Dairy Managers: Jørgen Greve

Jørgen Greve

Curriculum Vitae – Jørgen Greve, Plant Director, Bahrain Dairy:

1977: Completed dairyman training 1980: Completed dairy technician training 1981-1983: Posted as Production Manager and Dairy Expert in Saudi Arabia 1983-1985: Posted as Production Manager and Dairy Expert in Pakistan 1985-1990: Posted as Production Manager in Jordan 1990-1995: Posted as Production Manager in Bahrain 1995-2000: Dairy Manager, Esbjerg Dairy 2000-2007: Head of Centre, Christiansfeld Dairy Centre 2007-2015: Head of Supply Chain, Sweden 2015-2018: Dairy Manager, Taulov Dairy 2018-2020: Dairy Manager responsible for the merger of Holstebro Cream Cheese and Holstebro Butter facilities 2021-present: Posted as Plant Director in Bahrain

From Denmark to Bahrain and back again

Jørgen Greve has many years in the dairy industry behind him, and his career has taken him to many places. From Randers to Esbjerg, Christiansfeld, Taulov, and Holstebro – including several years of posting in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, Sweden, and Bahrain.

Bahrain is the place where Jørgen is right now. After three years as a dairy manager at Taulov and two years at Holstebro, he has packed his bags and is now working to expand production in Bahrain. His job started on January 1, 2021 – and an exciting period lies ahead.

Work-life filled with developments

Looking back at his work-life, Jørgen especially focuses on his years abroad. They represent something special – both professionally and personally: - When I was tasked with establishing dairies in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, I had to stand on my own two feet for the first time. Nobody could help me. Instead, I had to work with the local community to make things work. It taught me a lot about how to start a project and how to progress. Much of my later work-life is based on the lessons learned in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Jordan, Jørgen continues: - In addition, being posted abroad provided human experience which now benefits me in my management function. I have worked with people across cultures and religions – and have realized that the diversities do not matter once you are at the site. Of course, there is a big difference between working in Pakistan and in Denmark, but the human aspect remains the same.

Bright future ahead

In many ways, the past year was a year of turbulence – in Denmark and in the rest of the world. But Jørgen also considers 2020 to be one of the dairy industry’s greatest successes: - In my opinion, the COVID-19 situation has shown us how good the dairy industry is at adapting to a situation. Half of Denmark have been on temporary leave or worked from home, and the patterns of work have been completely altered – and in spite of this, the dairy industry has continued its production and, in many cases, has overdelivered. The commitment of our employees has been impressive, and we have demonstrated in many ways that the dairy industry is an essential part of the Danish society, says Jørgen.

Asked about future challenges, Jørgen feels that the past year has strengthened the industry – and Arla Foods in particular. - The COVID-19 situation has demonstrated that there is a special spirit in Arla Foods. We are just like a family. It is my hope that we can take this with us into the future. There is no doubt that this special Arla culture – and dairy culture in general – are values we must strive to preserve. A strong corporate culture is of vital importance, he concludes with a smile.