Meet the CEO of Karmameju

CEO, mountaineer, photographer, cyclist, husband, father, friend and just an all-round good bloke. Get to know Jens Høgsted better in this photo feature – featuring pictures taken by him.

Here, he discusses, amongst other things, the ideal work-life balance and how he finds time to fill his DO YOU cup in a busy everyday life, where he heads up Karmameju’s HQ. You can also hear him talk a little about his second home in Chamonix, where his love of nature photography and mountaineering has led to the publication of a recent photography book on the impact of climate change on the mountains.

Photo credit: Jens Høgsted. 

Tell us a bit about yourself…

My name is Jens Høgsted, I’m 51 years old and have been CEO of Karmameju for three years. For the past 30 years, I’ve worked in the branded goods and retail sectors. I spent 18 years as a consultant, several years as managing director of the Sportmaster chain and a couple of years as an independent adviser and board member, before I was fortunate enough to become managing director of Karmameju. I live six kilometres from our office, so an ideal day begins with a dip in the Øresund and a cycle ride to the office, where I usually arrive at 07:30. I have a very privileged working life, where I work alongside talented and friendly people, and where I am largely able to manage my own time. I hear that many people envy that combination. I can well understand why.

What does DO YOU mean to you – what do you fill your ‘cup’ with?

For me, DO YOU is about the time I can decide entirely for myself. Sometimes it turns into something I do on my own, and sometimes something I do with people I care about. I wake up early, so I always start the day with some time on my own, where, over a cup of coffee, I take stock of the day ahead. Otherwise, for me, DO YOU goes hand in hand with physical activity: It might be cycling on my own or with good friends, or skiing and hiking with the family. Last year, I cycled on my own from Esbjerg to Copenhagen – a ridiculously long ride, but for me, that’s DO YOU… and I had an ambitious mountaineering project with my youngest son to climb the Toblerone peak, the Matterhorn.

How do you make sure you remember to practise ‘DO YOU’? 

I was once given the advice to maintain a necessary balance between working hours, family time, time with friends and time that you decide entirely for yourself. This was during a period lasting several years when my working hours took up over 70 hours a week. Those years taught me the value of actively striving for balance – not every day or week – but overall, over the course of a quarter. It’s now firmly ingrained in me that I need to make time for all these aspects to thrive. In practical terms, the calendar is a great tool: I block out the weekends I don’t want to be taken up by less important things. I’m ‘above average’ at seeing friends and sending them an invitation if I miss their company.

How did you come up with the idea of publishing a photography book about Chamonix?

I’ve been taking photographs since I was a young teenager. I had a darkroom in the utility room when I was 13 years old. Since then, my camera has always been with me, especially when travelling. Over the last 25 years, I’ve spent many days in the mountains, both on skis and on mountaineering and climbing trips. I’ve reached the summit of more than 25 peaks in the Alps that are over 4,000 metres high, and on those trips you see some fantastic landscapes. You also see how climate change is hitting the mountains with relentless force. The sheer volume of photos on my hard drive and my desire to tell the story of how climate change is affecting the mountains led me to publish the book *Chamonix Perspectives*. In the book, I interview six mountain guides and a researcher about their first-hand experiences with, amongst other things, glaciers and permafrost that are disappearing. You can read more at: www.chamonix-perspectives.com.

What are your favourite products from Karmameju?

If you open my toiletries bag whilst I’m travelling, you’ll always find our PRE & AFTER SUN serum-lotion, a HERO, a CALM balm, a NOW facial cleanser and a Breeze deodorant. I’m a huge fan of our PRE & AFTER SUN (and its fragrance-free counterpart, the INFINITY face & body serum-lotion), which is a ‘hidden gem’ in our suncare range but can be used for everything by everyone. I always give it a sales pitch, and I’ll do so here too.

 [collection1]