the city: Keeping a work-life balance and high professional ambition is key

Having worked in the financial sector in both London and Copenhagen, Søren Kilsgaard tells us about the differences and similarities

Philip Tees

What is your current job and what was your path to get there?
I am currently the head of fixed income at Nordea Asset Management. In terms of education, I attended Copenhagen Business School. I took a general banking education followed by a business diploma in finance. I did my traineeship at Unibank (now part of Nordea) from 1998 to 2000. After that I worked as an analyst in Nordea’s credit risk department until 2001. Until 2004, I was a trader in credit trading at Nordea. From 2004 to 2007, I worked as a trader in credit trading at Barclays Capital in the City of London. On my return to Denmark, I worked for Nordea again as the head of credit trading from 2007 to 2011, then as the head of credit investments from 2011, until taking up my current position in
2015.

What made you decide to work in London?
I was attracted by the pace, the career opportunities and the steep learning curve. I returned to Denmark because London is not a place to have kids the Scandinavian way.

How does working in the banking sector in London compare with working in Copenhagen?
London used to be way ahead in terms of people, systems, instruments, salary and so on. Now this is less so. Copenhagen offers a better work-life balance, but with more international colleagues the pace has come up here as well. Therefore talent is spread more equally now.

Are there any aspects of the working culture in London you think could benefit the Danish banking sector?
London is the centre for finance, so many ideas are born and creativity strives. The talent pool is still larger in absolute numbers, so competition is fierce and therefore the winning mentality is high. I think striking the balance between life outside work and high professional ambition is the winning formula for a company and for the individuals working in it.

In your experience is it common for expat professionals to come to Denmark to work in banking? If not, would it be a good thing if more came?
Yes, it is common and it has become more and more so for the reasons I have mentioned above. I think it would be good if more came, as long as life outside work and professional ambition is balanced. I am not in favour of setting up a replica of the London system in
Copenhagen.

TOP STORIES

  • Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    Diplomatic tensions between US and Denmark after spying rumors

    A Wall Street Journal article describes that the US will now begin spying in Greenland. This worries the Danish foreign minister, who wants an explanation from the US’s leading diplomat. Greenlandic politicians think that Trump’s actions increase the sense of insecurity

  • Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    Diplomacy meets Westeros: a dinner with the King, Queen – and Jaime Lannister

    What do King Frederik X, Queen Mary, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and Jaime Lannister have in common? No, this isn’t the start of a very specific Shakespeare-meets-HBO fanfiction — it was just Wednesday night in Denmark

  • Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    Huge boost to halt dropouts from vocational education

    For many years, most young people in Denmark have preferred upper secondary school (Gymnasium). Approximately 20 percent of a year group chooses a vocational education. Four out of 10 young people drop out of a vocational education. A bunch of millions aims to change that

  • Beloved culture house saved from closure

    Beloved culture house saved from closure

    At the beginning of April, it was reported that Kapelvej 44, a popular community house situated in Nørrebro, was at risk of closing due to a loss of municipality funding

  • Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    Mette Frederiksen: “If you harm the country that is hosting you, you shouldn’t be here at all”

    With reforms to tighten the rules for foreigners in Denmark without legal residency, and the approval of a reception package for internationals working in the care sector, internationals have been under the spotlight this week. Mette Frederiksen spoke about both reforms yesterday.

  • Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Tolerated, but barely: inside Denmark’s departure centers

    Currently, around 170 people live on “tolerated stay” in Denmark, a status for people who cannot be deported but are denied residency and basic rights. As SOS Racisme draws a concerning picture of their living conditions in departure centers, such as Kærshovedgård, they also suggest it might be time for Denmark to reinvent its policies on deportation

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs