My Story & CV:

Rewind to 2004, and you'd find me grappling with redundancy from my first job. Seven years of hard labor, and then suddenly, nothing. I felt betrayed, lost, but most of all, determined. I made a vow to myself – no more putting my destiny in others' hands. That's when the real journey began.

Books became my sanctuary. I read everything I could get my hands on – self-development, body language, speaking, leadership, human behavior. Anything that promised a better version of myself and humanity. My evenings were spent in school, pursuing a master's in electrical engineering, and my days were a juggle of work and distance learning in engineering and property management.

As I climbed the corporate ladder, the concept of human leadership fascinated me. I saw all kinds of managers – the good, the bad, and the indifferent. I thrived under those who nurtured growth and felt stifled by the rest. My mantra became simple: empower to be empowered. I saw patterns in leadership, how certain styles lifted teams, and others dragged them down. Innovation, I realized, wasn't a solo sport. It needed leaders, real leaders, who knew how to empower.

Beyond the confines of my professional life, I am also a vivid sports person. I've completed several full and half IRONMAN triathlons, marathons,half marathons and other challenges. These challenges are a testament to my determination to push myself physically and mentally across the globe.

But then came 2019, and with it, a train ride that would change everything. As I listened to Seth Godin speak, I saw the patterns in my own life, the same ones I'd observed in others. It was time for a change.

Leaving IKEA Centres marked the beginning, not the end. It was then that my mission crystallized: "To Connect Innovative Leaders with their Dreams." This journey wasn't just about innovation; it was about human innovation, where systems thinking and leadership intertwine with a focus on the human element.

From this realization, HEITLAND Innovation was born, an interim management solution specifically tailored for human innovation managers that enable organizations to innovate with people. In a collaborative spirit, I co-founded XYZ-Playground, a Reverse Mentor Lab that flips the traditional mentorship model, fostering a unique exchange of perspectives.

WeAreSucceed.com came into existence as a leadership skills assessment platform, alongside AI-Fortuna, a business dedicated to crafting immersive innovation experiences around applied innovation (ai). I was no longer merely a component in the vast machinery of corporate life; I was now a catalyst for change, steering the ship in new, uncharted directions.

My desire to give back to the community led me to educational and mentoring opportunities at prestigious institutions and programs like Barcelona University, University of Amsterdam, and through mentorship roles at StartUB!, Rockstart, and UNDP together with 4YFN.

I host two podcasts: The Jens Heitland Show, where I share insights from my extensive experience, and The Daily Hint with Jens Heitland, where I offer daily hints to my listeners to rethink, connect, get inspired, and innovate the human way. Through various public speaking engagements, each episode and every speech is an opportunity to impart the lessons learned and insights gained on this extraordinary journey.

It's been a ride, from that first job on a construction site in 1997 to the global stages I stand on today. My story isn't just about climbing ladders; it's about building new ones. And as I look back at that train ride from Copenhagen to Malmo, I realize it was more than just a journey between two cities. It was the first step on a path to rediscovering myself and reshaping the world of innovation, one human at a time.

Join me on the road ahead and let’s innovate the human way together.