Interview with Hempel’s Henrik Andersen

Henrik Andersen was named CEO of Denmark-based Hempel, one of the world’s leading coatings suppliers, in March 2016. Andersen succeeded Pierre-Yves Jullien. Before joining Hempel in 2016, Henrik was Group Chief Operating Officer for ISS, one of the world’s largest facility service providers with more than half a million employees. Henrik joined ISS in 2000 and held various management positions, including seven years at ISS UK, first as Chief Financial Officer and then as Chief Executive Officer.

Andersen considered himself an “outsider” to the paint and coatings industry, but has used his leadership skills and vision to continue to steer Hempel in the right direction.

“One of the most important things to do is to invest in new technologies,” Andersen said. “Great brands don’t stand still.”

Currently Hempel has around 6,000 employees located in over 80 countries and 15 R&D centers across the globe.  

“We are guardians of our customers’ most valuable assets,” said Andersen. “Helping them to protect, inspire and improve the efficiency of what they do through advanced coating solutions. From power plants to private homes, we are there every step of the way to advise, support and provide the products that our customers depend on. It’s why we exist and why we’re the partner of choice for customers in over 80 countries worldwide.”

Commitment to Society
Hempel is not just committed to its customers and to growing its business with technological innovations, but is also committed to society.
“As a global company, our responsibilities stretch beyond business,” said Andersen. “Through our owner, the Hempel Foundation, we support the education of children in need so they can build a better future for themselves, their families and society.”

The Hempel Foundation currently operates 22 educational projects spanning 18 countries, helping more than 55,000 underprivileged children receive a better education.

“At Hempel, we take care of our employees and we also give them the opportunity to join annual volunteering trips to support one of these projects,“ said Andersen. “The Hempel Foundation, through a long-term partnership with the Technical University of Denmark, also helps drive research into, and raise awareness of, environmental sustainable technologies for the coating industry.”
Andersen also spoke of Hempel’s “Journey to Excellence” strategy.

“Hempel is growing steadily in a competitive market and Journey to Excellence is Hempel’s platform for further consolidation,” said Andersen. “Journey to Excellence 2015-2020 strategy has three overarching goals. Together, these will ensure that we continue to grow faster than the market by being customer-centric and increase profitability by improving operational excellence.”
The first goal is become less product focused and more customer focused.  “We must put the customer at the heart of everything we do,” Andersen noted. “We will increase our customer focus to ensure that we are better placed to meet the changing needs of customers around the globe, both today and in the future.”

The other two goals are to deliver sustainable organic growth and create operational excellence.

Andersen said that Hempel will target organic growth above the market, particularly within its core segments, Protective, Marine and Decorative. “These segments show good growth potential and are the business areas where we are strongest in terms of internal capabilities, geographical reach, customer relationships and technology,” he added. “However, we will consider acquisitions if we believe they will complement our business and create value for our customers.”

To meet the goal of operational excellence all of Hempel’s business support functions will focus on increasing productivity, while also improving efficiency in working processes. “These combined efforts will drive business growth, lift our profitability levels and ensure we achieve greater payback from our investments, all which will ultimately benefit our customers around the world,” 

Henrik Andersen, CEO of Hempel