Jens is Co-founder, Principal, and CEO of the Swedish IP business, Konsert Strategy and IP, acquired by Rouse in 2024. Konsert remains an independent brand within the Rouse Group, providing high-level management consultancy services focused on co-ordinating business strategy, technology innovation and Intellectual Property to develop maximum value for clients.
For many people, the path to IP is long – and often discovered by accident. Then it takes even longer before they fully understand the enormous potential value of IP. Jens is unusual in that he not only discovered IP very early on, but almost immediately recognised, and was excited by, its commercial potential. That was his starting point. How that came about can perhaps be explained in part by the fact that he was brought up in an entrepreneurial family: his father and grandfather, and many other family members, had all developed and were enthusiastically running, their own businesses. Another relevant factor, certainly, is that at university, he came upon the most inspirational teacher he has ever had: a Law Professor from the Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law, whose main focus was the relationship between business and IP. But just as important, no doubt, were Jens’ own personal characteristics: he is highly competitive; insatiably curious; enthusiastic; and driven to challenge himself to the full. He has also always had a natural interest in Science and Technology. In many ways his career seems to have followed a natural progression: from university days, to establishing and developing the Konsert business and, finally, to joining Rouse.
Jens grew up in Borås, a small city, about 70 km east of Gothenburg in Sweden, known as the country’s ‘textile capital’. Although there is not much textile production there these days, there is still a lot of textile business, research and design, and it remains a city of small businesses: the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. Jens’ mother was a teacher, but his father’s family was less academic. They all ran their own businesses with great enthusiasm and, growing up, Jens was inspired by that. His parents didn’t put any pressure on him to follow any particular path, but at school he always did well in Science subjects and it was assumed he would do something in that field. When he was selected to go to an upper secondary, pre-university, school, known in Sweden as a gymnasium, he applied to one of the most challenging and prestigious programs, which was taught in both English and Swedish. He thoroughly enjoyed his time there, surrounded by the ablest students and challenged to the full.
He then had to do compulsory Military Service, which surprisingly, turned out to be life-changing. After a series of rigorous tests, he was put into Military Intelligence and here, for a year, he was surrounded by the brightest students from all over Sweden. He thrived in the competitive environment of high-achievers and, when the time came to go to university, he was inspired to challenge himself by studying for two parallel degrees: a Master of Science in Engineering Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, regularly ranked as one of Sweden’s leading universities, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics at Gothenburg School of Business, Economics and Law (a faculty at the University of Gothenburg). It was during the Bachelor of Business Administration course that he came upon the inspirational teacher who changed the course of his life: Ulf Petrusson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Intellectual Property (CIP) – an interdisciplinary academic centre between Chalmers University and the University of Gothenburg. In addition to being an inspirational and demanding teacher, he had an all-consuming interest in the creation of Intellectual Property value and was developing a new Masters program at Chalmers: Intellectual Capital Management. Jens’ interest was immediately aroused; he joined the program and his enthusiasm grew. He was completely on board. At the conclusion of the course, Professor Petrusson asked Jens if he would be interested in joining him to form a company that would focus on integrating business and Intellectual Property and making CIP research available to industry. Jens jumped at the idea and In 2006 the company was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary of Chalmers.
They were exciting times. Jens and the team were working around the clock, inspired and driven by the belief that they were creating something new that would benefit both innovators and businesses. The relationships CIP had developed were mostly with large companies and before long the Chief Intellectual Property Officers of companies like Philips, Ericsson and Microsoft were expressing their enthusiasm for the proposition, which gave the team added confidence. Over the next few years, various projects were undertaken and in 2013, Jens, Professor Petrusson, and four others decided to buy 49% of the company from Chalmers. In 2016 they bought the remainder of the company and renamed it ‘Konsert’ i.e. business, technology and IP working ‘in concert’.
With the Chief IP Officers from Philips, Sony Mobile, Ericsson and Hewlett Packard joining as Senior Advisors, the company continued to grow. Its proposition resonated with senior management, and one of its early major projects was the development and implementation of a corporate-wide business anchored IP strategy with Volvo Group[1] which generated considerable interest. From there, Konsert continued to develop organically in a unique niche close to C-level commercial, technology and digital leadership at the interface between business strategy and IP. Recently, Jens and Konsert have been keenly following AI research and developing AI tools for use in the provision of their services. In 2024, Konsert was acquired by Rouse. As with the rest of Jens’ professional career, this seemed part of a natural evolution: the two businesses were complementary not only in relation to the services they offered, but also, and just as importantly, in the way they did things.
If Jens’ professional journey seems almost to have written itself, it has also been the result of much creative effort, foresight and hard work – and it has been accompanied by the usual stresses. The latter he has managed with physical activity and a healthy love of Nature, particularly the mountains. He does regular Crossfit workouts in the gym, and skis just as often as he can. He loves skiing; in particular freeride skiing which is said to be for those who “love the freedom of untracked runs”. A perfect fit for Jens!
[1] See Volvo’s road to business-driven IP management, IAM Magazine Issue 79, September 2016 (https://www.iam-media.com/article/volvos-road-business-driven-ip-management)