About Helena Risager

Helena Risager

Executive Coach & Recruitment Partner

MSc Psychology & Economics

Hogan Certified

15+ years experience

Based in Hellerup, Copenhagen

About

What I bring that is less common

Recruitment, assessment and coaching — in one person

Most recruiters don’t do Hogan assessment. Most coaches don’t run hiring processes. I do both, which means I can take ownership of the full arc — from role definition and candidate assessment to onboarding and leadership development.

4 years leading structured talent programmes

I have spent 4 years as project lead on talent programmes — running individual assessments and development dialogues with leaders and high-potential talents across the full programme arc. I understand what happens after the hire.

Psychology and economics — not one or the other

I can work at board level and still speak the language of business impact, cost of a bad hire, and organisational risk. The dual background is not incidental — it shapes how I think about every engagement.

Both sides of the table

I have worked inside organisations and as an external partner. I know how decisions actually get made, where processes break down, and what it takes to build rigour that sticks beyond a single hire or programme.

If you want to understand whether there is a fit — book a 20-minute conversation

I work at the intersection of recruitment, assessment, and leadership development. That combination is deliberate — because the best hiring decisions and the best leadership journeys both start in the same place: a clear, honest understanding of who someone actually is.

I hold a Master’s degree in Psychology and Economics and am certified in Hogan assessment. I have 15+ years of experience working with senior leaders, high-potential talents, and People & Culture teams across a range of industries — both as an in-house partner and as an independent advisor.

Explore my LinkedIn Profile

What I believe

“Outstanding leadership begins with self-insight.”

Not just knowing your strengths — but understanding the gap between who you intend to be as a leader and how you actually land. That gap is where the real work begins.

“The strongest candidate is not always the most visible one.”

Good recruitment is not about finding the obvious choice — it’s about creating a process rigorous enough to surface the person who might otherwise be missed. That takes structure, not just instinct.

“A great recruitment process outlasts a single hire.”

The real value is not just filling a role — it’s building the structure, the decision frameworks, and the interview rigour that makes every future hire better. That’s what I help organisations implement.

“Data and humanity are not opposites.”

Hogan analysis gives you objective language for what you already sense intuitively. The best decisions combine both — rigorous assessment and genuine human understanding.

“Purpose is not a nice-to-have.”

Leaders who know why they lead — not just how — make better decisions, build stronger teams, and sustain their energy over time. That’s not soft. That’s strategy.

Why this work matters

I have spent 15 years working closely with leaders and organisations at critical moments. Hiring decisions, leadership transitions, and the quieter work of helping someone understand themselves more clearly.

What I’ve learned is that the quality of those moments shapes everything that follows. Who you hire, how you develop them, and how clearly your leaders understand the gap between how they intend to lead and how they actually land.

That alignment — between personality, beliefs, and behaviour — is not abstract. It’s what determines whether a leader builds something sustainable, or keeps running faster without quite knowing why.

That’s not just what I do. It’s why I show up every time.

I’ve spent 15 years at the intersection of psychology, business, and people — and I still find it the most interesting place to be.

About Helena Risager