Me? Joakim was speechless by his colleagues' praise

​Serious work had to be done from the morning with the manager, and Joakim Dahl-Nielsen was about to turn on the computer when he was asked to come down to a meeting room instead.
It turned out to be filled with colleagues, balloons and breakfast servings.

"Everyone was looking at me. One of the colleagues who had nominated me was holding in his hands what could be a speech. Then it dawned, because I myself have helped to nominate another colleague for the Skulderklap Prize. It was a huge surprise that I was nominated myself," he says.

 "I find it difficult to get so much attention, especially without blushing, but it was also fantastic to hear that I had made such a good impression on my colleagues, both professionally and socially. I was speechless, but also very happy about it. It was a very nice surprise."

Balloons and flags were placed by his chair, so during the day many had to hear if he was celebrating his birthday or what?

His manager, Morten Munch, wrote a few days later on the Viva Engage channel for Nordea Finance that the award was very well deserved. He sent Joakim "a heartfelt thank you for not only being really skilled, but also always being helpful and positive towards all colleagues".

From student assistant to permanent employment

Joakim Dahl-Nielsen has been employed at Nordea since 2020, when SG Finans, for which he had worked for three years, was acquired by the bank.

He was happy to move to such a large and exciting workplace and kept his job as a student assistant. 

At Nordea, his skills and behaviour were noticed, and when he graduated with a Cand.Merc. International Marketing & Management at CBS, he was offered a permanent position. Today, he is Strategic Account Manager at Equipment Finance, which is located in Hermes Hus in Høje Taastrup.

"It seemed very natural to continue. There is a good working environment and nice colleagues here – and the position is tailor-made to my profile of my boss, so it is absolutely optimal. I have a very varied and exciting job with lots of opportunities to develop."

Social events

His past as a student assistant means that he is known and appreciated beyond his department, and he is always helpful if someone reaches out to him.

"I may have felt a bit like that I now became a real adult with the permanent employment. But my colleagues have always treated me and other student assistants at eye level, so in that way it was mostly the fact that you have a different everyday life with a full-time job that made the difference."

After his permanent employment last year, he has been in charge of various social events such as the padel tournament, which drew over 50 participants among his colleagues, a table tennis tournament and the DHL relay.

"Fortunately, there has been super good support. It's not that it has to be sports, I'm just trying to find something that can bring as many people together as possible and help strengthen us socially. So next time it might have to be something completely different that is not so physical," says the award winner.

The DKK 5,000 he also receives as an award winner slipped into the Christmas budget and a larger gift for his partner, with whom he lives in an apartment in Emdrup in northern Copenhagen.

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