Charlotte Kure Juul

Full article below, translated from Danish to English.

By Charlotte Kure Juul 

For the international Adtech company Adform, which employs people across 29 markets, cultural understanding is a key factor in enhancing collaboration and improving well-being. Charlotte Kure Juul, Chief Human Resource Officer, and her team developed a cultural guide that promotes teamwork and cohesion within the organization.

Since becoming HR Director in 2020, Charlotte has played a central role in shaping Adform’s culture. With over 20 years of experience in HR and organizational development, she has brought deep expertise in developing strong leadership skills and integrating digitalization into strategic HR initiatives.

She has focused on how to strategically handle cultural differences and has implemented tools to ensure leaders and employees are equipped to navigate a global organization. The cultural guide launched in 2024 is a cornerstone of this effort.

Inspired by research from Erin Meyer and tailored to Adform’s specific needs, the guide analyzes and describes the company’s markets based on five key parameters: Communication, Feedback Style, Decision Making, Trust Building, and Perception of Time. These form the basis for helping employees and leaders better understand and manage cultural differences. The guide is actively used in onboarding, workshops, and ongoing employee development to improve both productivity and collaboration.

One concrete example highlights the guide’s value:

“At one of Adform’s summits, I stood by the coffee machine with a colleague from India. I learned that a 'regular coffee' in India is a café latte, while in Denmark it means black coffee. Although it may seem trivial, it shows how misunderstandings can arise if we’re not aware of cultural differences. Coffee, in itself, isn’t a major issue, but it reveals how deeply ingrained our understanding and behavioural patterns are. That’s how we learn more about one another,” says Charlotte.

The guide gives employees a tool to decode such differences and turn them into collaborative strengths.

Culture as a Strategic Priority

Charlotte believes culture work goes far beyond coffee anecdotes. A strong corporate culture is a strategic priority essential for well-being, productivity, and growth. She emphasizes that HR initiatives must be fully integrated into leadership and employee mindsets—not just seen as “projects.”

The cultural guide has proven valuable not only for employees but also for leadership:

“As HR Director, my job is to ensure we have strong leaders working towards a shared culture across the organization. A complex company like Adform risks small problems becoming large ones without a common understanding of values and behaviours. Previously, HR was often brought in when issues arose. Now, we see leaders proactively addressing problems, giving feedback, and resolving conflicts before they escalate. That’s immensely valuable to the company.”

Building Courage in Leaders

Charlotte’s goal is not just to give tools to leaders but also to create a culture where they’re confident enough to have difficult conversations. For her, it’s about building courage within Adform’s leadership. It’s crucial they feel secure in addressing challenges without fear of consequences. This has led to a more robust and proactive leadership culture.

“When recruiting, it’s not enough that candidates are professionally skilled. They also need to fit our company’s values and culture. We use a data-driven recruitment approach where personality tests and observations play a major role. I also have veto power if someone isn’t a cultural fit, even if they have a great CV. This rarely happens, but it helps ensure we hire the right people. When employees thrive and contribute positively, the culture strengthens and collaboration improves.”

A challenge in culture work is balancing clear guidelines with flexibility. A good example is Adform’s Respect Policy, developed through workshops over two years with employees and leaders.

“We didn’t want a workplace where people are afraid to speak up. Quite the opposite—we wanted a culture where differences are discussed openly. The policy has had a positive impact. It has given employees a common language and clear principles for how to interact. It hasn’t just reduced conflicts—it has also created more effective teams and better collaboration.”

A Cultural Shift That Must Live Throughout the Organization

After developing both the culture guide and respect policy, a critical next step is ensuring they are implemented consistently.

“We need to ensure the cultural guide remains a living tool used in everyday work. Our goal has been to deliver initiatives that everyone can relate to—otherwise we won’t succeed. If we keep launching new initiatives, we risk people not taking them seriously.”

Charlotte stresses that culture work is never finished. To grow and adapt to future demands, the organization must continuously develop leadership and employee competencies.

“As I said from the start, these initiatives need to become embedded in the organization. We must protect Adform’s unique culture—it takes time to build and can disappear quickly if not respected.”

About Charlotte Kure Juul Current Role

EVP/CHRO at Adform (2020–present) Experience: 20+ years in HR and organizational development focusing on transformation, leadership, and digitalization

Previous Roles

SVP, Group HR, DHI (2012–2020)

Chief Consultant, Kjerulf & Partners (2010–2012)

Organizational Development Manager, A.P. Moller - Maersk (2008–2010)

Senior HR Consultant, Maersk Oil (2007–2008) •    Project Manager, Greve Municipality (2004–2007)

HR Consultant, ALK (2000–2004) Education: M.Sc. Psychology, University of Copenhagen (2000)