Making the distance work for you – how Mads’s travels to California changed his approach to remote work
"I learned that many things can be handled by email and that not everything requires immediate response. When working remotely, and especially when there’s a significant time difference, you have to prioritise what’s truly urgent, which actually improves efficiency.”
When Mads Lind Severinsen talks about flexibility and efficiency, he speaks from experience. The chemical engineer with a master's in industrial engineering and management has spent his career optimising production processes and workflows – but it was two unique three-month stints working remotely from California that taught him some of his most valuable lessons about focus and collaboration.
From pharma production to consulting diversity
Before joining NIRAS, Mads built his expertise at industry giants Novo Nordisk and Radiometer Medical. His transition to consulting was driven by a desire to apply his skillset across diverse projects rather than staying within one organisation.
"I was interested in the consulting work and wanted to apply and develop my skillset working on more kinds of projects," he explains.
At NIRAS's Logistics and Supply Chain department, Mads specialises in production and workflow analysis, though his role extends to all aspects of production and warehousing consultancy. His recent projects include laboratory consolidations and a new biobank for Aalborg's new hospital. What sets him apart is his practical approach to complex projects with multiple stakeholders.
"I think that my strong practical side is a great contributor to projects where several departments, laboratories, or productions need to merge into a new facility and consolidate key functions to obtain greater efficiency and better flows," Mads says.
"I think that my strong practical side is a great contributor to projects where several departments, laboratories, or productions need to merge into a new facility and consolidate key functions to obtain greater efficiency and better flows,"
A California experiment in remote collaboration
The most unconventional chapter of Mads' career journey unfolded when his husband was set to pursue a PhD at UC Berkeley. Rather than putting his career on hold, Mads approached his manager about working remotely from California. The response was overwhelmingly supportive, with his manager suggesting reduced hours to allow for exploration of the Bay Area. Mads ended up following his husband to the U.S. on two separate occasions in the autumn of 2023 and the spring of 2025 respectively.
"The arrangement with working 20-25 hours per week was the key for this to happen. I got up early in the morning and worked until lunch and then had the whole afternoon off to explore and enjoy the nice weather," Mads recalls.
When time zones become productivity boosters
The nine-hour time difference ended up being an unexpected productivity booster. Starting his workday at 6 AM California time (3 PM in Denmark), Mads found his working hours more focused, with meetings grouped at the beginning of his day. The time difference also enabled around-the-clock project progress, with Mads completing data analysis and report drafts during Denmark's evening hours, ready for his colleagues the next morning.
"Because of the time difference, meetings were often short and precise as the Danish-based colleagues were about to go home. My working hours were more focused as meetings and calls were grouped at the beginning of my workday, so I had the rest of the day to do very focused work."
Lessons that traveled home
The experience taught Mads valuable lessons about remote collaboration that he's carried back to Denmark. The fact that a significant time difference proved not to be a hinderance was one of the most valuable, and it showed Mads that where there’s willingness, a sense of responsibility and flexibility, there’s a way to solve even the most complex of projects.
The success of this arrangement speaks to NIRAS's core values of flexibility and trust.
"This arrangement could never work in an environment where management didn't trust the employees to do their work. It also requires that you as a remote-worker show that you are doing your job and speak up if there are problems or lack of projects."
For Mads, the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry offers endless excitement and opportunities. The regulated nature of the industry, rather than being restrictive, provides a framework that adds complexity and forces cross-disciplinary collaboration.
"It forces people to collaborate across their own expertise and develop solutions that will last."
His advice to others considering similar remote work opportunities is simple: "Do it! It is such a joy and surprisingly easy to make everything work out."
"This arrangement could never work in an environment where management didn't trust the employees to do their work. It also requires that you as a remote-worker show that you are doing your job and speak up if there are problems or lack of projects."
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