Ca­m­illa Holm on Mor­al Com­pass and Fol­low­ship

Camilla Holm is the Chief Commercial Officer at PFA, where she oversees customer relations for both corporate clients and individual policyholders. As she explains, the world’s increasing volatility – from geopolitical shifts to economic uncertainty – directly affects how PFA operates and plans for the future. “We can no longer act as just a Danish company,” she reflects. “Global changes influence our work every day.” This reality has led PFA to adopt shorter strategic horizons and place greater emphasis on scenario planning, as it becomes harder to predict what lies ahead. For Camilla, this external uncertainty also highlights an internal challenge: leaders must help individuals navigate ambiguity while keeping optimism alive. “It’s even more important to be calm, to have the outlook, and to embrace the things that are happening,” she says. 

Camilla believes that optimism is not a naïve stance but a necessary leadership quality. She recalls a recent campaign at PFA that chose to focus on hope and confidence in the future, even though such positivity could be misunderstood. “We knew we could be criticised for being too happy-go-lucky,” she admits, “but it’s important to show our customers that there is a positive way forward.” For her, this approach is as much about leadership as it is about humanity. “As leaders, we have to show the way,” she says, “to remind people that it’s possible to be joyful and hopeful even in difficult times.” 

Underlying this optimism is what Camilla describes as the moral compass – the inner grounding that ensures leaders act in ways that genuinely reflect the organisation’s values. “You have to live the values of the company,” she emphasizes. For her, integrity and respect come before technical skills. A strong moral compass, she adds, forms “the base, the fundament of the DNA and the culture of the company.” This conviction shapes how she represents PFA publicly and within the organisation. In an age of social media and transparency, she believes communication must be both personal and authentic. 

She believes that letting one’s personality come through in communication helps colleagues connect and follow more naturally, even if it requires some vulnerability. “Before we are leaders, we are human beings,” she reminds us. 

One of the reflections that stayed with Camilla from the CBS Leadership Think Tank was the idea of followship – what makes people truly want to follow a leader. The discussion compared it to love, which deeply resonated with her. “It’s about passion and about wanting to be part of something bigger,” she recalls. “It’s that feeling of wanting to contribute to the team and the company’s plans for the future.” For Camilla, leadership is not only about guiding others but also about inspiring genuine connection and shared purpose. 

Her reflections embody the CBS Leadership Centre’s core values of human-centred, values-driven leadership. They remind us that in uncertain times, calm optimism, integrity, and emotional connection are not just personal traits – they are essential elements of sustainable, responsible leadership.