At that time he joined Fyns Telefon, a now defunct regional unit of the Danish national telecoms company TDC A/S.
After more than 25 years in the telecoms industry he was headhunted to become the CEO of SAS, where he oversaw a turbulent time in the international aviation industry including 9/11 and the deadly crash at Milan Linate of Scandinavian Airlines flight SK686 on 8 October 2001.
At the same time, rising oil prices[1] and several staff disputes[2] over pay, staff cuts[3] and working conditions hampered his ability to institute the necessary turn-around at SAS.
At the press conference in Stockholm announcing his resignation from SAS on 16 May 2006 he publicly admitted that he was burnt out and said: "It is possible to lose sight of the commercial side of the business when you're so highly focused on the costs, and now, somebody else has to take on the job.
However, it is clear that further cost cuts are still needed, as well as commercial initiatives, at SAS".