From trainee to CEO in about 25 years

On 13 December, our new CEO marks his 25th anniversary in Lars Larsen Group – although he actually began his JYSK career 26 years ago.

Numbers usually never lie. So how can it be that our new CEO, Rami Jensen, is celebrating his 25th anniversary in Lars Larsen Group after 26 years?

Some would say – with typical, Danish sarcasm – that it just takes some people 26 years to do 25 years’ worth of work. But the simple reality is that everyone forgot last year’s anniversary, including Rami himself.

In any case, GOJYSK.com wants to use the occasion to celebrate the impressive career of our new CEO, who took over the reins at JYSK on 1 September 2023.

One of the colleagues, who has worked with Rami from the very beginning as a trainee in the JYSK store in Esbjerg on the west coast of Denmark, is Bo V. Andersen, who is today Country Director for JYSK Denmark.

“I think Rami was my very first trainee as a Store Manager, and I could see his talent early on. He has also always been a fast learner,” says Bo.

After his apprenticeship, Rami steadily worked his way up to the top of JYSK to become CEO, including as a Store Manager, District Manager, and Country Director. He also spent 2018-2022 at ILVA, another Lars Larsen Group company, before returning to JYSK as Deputy President & CEO in 2022.

Passion for retail

As Country Director for Hungary from 2005-2009, Rami worked together with, among many others, Szilvia D. Nagy, who is now Finance Manager for JYSK in Austria, Greece and Hungary.

“Working with Rami was an extraordinary journey of growth and collaboration. Over the five years we spent together, we built up JYSK Hungary from the ground up while fostering a strong team spirit. Rami is a leader who genuinely cares about the team and values your opinions before making decisions. His passion for the retail industry is also contagious,” says Szilvia.

The finest career example

Another close colleague is Jan Bøgh, who preceded Rami as President & CEO at JYSK for more than 20 years.

“Rami’s career is one of the examples we highlight when we want to show how far you can go at JYSK. I would actually say that his is the finest example ever, because he started as a trainee and is now CEO. That is really impressive and deserves praise, whether it took him 25 or 26 years,” says Jan with a smile, who now works for Lars Larsen Group Retail, including as Chairman of the Board for JYSK.

Rami’s 26th anniversary was celebrated this morning in the Head Office in Denmark with breakfast together with the rest of the Executive Management Team at JYSK.