Sebastian Bramsen Haugaard is the COO of HauCon, a family-owned company founded in 1988 by his father and grandfather. Today, HauCon is one of the largest distributors of specialized products for the construction industry in the Nordic region, including the contractor and prefabrication sectors.

Sebastian has been a member of the company’s board since he was 20 years old, with the aim of understanding the business and mastering high-level management.

“About a year ago, I also had the opportunity to join the board of another family business, Bent Brandt A/S. This was the reason I chose to participate in the Executive Board Programme at INSEAD. I also want to challenge the notion that one must be 55-60 years old with 30 years of professional experience to contribute effectively to board work. With the pace and unpredictability of today’s world, I believe that age diversity is also an advantage,” he says and adds, “My role at HauCon is naturally the primary focus, but board work is both fun, motivating, and interesting—much like being a consultant. It is also extremely important that I am as well-prepared as possible. It is my dream for our company to remain in the family’s hands.”

A More Conscious and Active Board Member
The COO of HauCon, Sebastian Bramsen Haugaard, particularly appreciated the mix of different participants and the teaching method.

“The level of the program was extremely high—in a positive way. The instructors were impressive, and so was the composition of people representing various companies and industries. The teaching was exceptional—the professors introduced topics that could initially seem dull and complex but managed to make them extremely practical and engaging, so we all could follow along. This is where you learn things you can’t read in a book, and I especially found that working on cases in group settings made a significant difference,” says Sebastian Bramsen Haugaard.

He highlights two aspects of the program that have been particularly impactful for him. “Firstly, I gained a deeper understanding of the purpose and role of a board—a perspective that is often missed. It involves understanding the responsibilities you take on by joining a board—what you should involve yourself in and what you should not. Secondly, it was also beneficial to gain a better understanding of the depth of board dynamics. You need to understand the core values and culture, and you can’t just do a ‘copy-paste’ from one board to another,” he says, before concluding:

“Overall, the program has definitely contributed to my ability to be a more conscious and active board member than before, and I have acquired a useful toolbox that I can apply to this work. Additionally, the network with the other participants has been fantastic: I was a bit concerned about possibly ‘standing out’ due to my young age, but everyone was very open and inclusive, and I have made some really close contacts that I can rely on going forward.”