I was born and raised in Schleswig, in the most northern Federal German state of the same name. This part of Germany belonged to Denmark
until the War of 1864. My family was of Danish descent and member of the Danish minority, thus I learned both German and Danish culture
and language from early childhood. I moved to live in Denmark at the age of 15, where I attended college and in 1981 I graduated from
the Danish Technical University with a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. I was also granted Danish citizenship in 1981.
I started my professional carrier developing mobile radiotelephones, first for ship-born communication and then land-based. Some of
the units I designed for the Danish Government have been decommissioned as late as 2009.
In 1987 I was headhunted for the position
of Manager for Communication Products at Raytheon Marine Sales & Service Company.
During my 6 years at Raytheon, three of which
I lived in the UK, I attended the meetings of the IMO subcommittee on Radio Communication as an expert in radio communication. Most
of the work of the IMO subcommittee during this period was dedicated to write the regulations for the implementation of a new distress
and safety system for ships at sea, called GMDSS. During this time, due to personal relations with several delegations, I was invited
to sit as a personal member on the ETSI committee responsible for writing the Regulations for Safety Radio communication systems for
the European countries. During this time the committee finalized several Regulations pertaining to the GMDSS system.
Since the actual
product development was done by a Japanese partner, JRC, I spent several weeks each year in Japan, making sure that the new requirements
and regulations were included in the latest development of radio equipment.
I went back to Denmark in 1993, to a more hands-on position
as a Project Leader in a small company, where I developed measuring and control systems.
In 1998 I joined Grundfos as Project Manager
for control systems for Waste Water Pumps. Most recent development has been a wastewater pump with built-in controller and sensors.
December 2011 I joined Develco A/S As a HW Design Engineer.
During the past 15 years I have become more involved in the running of
The Danish Society of Engineers, called IDA. At first I became a member of the local Group, where I have served as chairman for 7
years. Later I became a member of the Private Sector Union council (VGA) where I served as chairman for 5 years. 2010 VGA was transformed
into IDA-Privat, and represents all privately employed Engineers the number is in excess of 32.000. I served as a Council-member
of IDA-Privat for 6 years. I also engaged myself in the Political System of IDA where I hold a position in the Council of Representatives.
When not working or attending committee meetings, I enjoy my home in the beautiful countryside close to Silkeborg. I have hills and
lakes and a lot of forest just on my doorstep. My hobbies, apart from keeping the house and garden in order, are photography and amateur
radio, where I hold a category A license, call sign OZ1DNY.
Biography