From October 2008 to January 2010, former A.P. Møller-Maersk director, Kim Schultz, was FatDUX’s Director of Business Development. He died on Thursday after an illness that was longer than Kim had let on. Kim was 65. I lost a close personal friend, FatDUX lost a trusted advisor, and Denmark lost one of those rare, insightful businessmen who could strengthen both GDP and international relations.
I first met Kim Schultz back in the mid-nineties when I was invited to complete a whist foursome with three business executives. Although I didn’t play whist and wasn’t yet a business executive, the invitation was appealing – “beer, chili con carne, and good conversation.” Happily, conversation, not whist, was the driving force behind these get-togethers. And although I eventually became a decent whist-player, more importantly, I received business training from three of the brightest minds in Denmark. And Kim was our senior advisor in this talented group. Kim and I also shared similar hobby interests – vintage wristwatches and cars – which provided a nice change of pace when we grew tired of discussing due-diligance procedures, the economy of Latvia, or whether the “white-tail” jets parked at Keflavik Airport might be for sale.
For years, Kim was part of the top management within the A.P. Møller-Maersk organization. Most of his career was spent in air freight, including 14 years as Vice President of Maersk Air Cargo. In 2000, Kim was promoted to Managing Director of Star Air, another Maersk company, which operated an impressive fleet of 14 Boeing 747 cargo jets. After leaving A.P.Møller-Maersk in 2003, Kim joined former Maersk Air CEO Bjarne Hansen, Robert S. Arendal, and Marita Petersen to form a new Danish air-brokerage company, WingPartners.
In the fall of 2008, Kim agreed to share his time and business acumen with the FatDUX Group where he navigated us deftly through the treacherous first year of the financial crisis. Kim had an incredible ability to maintain his cool in every kind of situation – even when our idiot bank advisor proceeded to lecture him on international cargo logistics. Our debt to our dear friend Kim is enormous – for his skill, knowledge, personal charm, and unswerving support.
Some will question whether a corporate blog is the appropriate place for a piece such as this. I say, absolutely! Kim was a vital member of the FatDUX family – and just as we use social media to share our successes, it is only fitting that we share our losses, too.
On behalf of FatDUX Chairman, Søren Muus, and all the FatDUXlings worldwide, our hearts go out to Kim’s son, Mikkel, and his extended family. Ære være hans minde.
Memorial service
We have just learned there will be a memorial service for Kim on June 14 at 11 AM at Søndermarks Kirkegård og Krematorium, Roskildevej 59.
From left: Cleantech CEO Jesper Boie Rasmussen, FatDUX CEO Eric Reiss, and FatDUX Director of Business Development Kim Schultz admire Cleantech's electric Jaguar XF in 2009.
CEO of Cleantech Motors Jesper Boie Rasmussen and I have known each other for years. Not only do we like classic cars, but we’re both Jaguar freaks. I drove a Mark II for years; Jesper has a stunning MK IX.
After I somehow ripped the front bumper off my aging Sovereign, I ran into Jesper at the Jaguar dealership here in Copenhagen. He had just purchased a brand-new XF – Jaguar’s magnificent four-door replacement for the popular S-type.
Don’t worry if you don’t know all these silly naming codes from Jaguar – it’s taken me 20 years to figure them out. But here’s the point:
Jesper, a physicist by training and creative by nature, is well on his way to building Europe’s first luxury electric car. Not a hybrid, mind you, but a true 100% electric car. “I’d love to come by and show you what I’m up to,” said Jesper. An offer that was clearly not to be missed.
A couple of weeks ago, Jesper dropped by and invited us to participate in the project. Not only is it fascinating from an automotive standpoint, from a user-experience point of view, it is priceless – how to retain the thrill of driving a Jag that hums rather than growls when you put the pedal to the metal. Sounds are important. G-forces are important. Handling is important (batteries and electric motors change the weight distribution). And before we knew it, FatDUX Copenhagen was deep into the assignment - which we promptly named
Project Green Light.
Yesterday, the car ran a test circuit of the innovative
CO2 race that will be held in Copenhagen later this year. This was its last run before the diesel motor gets pulled. And logos from all of the partners in this project decorated the side of this “not your average NASCAR”.
The soon-to-be-electric Jag humbles the little yellow Fatmobile parked next to it. (Notice the FatDUX logo on the front wing of the Jag!
The plan now is to develop a working prototype ASAP. The
Copenhagen Climate Council (with Sir Richard Branson and other luminaries) will be holding a
World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen in late May. And
COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference – one of the most important environmental get-togethers of the year - will take place in Copenhagen this December.
We’re incredibly proud to be part of this project. Who says user experience is strictly for digital media?
Jesper Boie Rasmussen and the E-Jag
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