CIO Insights: Ann Fogelgren, GN Group

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 Ann Fogelgren from GN Group. 

I never win as just me, ever

Ann has taken GN Group from a technology landscape in dire state to the forefront of digital transformation. But for Ann, the fundamental changes she has spearheaded in the 150-year-old company are not a personal achievement, but a team effort that has reshaped GN’s technological future.

Looking back over the last four years, from Ann joining GN Group, she can still see the huge task that waited for her at the doors as she entered as the company’s new CIO in late 2020: 

‘The task was clear, but large: take all the legacy systems, digitalize them and lift them to the next level. That meant basically everything. But today we have gone from being in a dire state, to being ahead of the game.  We are still working in a lot of areas, but we are in a place where we in Digital Data and IT can drive the transformation at a steady pace, delivering the results we need.’

But it was not just about transforming the architecture of the legacy systems, the task was much bigger than that. The organization and its processes had to follow: 

‘You must pull all three strings to move things. So, I think the phrase ‘digital transformation’ is a little overused because it’s bigger than that. Making sure we have structure and at the same time develop our capabilities and making sure the organization is positive, and embracing is something I really care about. So, it’s an ongoing process, but to me it’s not a journey. It’s just doing my job. Every single day.’

Ann is certainly doing her job and as technological development accelerates, the most important task on her desk is also changing: 

‘We just changed the organization structure recently, so stabilizing that and making sure we are getting the effect, is at the top of my agenda right now. The change means that we are getting much closer to the business, blurring the lines between the old IT organization and the core of GNs business. So right now, we are really pushing to get that alignment. It has been fantastic so far. GN has in a short time gone from being a very spread-out organization with a lot of silos and divisions that weren’t speaking together to truly being one company. Centralization should of course always be for the benefit of the business, such as for scalability reasons but at the same time we need to keep the uniqueness of our brands intact. Because if we go too far in the centralization process, given how GN is structured—with gaming, enterprise and hearing aids as prominent business areas. E.g we risk losing pace or failing, if we enforce something from hearing on gaming. Because it takes much longer to develop a hearing aid than a gaming headset, it’s always a balance of uniqueness versus scalability’

Finding the balance doesn’t always mean looking ahead, but also looking back and revisiting prior decisions and viewing them through the lenses of the current business situation and in recent years a more tense geopolitical situation:  

‘Years ago, we all started moving into the cloud like crazy. And then a few years ago it was about making it more strategic and smarter. Now we are moving into the phase where the global instability around us calls upon us to consider where we place our data and with whom. So, it has changed from ‘just’ a cloud journey to something much more strategic and ensuring the safety of our data. It might have been a good decision at the time to do this or that, but you always must go back and revisit your decisions. The change in the geopolitical environment gives new challenges to leadership and how to navigate and keep being ahead for the good of the company. Who knows, something both frightening and difficult could ultimately give us an edge.’

And Ann has found somewhat of an edge with her team, when it comes to AI: 

‘It goes without saying that AI is a key focus area for a tech company like ours. We’ve been working with classical AI for years, and while generative AI is taking things to the next level, it’s not entirely new to us. What has changed is that we now approach it from at least two perspectives: differentiation for our customers and internal productivity.

We’re tackling this in three ways—buying off-the-shelf solutions, intentionally building productivity tools to increase efficiency in our processes, and embedding AI into our products, whether on our website, in our headsets, hearing aids, or elsewhere. AI has always been part of our processes, but with the rapid advancements in generative AI, our organization is pushing to adapt, creating new opportunities to work differently.

But the bottom line isn’t about how many generative AI applications you produce—it’s about value realization. The real question is: how much have you saved or how much more have you gained? That’s where many struggle, and for us, it’s a critical area to improve. Adoption is key—ensuring people truly use the solutions we develop so we maximize the return on our investments. Shifting from an exploratory phase to using AI as a real productivity tool requires organizational change management. You can buy the tools, but if you only use them at 10% capacity, you can’t expect to get 40% of the value. 

More broadly, while we’ve built many internal AI applications, the market ultimately determines where the next big breakthrough will be. Every business must find its own way. There’s no single solution, but if you want to drive real change, you need to focus on how AI can make your specific company more efficient in your specific market.’

Ann’s grip on GN Group’s digital future has given Digital, Data and IT a deep-seated position within the company and requires her to develop in her role as CIO and this she sees as  more important than ever:

‘I really don’t see how a CIO in an organization like ours can sit anywhere but in the executive leadership group—unless you want to be a very reactive organization. The information shared in the executive leadership room helps us stay ahead. Even if not everything is directly relevant to my deliverables, the broader knowledge of what’s going on—keeps my team at the top of our game. That’s the difference between navigating just a little and navigating in a big way. It means getting critical information first, rather than having it filtered through various layers and reaching us several months too late.

And as for my own role – could there be a more exciting time to be a CIO? We’re facing so many interesting challenges. AI is accelerating everything, geopolitical environments are becoming more complex and demand new ways of thinking, and business is coming closer to IT. All of this is shaping the role of the CIO, pushing us to step up our game. We need to understand business, stay informed about global developments, follow technological trends, and know what options we have. On top of that, we must have a deep understanding of our own organization—what tools and capabilities we already have that can help us respond to challenges and accelerate change.’  

Looking ahead, Ann wants to expand her role even further—particularly by taking on more board positions:

“I have one board seat which I am extremely glad for and want more, but I find it challenging to secure new opportunities. That said, I find board work incredibly inspiring – it offers valuable insights from different industries and perspectives. It’s evolving and inspiring, and it’s a career path I want to pursue.

I also love the CIO Transformation Board. It’s a fantastic group where everyone leaves their ego at the door. You come in with your challenges, and right away, you have a forum where you can share and get valuable input. It took time to build, but the early discussions laid the foundation for the trust that we have with each other now. 

But when asked where she wants to make the most impact, she answers without hesitation:

‘For me, it’s all about leadership. I’m particularly passionate about diversity and how we can include minorities – there’s so much untapped value there. But I think the biggest overlooked group is the next generation. Millennials and Gen Z—we need to learn how to listen to them and build a bridge with them. We don’t have all the answers. Yes, they act differently, but they bring so much knowledge and fresh perspectives. And that bridge must go both ways, of course. If we don’t bridge the generational gap, we risk losing an entire generation’s full potential. So, for me, it’s simple: listen and learn.’

So, in the mix of a changing organization and IT architecture and a constant revision of processes, Ann’s  leadership goals are also developing:  

‘I’m still learning and last year was rough from a leadership perspective because we weren’t organized in the right way. What I learned was: ‘Act quicker’. I’m usually a very fast mover but not in this case I let it run for too long in order to get the team on board.  For me the team is everything, I never win just as me, ever. So, if I don’t have a culture and a team around that buys in to the direction set, I can’t succeed. I try to be very communicative and thank them a lot in the moment, because it’s super important to pay it forward, if I receive some recognition for a task, we have all done.’

“’Embrace to win is the most valuable key to the future for me’”

Ann finds inspiration for her leadership in many places, but one figure is her leadership ‘North Star’:

‘My dad who has now passed is a huge inspiration for me. He was in the tech industry as well and the way he connected with people and the way he was present no matter who you were. He had a huge organization, but no matter who was in the room, he made them feel like the center of the universe. It was fantastic and inspiring to watch.  

Other than that, I find my inspiration in all kinds of places, all kinds of people and all kinds of situations. Also in the ones with a less fortunate outcome: It reminds me of what not to do. 

Ultimately, my ambition is to continue learning and evolving as a leader, ensuring that GN remains at the forefront of innovation while fostering a culture where people feel valued and inspired to do their best work. I identify tremendously with GNs leadership commitment ‘embrace to win’, which is about psychological safety as a driver a success for us. ‘Embrace to win’ is the most valuable key to unlock the future to me right now.’

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