Nieuws & innovaties

Espresso Insights: Three questions over coffee with Scarlet Janssens, Treasury & Investor Relations Manager, JENSEN-GROUP

1. What makes it attractive to working for the JENSEN-GROUP, Finance Team?

The unique combination of being stock quoted and family owned. We are challenged daily to meet the highest and newest standards in the field of corporate finance, reporting, and tax. At the same time, we also feel in our daily business that there is a family behind us with a long-term perspective, focusing on the right values, and this combination gives a very nice and quite unique mix to work for. Next to that, we have a global footprint. It is inspiring to talk in the morning with our colleagues in Asia and Australia, during the day with our European colleagues, and later in the afternoon with our colleagues in the Americas.

We have a very stable finance team with high seniority. The Finance Managers are also a strong, close group. We meet once a year physically, a week we are always looking forward to, as it improves our collaboration during the rest of the year.

It is sometimes a challenge finding the right people as they are not always aware of the business, given the B2B activities. However, once they know us better, they realize they are working for one of the preferred suppliers in our industry, with a global footprint, active in three continents. In addition, we are creating the future in laundry automation. As our CEO says: we are the Apple of our industry.

2. What do investors value most when looking at a company like JENSEN today?
Based on the meetings we have with the investors, we see that they appreciate the long-term perspective of the major shareholders together with the profitable growth, both organic and inorganic. We try to communicate in an honest way, facing the brutal facts also in case the figures are less positive. 

The Board of Directors and Executive Management Team react promptly in case of crisis/disruption, such as during the pandemic, and we have always remained profitable, which is the result of good management. We are also a dividend share; in the years where we can afford it, there is a dividend payment. After more than 25 years of being stock quoted, we can see that this has translated into a nice increase in our share price, meaning that the market appreciates what we are doing.

Being active in the B2B business also has its challenges when explaining exactly what JENSEN-GROUP is doing. People are surprised by our technology, not always realizing that they are confronted daily with the results of our technology.

3. How does treasury management support JENSEN’s long-term innovation and investment plans?

It is a pleasure to assist in the treasury, thanks to a strong balance sheet and nice financials. This is of course the achievement of the entire JENSEN team, and it makes it easier when negotiating new credit lines, for example. Within Treasury, we support the entities in looking for the best conditions for new loans. We also help them with cash management: having the cash in the right account and in the right currency. As we have worldwide activities, we do business in different currencies; this risk needs to be covered, and we look for the right strategy with a view to currency exposure. In case of excess cash, we look for the best solution to place the money in a safe way without taking unnecessary risks.

Our thanks to Scarlet for sharing her insights. For more details on our financial structure and treasury activities, please visit the Investor section of our website or reach out to Scarlet directly at investor@jensen-group.com