Danish Crown appoints Jens Peter Clausen as new Executive Vice President
Former General Motors manufacturing VP joins to oversee group’s largest division
DENMARK – Danish Crown is appointing Jens Peter Clausen as Executive Vice President of its Industry division, marking the first of three senior hires following the company’s recent restructuring.
In April, the meat processing group announced a split of its operations into three business units—Industry, Foods, and UK—each generating annual revenues in the billions.
Clausen will now take charge of the Industry unit, which is responsible for production operations from farm pick-up to final product dispatch and reports an annual turnover of around US$2.45 billion (17 billion kroner).
His role includes overseeing efficiency across Danish Crown’s slaughterhouses and driving the unit’s development, especially in sales to industrial clients.
The decision to appoint Clausen follows his extensive international career, most recently as Executive Vice President for Global Manufacturing at General Motors.
In that position, he was responsible for both long-term planning and daily operations across GM’s global production sites.
Earlier in his career, Clausen held senior roles at companies including Google, Tesla, and LEGO, working in both the US and Denmark.
He now returns to Denmark with his family after several years abroad and will begin his new role on August 1.
In addition to leading the Industry unit, he will join Danish Crown’s Global Management Team, which includes heads of all eight of the group’s business segments.
According to Group CEO Niels Ulrich Duedahl, Clausen’s early start allows him to contribute to the company’s strategic planning process after the summer.
Duedahl emphasized that Clausen’s focus will be on enhancing production efficiency and integrating new technologies across facilities.
The company views this appointment as part of a broader effort to improve coordination and performance throughout its operations.
Clausen, who has previously worked with Duedahl, says he is eager to return to Denmark and views Danish Crown as a company undergoing meaningful change.
He believes effective organizations rely on employee engagement and opportunities for growth, values he hopes to support in his new position.
Clausen and his family will relocate to Aarhus by the end of July in preparation for his official start at Danish Crown.
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