Stay Grounded While Going Global
In an era where globalisation is being redefined, Martin Overgaard, CEO of JJ-Lurgi, is leading a bold transformation. Through the business unit’s globalisation strategy, Martin is driving expansion beyond Southeast Asia into new markets His vision is both strategic and human, balancing growth with the preservation of JJ-Lurgi’s distinctive culture across regions.
In this conversation, Martin reflects on the milestones and challenges of global growth, the evolution of leadership in a changing world and the importance of staying connected to people, purpose and perspective.
1. How do you foresee your role evolving in alignment with your globalisation initiative?
Our ‘Go Global Strategy’ began a few years ago following the decision to allow JJ-Lurgi to globally market technologies previously managed by Air Liquide outside Southeast Asia. Since then, we’ve established and operationalised new entities in Brazil, Germany and India, hired regional talent and secured significant contracts in Europe and India, with a promising pipeline in Latin America. The strategy also enables risk diversification, balancing our palm-heavy Southeast Asia exposure with markets focussed on soybean, rapeseed and other crops. Looking ahead my role will evolve with the strategy’s success, with HQ and core engineering remaining in Malaysia as our customer base expands globally.
2. What do you value most about the current position of Jebsen & Jessen?
While I can’t speak for the entire Group, I believe culture and people are our core strengths. Working with such skilled, motivated and hardworking individuals is incredibly motivating.
3. What key qualities do you believe are essential for effective leadership?
Financial performance is important and the easiest way to measure success. However, my perspective is that when we focus on making our customers happy, keeping our people engaged, and ensuring our suppliers and other stakeholders are committed, the financial performance will naturally follow. For me, financial performance is the result of excelling in all other areas, rather than the goal itself.
4. After a demanding day, how do you prefer to relax and recharge?
I usually go for a walk to reflect on my day. Additionally, I enjoy following global news and watching documentaries. On weekends, I may play a game of tennis or pickleball and meet up with friends. I love cooking, exploring a variety of food, and enjoy some good wines, preferably from Piedmont in Italy.
5. How has your relocation to Malaysia been?
Moving to Asia, the third continent where I’ve had the pleasure of living and working, has been the most adventurous experience for me. I enjoy the great variety Malaysia offers, both culturally and in terms of landscape, food, nature and cities. Malaysians are very open, welcoming and friendly.
6. Can you share a pivotal experience that has significantly impacted your career?
It’s difficult to pinpoint just one experience. I’ve worked with inspiring leaders – none mentioned, none forgotten. What has accelerated my growth is being open to challenges without setting limitations. This has allowed me to grow my skillset, from auditing to finance to operations, and to eventually leading several companies.
7. Is there a particular book that you often recommend to others?
I recommend ‘Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works’ by A. G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin for business insights. I appreciate the authors’ perspective on striving to play to win rather than playing not to lose. It may seem like a subtle difference, but it’s significant. This resonates well with our core value of entrepreneurship.