Jørgen Lindegaard
| Jørgen Lindegaard | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 October 1948 |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Education | Technical University of Denmark (engineering degree, 1975) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Employer | SAS Group; ISS A/S |
| Title | Chief executive officer |
| Known for | Chief executive of SAS Group, 2001 to 2006; chief executive of ISS A/S from 2006 |
Jørgen Lindegaard (born 7 October 1948) is a Danish businessman who has held several major posts in large Danish and Scandinavian companies. Lindegaard is best known for having served as chief executive of the SAS Group from May 2001 to late 2006, after a career of more than 25 years in telecommunications, and for becoming chief executive of ISS A/S, described in the sourcing as the world's largest facilities management company and Denmark's largest global employer, when he left SAS in 2006.
Early life and education
Lindegaard was born on 7 October 1948. He graduated with a master's degree in engineering from the Technical University of Denmark in 1975.
Career
Telecommunications, 1975 to 2001
On graduating, Lindegaard went to work for Philips Telekommunikation, a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips conglomerate, where he stayed until 1977. He then joined Fyns Telefon, at the time a regional unit of the Danish national telecommunications company TDC A/S that has since been wound up. Lindegaard remained at Fyns Telefon for 14 years, until 1991, when he moved to KTAS, the equivalent regional telecoms operator for the Copenhagen area. He stayed at KTAS for four years before joining GN Store Nord. After more than 25 years across the telecommunications industry, Lindegaard was headhunted to become chief executive of a major Scandinavian airline group.
Chief executive of SAS Group, 2001 to 2006
Lindegaard took over as chief executive of the SAS Group in May 2001 and oversaw a turbulent period for the group and for the international aviation industry as a whole. Within months of his appointment, Lindegaard had to deal with the aftermath of the 11 September attacks and, on 8 October 2001, the deadly crash of Scandinavian Airlines flight SK686 at Milan Linate Airport. Rising oil prices and a series of staff disputes over pay, staff cuts and working conditions further complicated the turnaround Lindegaard was trying to institute at the company, and by the time Lindegaard left, the group was still in severe financial difficulty.
Lindegaard announced his resignation at a press conference in Stockholm on 16 May 2006. He told reporters he was burnt out, saying: "It is possible to lose sight of the commercial side of the business when you're so highly focused on the costs, and now, somebody else has to take on the job. However, it is clear that further cost cuts are still needed, as well as commercial initiatives, at SAS." At the time Lindegaard announced his departure, the board had not yet named a successor. Gunnar Reitan served as interim chief executive from August to December 2006, before Mats Jansson took over the role.
Chief executive of ISS A/S, from 2006
Lindegaard left SAS in 2006 to become chief executive of ISS A/S. The sourcing describes ISS A/S as the world's largest facilities management company and as Denmark's largest global employer at that time. The material available does not indicate how long Lindegaard remained in the role or when, or whether, he left it.
Lindegaard led ISS from 2006 until 2010. Danish reference sources describe him as continuing to hold ownership and board positions in Danish business thereafter.
Assessment
Lindegaard's tenure at SAS is a mixed record by the available account. He took on the role after a long and, by the evidence available, successful career across several telecommunications companies, and he was thought experienced enough to be headhunted for one of Scandinavia's largest employers. But Lindegaard's time in the role coincided with some of the most difficult conditions the airline industry has faced, including the aftermath of the 11 September attacks and a fatal crash involving a Scandinavian Airlines flight in the first months of his leadership. Rising fuel costs and repeated labour disputes over pay and conditions further constrained his ability to turn the company around, and the group remained in severe financial difficulty when Lindegaard departed in 2006. Lindegaard's own public account of his resignation, in which he described himself as burnt out and acknowledged that further cost cuts and commercial initiatives were still needed there, is notably candid for a departing chief executive. He was named a Fellow of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences and was made a Knight First Class of the Order of the Dannebrog in 2006.