Joakim "JT" Thrane.

Joakim "JT" Thrane is a global CEO and operator with more than three decades of experience driving accelerated growth, leading business transformations, and building organizational scalability across Europe and the Americas. He works with ambitious CEOs navigating the challenges that come with growth - when priorities multiply, the organization becomes harder to align, execution slows, and too much still depends on the CEO. JT helps them cut through the complexity, focus on what matters most, and translate strategy into execution through stronger leadership, clearer accountability, and measurable business performance.

30+

Years operating

Core specialties

Industry experience

The operator behind the coach

Global CEO | Growth & Transformation | Translating Strategy into Execution to Drive Profitable Growth

A three-time CEO with more than three decades of international executive experience, Joakim “JT” Thrane has led accelerated growth, transformation, and turnarounds across Europe and the Americas, including leading a $1B+ business spanning 16 countries and more than 3,500 employees.

JT often works with CEOs who have successfully driven their business to a certain point, only to find themselves increasingly pulled back into the operation – solving problems for their teams, stepping into decisions that should be made elsewhere, and spending less time thinking about where the business needs to go next. He helps CEOs determine where their time and attention create the greatest value, what should be delegated, and what needs to change in the leadership team and organization to make that possible. His philosophy is straightforward: focus on what creates value – and stop doing what doesn’t. You will often hear him say, “Keep the main thing the main thing” – stay focused on the few things only the CEO can do.

Having built and led high-performing organizations across multiple countries, cultures, and time zones, JT brings the practical experience of an operator who has had to make things happen – not just advise on what should happen. He believes growth has a way of exposing what an organization has outgrown – its people, processes, structure, and sometimes the way the CEO leads. The CEO can only step up when the leadership team steps up with them, with the right people in the right roles, clear priorities, and real accountability.

Expertise
Accelerated Growth & Transformation • Strategy-to-Execution • Organizational Scaling • Leadership Team Development • International Expansion • Exit Preparation

Specialties
Accelerated Growth / International Expansion • Business Transformation. • Leadership & Organizational Scaling • Exit Preparation

Selected accomplishments

Led a $1B+ business across 16 countries and 3,500+ employees, delivering seven consecutive years of double-digit growth and ~25% EBIT across economic cycles.
Built high-performing leadership teams and a performance-driven culture, achieving 98% employee engagement and seven consecutive years as Latin America's #1 Great Place to Work.
Turned growth strategy into significant expansion, investing in 5+ new aircraft to expand international connectivity and capacity, and adding 250+ company-owned retail locations to extend market reach and customer access.

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Working with Joakim

Questions CEOs ask about Joakim

Who is Joakim "JT" Thrane best suited to coach?

JT is best suited to ambitious CEOs and presidents who have successfully grown their businesses but recognize that the next stage will require them - and their organizations - to operate differently. This may mean accelerating growth, expanding internationally, strengthening the leadership team, leading a transformation, or preparing the business for an eventual exit. He works particularly well with CEOs who want to build a business that can perform beyond them - with a strong leadership team, clear accountability, disciplined operating rhythms, and repeatable processes and playbooks that allow the organization to scale. For CEOs considering an eventual sale, that same work helps create a more professionally run, less founder-dependent business that is better positioned to attract buyers and support a stronger valuation.

What is Joakim "JT" Thrane's operating background?

JT is a three-time CEO with more than three decades of international executive experience across technology and IT services, logistics and supply chain, and consumer electronics. He served as CEO of Atos in South America before joining DHL, where he ultimately became a Regional CEO in Latin America, leading a $1B+ business spanning 16 countries and 3,500+ employees and delivering seven consecutive years of double-digit growth and ~25% EBIT across economic cycles. His career spans accelerated growth, transformation, turnaround, international expansion, and large-scale organizational leadership across Europe and the Americas - giving him firsthand experience of the decisions, trade-offs, people challenges, and execution realities CEOs face as they build and scale their businesses.

What is Joakim "JT" Thrane's coaching style?

Direct, practical, and collaborative, JT brings more than three decades of real-world CEO and P&L leadership to the conversation. He typically starts by understanding where the business is really getting stuck - which is not always where the CEO initially thinks the problem is. His role is to be an experienced operator in the CEO's corner: challenging assumptions, asking difficult questions, and helping turn better decisions into action. For JT, strategy becomes execution when priorities have clear owners, measures, and accountability.

Where is Joakim "JT" Thrane based and how does Joakim engage with clients?

JT is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and works with CEOs across North America and internationally. Drawing on decades of leadership experience across the Americas and Europe, he engages with clients through 1:1 coaching, board observation, and on-site strategic offsites, bringing a global perspective to each CEO's specific growth, leadership, and execution challenges.

What kind of results do CEOs see working with Joakim "JT" Thrane?

JT focuses on the outcomes that matter as a business grows: profitable growth, stronger leadership, greater organizational accountability, and a company that can perform with less dependence on the CEO. He believes sustainable performance comes from connecting the pieces - clear strategy, the right people, an engaged culture, strong customer experience, and disciplined execution - rather than treating them as separate initiatives. The goal is a stronger, more scalable, and ultimately more valuable business, whether the destination is continued growth, international expansion, succession, or a successful exit. Companies coached by CEO Coaching International for two or more years have averaged 22.8% revenue CAGR and 37.5% EBITDA CAGR, roughly 2-3x U.S. benchmarks.