A global leader in industrial packaging products and services, Greif’s story spans nearly a century-and-a-half. It’s a rare milestone for any company, much less one defined by speed and disruption.
But as the company nears 150 years, President and CEO Ole Rosgaard isn’t interested in treating its history as something fragile or untouchable. To him, what matters is what comes next.
“Having been in business for 150 years, the company has been forced to adapt and reinvent itself many times,” he tells The CEO Magazine.
“What we have learned from this history is that you can either wait and be forced to change, or you can be proactive and lead that change. Greif is using its position, history, talent and experience to choose the latter.”
Ahead of the pack
Greif’s evolution reflects exactly that. Today, the company operates with 12,000 colleagues operating in 41 countries, serving customers across chemicals, paints, food, fragrance and beyond.
“We basically touch all aspects of life – the paint on your car, the circuitry in your phone and the tomato ketchup you buy at the supermarket,” Rosgaard says. “It’s all being stored and transported in our packaging.”
The business manufactures bulk packaging that moves essential products long before consumers ever see them. That scale and reach provide Greif with a responsibility not only to honor its heritage but also to continuously redefine what industrial packaging means in the modern world.
“We can’t stand still in a world that’s changing this fast,” Rosgaard explains. “Markets, technology, expectations – everything changes. And if we stop moving, we fall behind.”
Betting on people
The key to staying competitive, Rosgaard confirms, is rooted in people – a philosophy he reinforces daily. He points to an early moment in the company’s transformation journey when a cross-functional team began challenging old assumptions without being asked.
“They didn’t wait to be told; they just acted. That’s ownership,” he says with pride. “That’s what I mean by betting on ourselves.”
“It’s not my role to have all the answers – it’s to create space for others to lead. Because when people understand why we are doing something, they figure out how to make it happen. And that’s when you stop managing tasks and start building momentum.”
That ownership mindset is reinforced by an approach to decision-making that prioritizes pace over perfection.
“There’s never perfect data,” he stresses. “You have to make the best call you can with what you have, and then you move.”
Rosgaard’s rule of thumb is to act when at least 75 percent of the data is trustworthy.
“Then the 25 percent void should be filled with what some people call ‘gut feeling.’ But gut feeling is really neuroscience – it’s all the knowledge your brain has accumulated over the years,” he explains.
“Bottom line: You have to act. You have to move and not wait to be perfect.”
Leading with clarity
For the past three years, a global industrial recession has created tension and turbulence in the market. Rather than waiting for conditions to improve, Greif has been proactive in adjusting its portfolio and making difficult decisions to reduce its workforce. Rosgaard understands these decisions can create uncertainty. What matters, he says, is how they’re communicated and how colleagues are treated.
“People can handle tough decisions. In my experience, what causes real fear is being left in the dark,” he says. “Not knowing creates uncertainty, whereas clarity creates confidence.”
Transparency is embedded in his leadership cadence, from live Q&As to open explanations of how decisions connect to Greif’s long-term strategy.
“Some leaders need to demonstrate they’re a leader by withholding information. But, to me, that’s not real leadership,” he says. “For me, transparency is everything.”
That openness is paired with creating visibility and psychological safety, with Rosgaard staying close to the front line.
“Sometimes you can learn more from a plant visit than a spreadsheet,” he points out. “Leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about having clarity and courage when there is uncertainty.”
Purpose-led innovation
Greif’s transformation has also been structural as much as it has been people driven. In recent years, the company has sold more than US$2 billion worth of businesses as it rebalanced its portfolio and doubled down on high-performance, sustainable packaging solutions.
“Sustainability sits at the top of our agenda,” Rosgaard confirms.
With strong capabilities in fiber, metal and polymers – all recyclable and highly recycled – the company is expanding its efforts to design for circularity.
While polymers or plastics can attract negative perceptions, Rosgaard sees the opportunity differently.
“We can’t live without polymers. It’s one of the most important materials on Earth,” he says. “When polymer manufacturing is done right, at the end of its serviceable life, these solutions become a valuable feedstock for Greif in creating other products.”
Greif’s innovation in barrier technologies demonstrates how performance and sustainability can coexist. The company also operates a collection network in the United States, retrieving used packaging and recycling or reprocessing it into new products.
“Recovering our materials is a win–win–win,” Rosgaard notes. “It’s good for us as a business, it’s good for our customers, and it’s good for the environment.”
For Rosgaard, this purpose, combined with scale and science, intersects at the heart of Greif’s next chapter.
“What excites me the most is the opportunity we have to combine our purpose with the latest science to solve real problems that help our customers win,” he says.
Enduring partnerships
Rosgaard is the first to admit that no transformation – cultural or strategic – could succeed without trust, which is why Greif measures it meticulously. After recently surveying nearly 20,000 customers, through its annual Net Promotor Score (NPS) survey, it recorded a world-class NPS of 72. Additionally, Rosgaard notes that every piece of feedback is then acknowledged, investigated, addressed and followed up.
“We sit down with them and then come up with how to fix any issues that come to light permanently. Then, we go back to the customer and tell them exactly what we’ve done to remedy the problem,” he reveals.
Internally, Rosgaard says, employee engagement is tracked annually with Gallup. The company now sits in the 86th percentile globally, with results strong enough to earn the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award in consecutive years. Each team reviews its results and sets improvement plans.
“If you don’t have an engaged workforce with super-engaged people, you can’t deliver customer service,” he insists.
Community partnerships follow the same principle, he says, including inviting local police and fire brigades to appreciation lunches, and giving back to the community.
A future driven by purpose
Looking ahead, Rosgaard is clear-eyed about what he can and can’t control in a volatile world. His priority then is to focus Greif’s energy on the former.
“Often, people spend 90 percent of their conversations on things they can’t control,” he reflects.
One thing’s for sure, he’s laser-focused on the intersection of sustainability, science and customers’ needs – a space where Greif’s global scale and purpose can make the biggest impact.
But Rosgaard’s final message is reserved for leadership itself.
“As a leader, I’m here to serve. I’m here to ensure our people and our teams have what they need to continue to drive success for our customers, our shareholders and for each other,” he explains.
“The last thing a leader should think about is how important they are. It’s the people you lead who are important.”
