Employee ambassador celebrates 35 years at JYSK

After 35 years at JYSK, and 15 of those years in top management, Mikael Nielsen’s focus remains on creating the best workplace for all employees in JYSK, regardless of whether they work in Struer, Denmark, or in Split, Croatia.

When Mikael Nielsen started as a Store Manager Trainee at JYSK in Denmark back in 1988, his first career goal was to become a District Manager. The journey there took him to Sweden, where he became Store Manager for the chain's first Swedish store, which opened in Malmö in 1991, so he could try his hand at managing a JYSK store.

However, he was only there for 3-4 months before he returned home to Denmark to achieve his goal of becoming District Manager for all JYSK stores in North Jutland.

"From then on, it just went from strength to strength," as Mikael says about the career journey from Store Manager Trainee to having been part of the top management at JYSK since 2008.

Today, he has climbed even further up the career ladder to top management and now holds the title of Executive Vice President Retail. On 1 February 2023, he will celebrate his 35th anniversary in JYSK.

"The fact that I have been at JYSK for 35 years is absolutely crazy when you think about it. When I started, I didn't think that far ahead at all. I got a job and we just got down to business. The first store I helped open was number 65 in Middelfart, Denmark, and today we have over 3,200 stores, so quite a bit has happened in those years," says Mikael.

The employees' ambassador

Naturally, a lot has happened in 35 years with JYSK, which has gone from a somewhat smaller company that started in Denmark to being "a top professional, international company", as Mikael puts it. Along with the changes, he has also developed his own role at JYSK over the years.

"From my own time in the stores, I know what reality looks like for our colleagues and our customers. I also still go out to visit stores in as many of our countries as possible. I use that knowledge today to be one of the people who challenge whether a new initiative or a new way of doing things makes sense for our employees. In that way, I am the man of the stores or the countries, the JYSK ambassador who can build a bridge between the stores and the Head Office in Denmark," he says.

Mikael has sometimes experienced that the distance can be long from the various countries to Brabrand in Denmark, where JYSK's international Head Office is located, when an employee in another country has an important message.

"But regardless of whether you work in Denmark, Spain or Bulgaria, everyone is equally important. The short distance between the Head Office and our countries is crucial for me, and I spend a lot of time and effort to ensure that," he says.

Employee development is also still a driving force for Mikael, and for him employee opportunities are about one thing in particular.

"It's all about having and showing the right attitude and taking advantage of opportunities," he says.

More balanced and nuanced

Also on the personal front, the 35 years have had an effect on Mikael’s way of being. Although he basically feels like the same person.

"35 years ago, I was incredibly young, probably only eight years old!" he exclaims and lets out a laugh before continuing: "Some would probably say that I have become more balanced and nuanced over time. That probably comes with age. Without indicating that I no longer have a pulse or have become tired, I handle stressful situations better today. I don't easily collapse in stormy weather, and I try to pass that calmness on to my colleagues. We have tried that most recently during the coronavirus crisis and with the war in Ukraine," he says.

Despite the many different roles and challenges, Mikael is still not done with JYSK. Almost the opposite.

"I still expect lots of success for JYSK in the future. We are driven to produce the best result, and I will stay until I am done, and fortunately you never are at JYSK," he says.

History lesson from 2019

When the first Swedish JYSK store was moved in 2019, Country Director for JYSK Sweden, Johan Sjödin, and Mikael Nielsen met at the old location to talk about the past. Watch the video from that meeting below: