Strategy at Topsoe

The vision of Haldor Topsoe is titled : “To be recognized as the global leader in carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024”. During the fall of 2020, Haldor Topsoe began working towards realizing their strategy, which includes a number of ambitious targets that demand a reduction in their costs as well as the radical innovation of new products and processes.

What is the main challenge in your strategy realization?

It takes a massive amount of translation work. In top management, we have spent three months formulating the strategy, and to us it is lucid, but it takes time for people to embrace it and develop the same level of passion and understanding as us. It is tough work to realize, and it takes repetition, systematicity, structure, and discipline. But actually, our communication is received rather positively.‍

How do you understand the term "strategy"?

I understand it as the act of taking three steps back from the daily operations to get a long-term perspective on things. When doing strategic work, you have to be able to detach yourself from what is possible right now and dare to think big. Apart from having a clear ambition and a well-defined time frame, a strategy should be able to talk to people’s passions and hearts. We create the narrative of where we must go and why, while our employees are better at defining exactly how to get there.