Beierholm in Aalborg
Interview with Søren V. Pedersen, CEO - Beierholm
With almost 100 years in Aalborg, the accounting and advisory firm Beierholm can truly be called an Aalborg company. CEO Søren V. Pedersen hasn’t been there quite that long, but with just over 30 years in the firm, he knows what it means to be part of a national company that nevertheless insists on keeping its headquarters in Aalborg - despite having 40 offices across Denmark.
Beierholm works with auditing and accounting, but also outsourcing and advisory services, with a focus on the SME segment. Søren himself started at Beierholm as a trainee in 1993, then qualified as a state-authorized public accountant, became a partner in 2005, and in 2019 was appointed CEO.
Beierholm was founded in Aalborg - and will remain in Aalborg, if the CEO has his way. There are several reasons for this.
- “In many ways, Aalborg is a good national location because of the airport, and we also see great value in the many educational institutions. That includes Aalborg University, the business college, and UCN, from which we can attract talent.”
Beyond the educational opportunities, Søren also finds that Aalborg Municipality is easy to access, with many opportunities for businesses.
- “I’m part of the G20 network, which I see as a great way to bring together Aalborg’s larger companies. It’s a place to learn what’s happening in the city and to provide input for improvements as a business leader.”
Closeness and relationships
With nearly a century of history, Beierholm has also spent time becoming a great workplace - one where people want to come to work. That hard work has paid off, with the company ranking in the top five of Great Place to Work in Denmark for 13 consecutive years.
- “We have a vision of being the best at people. For us, it’s essential that what we say fully matches what we do and what our employees and clients experience. It’s about ensuring both employee satisfaction and client satisfaction."
- "I believe we stand out from some of our bigger competitors because we are very close to our clients, often acting as their closest sparring partner. That means we need to be sharp on our relational values.”
To ensure a healthy work environment, Beierholm regularly conducts employee well-being surveys and is willing to make changes when employees point out areas for improvement, according to the CEO.
Independence and hard work
Even though Beierholm is a streamlined company with shared values nationwide, the CEO still sees some regional differences.
- “In Aalborg, we don’t have many large publicly listed companies, nor do we have many subsidiaries of foreign firms. That means the businesses here are often those that have had to make it on their own. Many are either based on knowledge from the university or are owner-managed companies operating within their own niches and specialties. Advising and sparring with these companies is different compared to Aarhus or Copenhagen.”
The abundance of SMEs in Aalborg and North Denmark and the work ethic in the region is something Beierholm sees as a major strength.
- “We have a long history in Aalborg, and with about 300 employees here, we have a significant presence in the local business community. That also means we have easy access to the business structure here in Aalborg.”
For Beierholm, the main focus is national rather than international.
- “Of course, we have international partners, but we are far more focused on the local and the nearby. That aligns well with the business community here in Aalborg, where many companies are used to working hard and independently - without being handed opportunities by large international corporations.”
- “We want to continue our growth in Denmark by serving even more SMEs, ideally by opening more offices in cities where we’re not yet represented. SMEs have different needs for advice and sparring than large multinational companies.”
From industrial city to education city
So how do you avoid getting stuck in old habits when a company has been around for nearly a century?
- “As a new initiative, we’ve set up a youth panel to provide fresh input to the executive management from a generation that is not yet strongly represented in our leadership.
One comment from a young colleague on the panel was that we had a bit of a Jutlandic approach to things - we don’t feel the need to boast too much, and if we do, it has to be well-founded. That’s probably quite accurate for us.”
The youth panel is made up of young employees from across the country who can continuously bring new ideas and perspectives.
Accessibility - in more ways than one
According to Søren V. Pedersen, there are several reasons why Beierholm continues to see potential in having its headquarters in Aalborg.
Beierholm's new office premises in Aalborg – a historic building that previously housed Nordjyske (North Danish Media House) with a large newspaper printing facility.
- “I see a strong focus on education here in Aalborg, and Aalborg Airport remains important for the infrastructure because it’s easy to get here.”
Although Beierholm primarily focuses on national companies, they also recognize the importance of the international dimension.
- “We also need to have international companies in Aalborg, and that requires good international school options in the city. This is and will remain important for the development of Aalborg and North Denmark.”
Development is something Beierholm knows well. In summer 2024, they moved into Nordjyske’s former offices on Langagervej - a task that wasn’t easy.
- “It was a big job to find new premises because it can be challenging to find centrally located business plots and offices in Aalborg. Fortunately, we succeeded, and I have no doubt Aalborg will remain our headquarters. There’s good and easy access to talent here, so we’re staying put.”
- “We also have easy access to both the business community and Aalborg Municipality, where I find that things often happen in a straightforward and informal way and that fits well with Beierholm’s DNA,” concludes Søren V. Pedersen.
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