Flem­ming Jensen on Mod­ern Lead­er­ship

Flemming Jensen is the CEO of DSB, Denmark’s national railway company. Though state-owned, DSB operates as a publicly listed enterprise – a structure that, as Flemming explains, creates a unique leadership environment. “We have more bottom lines than most companies,” he says. “It’s not only about economic results but also about navigating political expectations and public responsibility.” For him, leadership today requires balancing these multiple demands in a world that is faster, more transparent, and more complex than ever before. Technologies such as AI are accelerating change, while society’s expectations of accountability and openness continue to grow. “You must live your values,” he emphasises. “Be open, transparent, and willing to let others look into how you run your company.” 

At the heart of DSB’s leadership culture is collaboration – both across internal functions and with external partners. The company’s operations range from IT development to large-scale logistics and daily maintenance, demanding that diverse teams work together efficiently. DSB’s functional structure makes sense for its day-to-day operations, Flemming explains, but an increasing share of the company’s work now unfolds through projects that rely on close collaboration across organisational boundaries. This shift, he believes, requires leadership teams that not only work well internally but also in a cross-functional way. Cohesion, shared tools, and a common purpose are key to achieving results. “Leadership development and alignment across teams are absolutely essential,” he says. “It ensures that we create one organisation, not many small ones.” 

Diversity and inclusion are also central to DSB’s long-term success. Serving the entire Danish population, the company aims to reflect the society it represents. “We want to mirror Danish society,” Flemming notes. “That means being diverse in gender, background, and perspective.” While DSB has measurable targets for diversity, Flemming stresses that genuine inclusion goes beyond numbers and reporting; it requires understanding the value that different perspectives bring to the organisation. “If we don’t embrace the full range of competence out there, we lose opportunities.” The same mindset drives DSB’s growing network of external partnerships, which he sees as increasingly vital to delivering complex services in a fast-changing environment. 

For Flemming, leadership is ultimately about purpose. Employees, especially younger generations, are more selective about where they work and expect meaningful reasons behind corporate strategy. “We see employees asking about purpose,” he says. “It’s about translating strategy into something relevant for the people out there.” Communication is central to this translation, though not in the traditional sense of more messages or memos. As Flemming puts it, communication is expressed through behaviour – through how the organisation acts and how it is perceived by the wider community. With social media and real-time news shaping public expectations, leaders must be alert and forward-looking. “The speed of communication has increased enormously,” he observes. “You have to understand what could hit you in one, two, or three weeks.” 

Looking ahead, Flemming argues that leadership cannot be reduced to performance metrics alone. “We can’t just run on hard KPIs,” he says. “That’s too narrow.” Effective leadership, in his view, means uniting performance with purpose, transparency, and humanity. His reflections capture a broader truth about modern leadership – one that the CBS Leadership Centre seeks to explore: the ability to guide complex organisations through rapid change while remaining grounded in integrity and collective purpose.