Elsass Foundation hires new CEO
Peter Lindegaard bids farewell as CEO of the Elsass Foundation. His successor is Jacob Hübertz
After nearly 10 years in the role, the CEO of the Elsass Foundation has decided to retire. Lindegaard, who has just turned 69, had originally planned to stay until he turned 70, but as he says with a smile:
"I'd rather leave before people start saying, 'Isn't he leaving soon?'"
Lindegaard joined the Elsass Foundation in 2014 following an interview with chairman Nick Elsass and vice-chair Kirsten Smedegaard Andersen, which had a rather unusual beginning. When he arrived, Lindegaard announced that he was not actually looking for a job, but after reading the job posting he found the position intriguing and wanted to learn more.
Both the chairman and the vice-chair knew they had to try to persuade Lindegaard to apply for the job. He had the right education with a degree in economics and the necessary managerial experience as the former CEO of the newspaper Berlingske Tidende, as well as international experience from his years as CEO of Falck in Sweden. And he also seemed like someone with a good heart, Elsass recounts.
Peter Lindegaard has been CEO of the Elsass Foundation since 2013, marking his 10-year anniversary. PHOTO: Ricky John Molloy
Doubled assets
It would later turn out that he was also good at making the right investments for the Foundation. Since Elsass and Andersen convinced him to take the job after the second interview, the Foundation's assets have doubled.
"Peter Lindegaard has gone above and beyond in fulfilling the role. I can confidently say that more has happened in the past 10 years with him as CEO than in the first 40 years of the Foundation's existence," says Elsass.
He also highlights their strong collaboration:
"We've shared a mutual understanding of expectations and a good distribution of tasks.
We have always agreed on our destination, but we could discuss which route to take. We complemented each other really well. It has been a great pleasure all the way through."
Lindegaard is at peace with the decision and proud of what the organization has achieved over the past decade.
"It has been a great joy and fun to be involved in expanding the Foundation so much. Especially last year's launch of our new unit in Kolding will stand as an important milestone for me in my history with the Foundation," says the soon-to-be former CEO.
Meets all the criteria
He is also looking forward to working with the new CEO Jacob Hübertz, who officially takes on the role on May 1st, 2024.
"Jacob fulfills all the requirements we were looking for: Someone with a good heart, a skilled and experienced fund manager, who is also an empathetic and visionary leader with many years of management experience. He has all of these qualities."
Hübertz comes with plenty of management expertise - most recently from the Danish Growth Fund, where he was CFO. PHOTO: Robin Skjoldborg
Hübertz is already familiar with the world of foundations, as he comes from a position as CFO at The Danish Growth Fund (Vækstfonden). He has also previously managed assets at TDC and the pension company P+.
“Through my experience at the Danish Growth Fund, I realized what a powerful source of energy it is to make a difference. In the Growth Fund, we helped to realize the potential in companies. In the Elsass Foundation, we’ll help realize the potential in people with Cerebral Palsy. That is an even more powerful purpose, and I’m looking forward to working together with my future colleagues to make it happen," says Hübertz.
The new CEO’s first day at the Foundation is April 2nd, where he will have a month's overlap with Lindegaard to ensure a smooth handover before Lindegaard retires.