Jens-Christian Møller, Co-owner, Co-founder and President of the global company Eryk, celebrates his 60th birthday on 20th September.
Jens-Christian has never been known for leaping over the hedge where it was the lowest. He is incapable of doing things half-heartedly and constantly looks for opportunities in challenging terrain. Whether in business or in private life, his focus is the same: DEVELOPMENT. His CV contains many paths of education: BA, engineering, diploma degree and MBA in technology – all of which have provided him with a solid foundation and market understanding for his impressive and inspirational journey that transformed him from a local entrepreneur into global businessman who travels the world to be inspired by other cultures and explores new business opportunities.
Throughout his long career, “technology” has been a continuous theme appearing throughout his business life and therefore it is not surprising that it is the Industry & Automation sector where Jens-Christian has thrived over decades of hard work and willpower. In the late 90s/early 2000s he was responsible for establishing a new production plant in Poland for a Danish company; he was among the very first Danes to establish a company in Western Pomerania, the area where today you can find a strong cluster of Danish companies. Moreover, the company that he established in Poland today employs thousands of employees.
In 2004, Jens-Christian and his wife Lucja Kalkstein (Vice-President today) founded the Eryk company, under the name BIC Electric, based in Denmark and Poland. Since then, Eryk has grown significantly from purely offering installation services to the construction industry in Denmark, to today offering technical installation services across borders with employees from Denmark, Poland, Great Britain, Romania, Ukraine and now also Africa. This last source of workforce is the fruit of Eryk’s international apprenticeship program, with two main goals. On the one hand, it contributes to the technological development and keeps the wheels turning, especially in Europe, where there is a shortage of labour in many industries. On the other, the program also contributes to building a better future for West Africa, a continent characterized by corruption, poverty and limited education and career opportunities for the young population.
For his years of support for the Danish export industry and for his efforts in promoting Danish values and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values abroad, in 2018 Jens-Christian was awarded Danish Export Association’s Diploma and H.R.H. Prince Henrik’s Medal of Honour. Ole Egberg Mikkelsen, Danish Ambassador in Poland, on the day of award reception said the following: “based on ingenuity, hard work and an international outlook – thus, you inscribe yourself in a strong entrepreneurial tradition – the spirit of Jutland“. Maj Winther Møller, CSO at Eryk and 2nd generation of the family business, believes that the recipe for success is her father’s constant focus on win-win solutions, where both parties – the customer and the service provider – can optimize costs and improve competitiveness, despite the extremely dynamic market, also under the additional stress of the pandemic and the war in Europe, resulting in supply-chain challenges and raging inflation.
Today, Eryk is a global company with more than 200 employees who last year performed almost 300 installation tasks in more than 20 different countries. The company is expected to expand even further during the next decade, hopefully with a new service hub in Africa. Even though for Jens-Christian only sky is the limit for his visionary mindset, he still manages to keep both feet planted on the ground, not forgetting his integrity, and ensuring that he also gives something back by providing financial support to humanitarian aid organizations that provide important and necessary support and help in the world’s hotspots. The increased protectionism, especially in times of crisis, makes it harder and harder to move freely across borders. Countries close in on themselves in fear of what the future holds, which is the exact opposite of what Jens-Christian prioritizes, says Lucja Kalkstein, his business and life partner. Paradoxically, the Russian aggression in Ukraine is strengthening and consolidating EU and making cross-border activities more important than before.
Jens-Christian turns 60 but by no means has he said his last word. He has now embarked on another big journey – the African Vision. “As a company, we are actually in the same situation as 25 years ago. At that time, we could not find enough Danish electricians who wanted to be traveling technicians, and we therefore chose to open a branch in Poland and employ Polish electricians. Now there is also a shortage of labour in Poland and in other large parts of Europe, so we are therefore looking for support further away. And here, Africa has a lot to offer” he explains. On 20th October, together with the Danish Consulate General in Lagos, Eryk will host a conference on the potential of West Africa. Here, Eryk will share their experiences. Read more and register here.
Jens-Christian has built up an impressive career, not only improving hundreds of people’s opportunities for a better life, but also proving that nothing is impossible for those who carry the will in their heart and work hard for their visions – perhaps a bit of a cliché. Deep inside Jens-Christian, there probably still sits the slightly insecure, dyslexic North Jutland boy who never feels quite good enough, despite his great career proving the opposite. This is perhaps also the key to his success – a constant focus on development, also, and especially self-development. Huge congratulations to Jens-Christian Møller on all his achievements and 60th birthday!
