CIO Insights: Anders Lerbech Borregaard, TV 2 Denmark

Meet the transformational CIOs who are currently leading their businesses into the digital future. 

Explore their most important initiatives, leadership goals, and how they see their roles evolving in the near future. 

This time, in CIO Insights, we feature Anders Lerbech Borregaard from TV2 Denmark. 

Bringing a nation together – through technology, not despite it

At TV 2 Denmark, technology has moved from the sidelines to the center of strategy. CTO Anders Lerbech Borregaard is leading a transformation that combines digital scale with public service responsibility – balancing personalization, trust, and shared national experiences.

At TV 2 Denmark, CTO and Executive Vice President Anders Lerbech Borregaard is leading a transformation that goes well beyond systems and platforms. It is a strategic repositioning – one that places technology at the core of how the organization delivers relevance, trust, and shared experiences in a digital world.

Since joining the company, Borregaard has anchored digital transformation as a central enabler of TV 2’s 2030 ambition: to become “number one in Danes’ everyday life.”

Previously, technology efforts were fragmented, evolving in parallel across the organization without a shared direction. Today, that fragmentation has been replaced by alignment – and a clear recognition that technology is inseparable from business strategy.

“Our most critical priorities cannot advance without technology. That is why the CTO role is part of the Executive Board at TV 2.”

On arrival, Borregaard encountered an organization with uneven levels of digital maturity. While customer-facing platforms such as TV 2 Play were advanced, other areas lagged, and coordination was limited.

The response was decisive: a fundamental redesign of the operating model.

Legacy structures, fragmented teams, and overlapping mandates were consolidated into a single, coherent organizational logic. The scale of change was significant – by leadership’s own assessment, the most extensive organizational transformation since the company’s founding in 1988.

The outcome has been equally tangible: stronger alignment, improved collaboration, and a marked increase in employee satisfaction.

“It is our responsibility to ensure that resources are focused where value is created”

A central shift has been the move away from project-based execution toward long-lived, cross-functional teams with end-to-end responsibility.

Rather than building and handing over solutions, teams now persist – continuously developing, refining, and scaling capabilities in close partnership with the business.

This shift reframes the role of technology:

“It is not our role to define what value the business should pursue – but it is our responsibility to ensure that resources are focused where value is created.”

The traditional “plan-build-run” paradigm has given way to continuous iteration, tighter feedback loops, and data-driven prioritization.

One of the most significant transformations is the move from broadcast logic to personalized user experiences. Where TV 2 once delivered the same content to all audiences at the same time, the ambition now is to tailor content to the individual – while preserving the unifying role of public service media. This introduces a deliberate balancing act:

“We must deliver highly relevant, personal experiences while also ensuring that audiences are exposed to perspectives that broaden their horizons.”

Data and AI are critical enablers. But they are applied with a clear understanding that public service obligations extend beyond engagement metrics.

In a commercial public service context, the use of AI is not governed by capability alone, but by credibility. Borregaard emphasizes that editorial integrity must remain non-negotiable – particularly when AI is introduced into content creation or journalistic workflows.

“If AI supports editorial work, we must ensure that it applies the necessary critical judgement. In some areas, that has led us to take a more cautious approach than others.”

The principle is clear: technological advancement must never compromise trust.

Large-scale transformation is as much about communication as it is about execution. Early in the journey, the organization sought to communicate the full strategic vision. In practice, this proved overwhelming. Today, communication is deliberately more focused and time-bound:

“There is a limit to how much change people can absorb – especially without a clear time horizon. We now focus on what matters over the next six months.”

This shift has made the transformation more tangible and actionable across the organization. As the organization has matured, so too has the leadership challenge. The initial phase – establishing structure and direction – has given way to scaling capabilities, deepening business integration, and leading change at pace. While the context has evolved, Borregaard’s leadership foundations remain constant: purpose, community, and change. Technology, in his view, must always serve a broader objective:

“It should never be technology for its own sake.”

Equally, leadership is inherently collective:

“Decisions improve when they are made together – with colleagues at the executive level and with the team.”

And underpinning it all is a fundamental conviction:

“Transformation is difficult – but it pays off.”

 Technological advancement must never compromise trust.

Borregaard is explicit that transformation cannot be driven in isolation.

Understanding what the organization can absorb – and when – requires continuous dialogue, listening, and adjustment.

With a technology organization of 400 employees, this perspective is not only operationally essential; it is also a critical source of insight and momentum.

External perspectives also play a role. Through networks such as the CIO Transformation Board, Borregaard engages with peers facing similar challenges – sharing experiences and exploring emerging topics.

For Borregaard, transformation is inseparable from personal evolution.

Leading through change requires not only structural and strategic clarity, but ongoing development of leadership itself.

“Ensuring we move in the right direction requires continuous development – also of who I am as a leader and what I focus on.”

The CIO Transformation Board

In the Danish ICT Industry Association (IT-Branchen), we have the CIO Transformation Board, which brings together the most visionary CIOs from Denmark’s large and medium-sized companies. These are CIOs from businesses where digitalization is a strategic part of the business — but where there is also a desire to do more than just digitalize.

We aim not only to highlight Denmark’s most talented CIOs and share experiences and best practices across industries, but also to set the agenda in the media and with politicians regarding Denmark’s and the business sector’s digital future.

The CIO Transformation Board is created for those who also want to help find the new balance between people and technology. For those who have a stance and want to help influence our green transition, address the skills shortage, and strengthen growth in Denmark.

Read more about the CIO Transformation Board