The Truth About Innovation: Do Fewer Things Better

In this episode, former CEO of Bang & Olufsen and Triumph Motorcycles, Tue Mantoni, shares deep insights into leadership, governance, and scaling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with our host Hanane Fathi Roswall. Drawing on his extensive experience across iconic consumer brands and high-growth boards such as Soundboks, Joe & The Juice, and Lakrids by Bülow, Mantoni discusses his venture, Tuesday, which connects ambitious entrepreneurs with hands-on board members.Tue explains why traditional academic governance often falls short in founder-led and family-owned businesses, emphasising empathy, human dynamics, and active involvement between formal meetings. He outlines how organisations can leverage the Japanese Ikigai framework to turn authentic passion into commercially viable innovation, illustrated through Soundboks’ evolution from a music festival speaker project into an international audio brand.The conversation also tackles broader macroeconomic challenges, including Europe’s risk-averse investment culture, the risk of losing high-growth scale-ups to the US, and the critical imperative of attracting global talent. Finally, Tue Mantoni delivers a pragmatic guide to simplifying organisational complexity, urging business leaders to ruthlessly eliminate value-destroying initiatives, align their strategic horizons with underlying ownership structures, and focus on doing fewer things better.

In this episode of OPEN ears, Kristina May and our host Hanane Fathi Roswall dive into the intersection of business, creativity, and uncompromising life priorities. Kristina May is the founder of strategic branding and design agency AM Copenhagen, serves on several prestigious boards, and hosts the podcasts "Design Kan" and "Så må du have held og lykke med det, i hvert fald!". The conversation traces her journey from hands-on craft to the core of strategic branding, where she unpacks why a brand is fundamentally a shared narrative that must be followed at all times.She also shares her personal leadership philosophy, including her firm principle of never letting her agency grow beyond 15 people to safeguard life quality and direct craft involvement. She speaks candidly about how having twins at age 25 forced her to establish non-negotiable boundaries, and how mental compartmentalisation grants her presence and peace. And help herself to stay on-brand.

In this episode of OPEN ears, Harvard Professor and National Medal of Science recipient Gregory Petsko joins the conversation with our host Hanane Fathi Roswall. Drawing on a remarkable career spanning classical literature, biochemistry, and neurobiology, Petsko shares his insights into scientific innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. The conversation explores his unpredictable life path – from trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War to changing course to Oxford and later, at the age of 55, embarking on the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Petsko offers a sharp, clear-eyed critique of today’s AI hype, drawing historical parallels to the 19th-century railway bubble and explaining why cui bono (“who benefits?”) is the most important question to ask. He also discusses the dangers of perfectionism, the importance of a broad humanities education for the technologists of the future, and how simple metaphors can unlock groundbreaking scientific solutions. A thought-provoking episode about having the courage to take risks, remaining curious throughout life, and finding meaning in serving a greater purpose.

In this episode, Stinus Jeppesen, CEO of the Hearing Instrument Manufacturer Patent Partnership (HIMPP), discusses with our host Hanane Fathi Roswall how this quite unique, non-profit defensive partnership representing more than 90% of the global hearing aid industry, is fighting for innovation by pruning the IP landscape of the industry through validity challenges and acquisition of patents.Stinus also explains how a patent system designed to promote innovation and transparency, by offering time-limited exclusivity on breakthrough inventions, can sometimes end up hindering innovation altogether. Stinus breaks down the rising operational threat of Non-Practising Entities (NPEs) — more condescendingly referred to as patent trolls — and the massive sunk costs that operating companies face when forced to fight overly broad and invalid patents. The discussion highlights the shifting geopolitical landscape of post-grant patent procedures, contrasting the European Patent Office's accessibility with the evolving rules and mounting strategic pressures in the United States.

In this episode, leadership advisor Tune Hein discusses with our host Hanane Fathi Roswall the findings in his new book “Inside Wegovy”. Drawing from his five-year experience as an internal specialist at Novo Nordisk, Tune provides a revealing view inside one of the world's most valuable companies during the introduction of Wegovy to the market.We unpack 10 beliefs underpinning the trajectory of Novo Nordisk that have led to their approach to scaling through mastering processes, their prioritisation of specialist-led management over rigid KPIs, and their choice of the power of internal human networks over strict organisational systems.Tune also gives his take on the future stakes for Novo Nordisk in the obesity drug market.

In this episode of OPEN ears, the Danish music artist and entrepreneur, Mattis Jacobsen, explores the intersection of creative expression and technological innovation with our host, Hanane Fathi Roswall. Mattis shares his journey from achieving pop success with the single "Loverboy" to founding Sessio, a music tech startup designed to eliminate administrative friction for creators. The conversation delves into the "divine" nature of songwriting, the challenges of balancing a CEO mindset with artistic openness, and how technology can bring people closer together rather than replace them.Listen to Loverboy on Spotify

In this episode, Lea Carina Uhd Frederiksen, a journalist who founded Fantombryg, discusses her unconventional path into the beverage industry with our host, Hanane Fathi Roswall. They also talk about how coincidences and mistakes can lead to innovation and new solutions, and how storytelling is a fundamental keyword in Lea’s work. And, of course, the importance of strong brands, which is a cornerstone of what Fantom Bryg provides for its clients.www.fantombryg.dk

In this episode, Gary Cox, Principal at Wrays, a leading Australian IP firm with over 106 years of history, shares the fascinating journey of expanding an established Perth firm across the vast Australian continent and the strategic decision to join the global Rouse Group. They discuss the complexities of intellectual property law in Southeast Asia, the importance of "simplifying complexity" for clients, and why patience is a litigator's best friend. Tune in to hear how cultural diversity and a "give it a go" attitude are shaping the future of global legal services.

In this episode, we are joined by Ludvig Larsen, entrepreneur, author, and the man behind one of Denmark's leading podcasts, "Ludvigs Podcast". Ludvig opens up about his journey from owning a stressful marketing agency to finding work-life joy as a solopreneur. We dive into his new book, "Ludvigs Lektioner (Ludvig's Lessons)," and get unique insight into how he used Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a sparring partner to structure and organise the book. We also discuss major topics like "Main Character Syndrome", why chasing status can make you unhappy, and the importance of collaboration.

In this episode, Jens Bördin, CEO and co-founder of Konsert Strategy & IP, takes us on a journey from his engineering studies to leading an international strategy firm. Together with our host, Hanane Fathi Roswall, he dives into why many companies fail with their IP strategy when they treat it as a legal checklist rather than a strategic business tool. Jens shares concrete examples, including stories from leading brands, and discusses how to identify "Business Choke Points" and leverage IP Value Models. Tune in to see how technology becomes business value and how IP helps control and scale it for growth and profitability.