Climbing mountains and leading

I joined Maersk in 2019 as a management consultant in Copenhagen, working on strategic projects for APM Terminals that gave me deep insight into the business. In 2021, I moved to Nigeria to support APM Terminals Apapa – a 12-month assignment that turned into a three-year transformation journey across Apapa, Onne and Kano. After Nigeria, I moved to the Netherlands as Transformation Lead for the global Asset Management team and later joined the Labour Excellence team. 

Creating real impact for our people and the communities around our terminals. Every transformation or operational improvement we make ultimately affects lives – whether through safer working conditions, new skills and career opportunities, or enabling local businesses to grow. The human outcomes are what make the work meaningful to me.

Climbing Manaslu felt like a calling – one of those ideas you immediately know you have to pursue. I booked the expedition a year in advance, and began preparing physically, mentally and logistically.

But I wanted the climb to mean more than a personal challenge. My years in Nigeria had a profound impact on me, and I consider it one of my homes. The people and communities there inspired me deeply, so I decided to dedicate the climb to supporting education initiatives in Apapa, Onne and Kano. The goal is simple: to help children in these communities reach their own “summits” in life.

Knowing that each step on the mountain could make a difference gave the journey a deeper purpose.

I’ve always loved hiking, but in 2019 I decided to take that passion further and climb my first mountain — Mount Elbrus (5,642m). Those eight days gave me deep insight into myself, and when I returned, my first thought was: “What’s next?”

Since then, climbing has become a core part of my life. I’ve summited Mount Elbrus twice (5,642m), Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m), Mount Toubkal (4,167m), Mount Kazbegi (5,033m), Mount Damavand (5,671m), Mera Peak (6,476m), Everest Base Camp (5,364m), Kala Patthar (5,645m), Lobuche East (6,119m), and most recently Mount Manaslu (8,163m).

For me, climbing is about learning and reconnecting with myself. It’s about understanding my fears and biases — about me and the world. It’s an intense form of meditation, where the mind becomes completely clear and you can only be present. There is no past or future — your life depends on being fully in the moment. One step, one breath. Nothing else. Your body is exhausted and in pain, but you simply observe it.

With each climb, I face my fears and limitations without judgment. Every mountain becomes a mirror, showing me who I am and who I am not. It reveals hard truths — and the real challenge isn’t reaching the summit, but having the courage to face and accept those truths.

I want to quote Nirmal Purja (Nimsdai), the record-breaking mountaineer who transformed the climbing world after summiting all 14 of the world’s 8,000m peaks in just over six months. In the film 14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible, he says:

“When you are in the mountains, you find out who you really are. Any mistake I make, it could be death. And when it comes to that moment, you want to survive. You want to live. I climb so I can live every moment of my life. When the pain is really forcing you to go down… you keep going up. You have to ask yourself, do you really want this from your heart? Is it for self-glory? Or is it for something bigger? Sometimes the idea you come up with might seem impossible to the rest of the world, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to you.”

Both mountaineering and leadership require clarity of purpose, resilience and the ability to make decisions in uncertainty. On a mountain, conditions change quickly - you stay calm and keep moving. The same is true in business.

Both demand self-awareness and emotional endurance. In extreme conditions, you confront your own fears and limits. Leading people is similar: it’s not just about results, but managing energy, motivation and emotions - including your own.

In the end, progress in both climbing and leadership comes one step at a time, through preparation, discipline and shared purpose.