Independent advisor in vendor management, complex IT projects and technical leadership

I know both sides of the table

Are you facing an IT solution that doesn’t meet goals or expectations, or where estimates or scope have drifted? A complex IT project where leadership and the technical team talk past each other? Or a technical team that lacks an experienced mentor or leader?

After 29 years at Microsoft, including almost a decade in Microsoft Denmark’s leadership and 10 years in international director roles, I have been the supplier negotiating estimates and scope, and I have owned delivery, partners, and subcontractors on projects of every size. Today I advise the customer side.

That difference shows when the discussion comes to a head: I can see through a vaguely worded requirement and an estimate that doesn’t hold, challenge a solution choice that points in the wrong direction, and translate it all into a decision basis that can be acted on.

jasper@etara.dk +45 40 90 41 68

Advisory

Vendor management & contract negotiation

Leverandørstyring og kontraktforhandling

When an IT project starts to grind and doubt creeps into estimates, scope, or deliverables, the cost is rarely just financial: delivery stalls, and the organisation’s and leadership’s resources get tied up.

Advisory and negotiation support in escalated IT projects
Structure and a pragmatic whole-picture approach that keeps delivery moving
Deep technical insight to challenge estimates and solution choices, and translate it for business and leadership
Assessment of vendors’ AI promises: what is real, what is pie in the sky, and what belongs in the contract
A clear decision basis, so the organisation and leadership can act decisively and get results

I have sat on both sides of the table: as a director on the supplier side, including responsibility for subcontractors, and as an advisor on the customer side. Vendor management and negotiation have been a recurring theme throughout my career.

Technical team leadership

Sometimes an organisation lacks an experienced technical leader at a critical moment: someone who can set direction and get into the work themselves, showing the way and inspiring the team.

Interim CIO/CTO or a senior technical leader through a transition
Architect and team lead: direction combined with hands-on work
Experience hiring, coaching, and leading specialist teams, including across borders
Psychological safety and a team that comes out standing stronger on its own

I am not here to stay forever. I pass on the baton, anchor the right habits, and step out as soon as the team can carry it themselves again.

Complex IT projects

Complex IT projects rarely fail on technology alone. They stall when leadership and the technical side talk past each other.

A bridge between non-technical leadership and the technical project
Advisory support for the people who run day-to-day project and vendor management
Overview and a decision basis for the steering committee, where I gladly take a seat
Stability, security, and risk management weighed equally with momentum

My role is advisory: I help the organisation and its leadership set the course, and I support the people who drive it day to day. I do not take over daily operations.

Strategy

Technology choices are business choices. I help the organisation and its leadership set a course, using systems thinking to find the places where a small effort moves the most.

IT and cloud strategy, portfolio, and roadmap
AI as an accelerator: where it creates value, where it does not, and what it means for security and sourcing
Sourcing strategy: the balance between internal capabilities, partners, and vendors
Mapping the feedback loops that make the business grow or stall, and that are hard to spot from the inside
The shift to recurring revenue and as-a-service models, when that is the right move

Strategy is not a document. It is the choices, and the deliberate non-choices, that make everyday decisions easier. A course is only truly set when it has become part of the organisation's own story and shows in the decisions being made.

Sound familiar?

Estimates keep slipping, trust keeps shrinking. Yet another revised estimate has landed, and it is hard to believe this one will be any better.

The steering committee is flying blind. The reports have turned into watermelons: green on the outside, red on the inside. It gets harder and harder to translate words and technology into something the organisation and leadership can act on.

The key person is gone. Your CIO/CTO or chief architect left in the middle of a critical stretch, and the team lacks direction and calm.

Complexity has grown quietly. After mergers, new systems, and years of quick fixes, even small changes have become expensive, slow, and hard to see through.

That’s where I come in.

About me

I spent 29 years at Microsoft, going from technical consultant to international director roles. Along the way I have stood in almost every role around an IT project: as a consultant and advisor for customers like Novo Nordisk, Danfoss, TDC, and the Danish Defence’s IT organisation, as a deputy director responsible for selling and delivering complex IT projects, including managing subcontractors, and as a director on the supplier side of large contracts. That is why I know both sides of the table.

I was part of the senior product leadership that transformed Dynamics NAV into the global SaaS platform Dynamics 365 Business Central, with 50,000 customers, more than two million users, and thousands of partners (2025 figures). In my final years in Microsoft’s product organisation, I co-founded and led an international engineering team in Azure that turned insights from hundreds of SaaS solutions into concrete improvements to the Azure platform.

For almost a decade I held various roles on the leadership team of Microsoft Denmark. As National Technology Officer, I worked closely with the public sector on complex solutions, procurement, and contract processes. I draw on that experience today when organisations and their leadership need to get a grip on vendors and contracts.

I hold a Master of Science in Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, with executive education in management and innovation from Stanford, INSEAD, and CBS, among others.

I am always learning: from books, from people, from projects, and from the focused work of creating clarity. In 2025 I left Microsoft and founded Etara, because many organisations face decisions where technology, business, and leadership cannot be separated, and where a calm outside perspective can make a real difference.

What others say

He listens carefully, thinks clearly, and has that rare ability to move between technical depth and big-picture strategy without losing sight of either.
I work in the complex space of international trade, most recently with the intersection of trade, policy, and blockchain technology. It's not a space that's easy to drop into. But Jasper is one of the few people I've met who can not only understand it, he can engage with it strategically.
I've known Jasper for many years, and every time we've interacted, I've come away with sharper insight and better questions. If you're looking for a strategic partner who can help you navigate what's next, especially when the terrain is unfamiliar or complex, I can give Jasper my strongest endorsement.

Jens Munch Lund-NielsenHead of Trade & Supply Chains, IOTA Foundation

Focus on the right things to create a positive reaction to change.
Jasper has extremely good technical knowledge, across multiple domains and technologies, but I think his greatest strength is his leadership, combined with the dedication for his team. He is always open and available if you need guidance, showing emotional intelligence and empathy.
Jasper is also a visionary and leads by example, providing clarity and aligning the team with the direction. His ability to inspire and motivate, together with his impressive decision-making skills and strategic thinking, make him an exceptional, strong leader for any team.

Laura GhimpeteanuSenior Engineer, Microsoft Germany

Consistently brings a comprehensive perspective to any situation.
I had the pleasure of collaborating with Jasper as part of an international leadership team for Azure Customer Engineering at Microsoft. Jasper consistently brings a comprehensive perspective to any situation and facilitates thoughtful discussions to consider additional crucial aspects when necessary.
He introduces novel and alternative viewpoints in a non-confrontational manner, promoting collaboration within the leadership team while striving for action, progress, and sustainable business success. Jasper contributes substantial experience to any team, and his sense of humor makes him fun and enjoyable to work with.

Julia NathanMicrosoft Corp, USA

A selection of organisations I've worked with

As a consultant, leader, and advisor across nearly three decades, I have met over a hundred organisations, large and small: private companies, public institutions, NGOs, and associations.

Currently (since autumn 2025): Among other engagements, advising a government agency in a case concerning vendor management and the escalation of an IT project.

Questions and answers

How does an engagement start?

We start with a short, no-obligation conversation about your situation. If there is a match, I propose a bounded first step, for example a review of the case, the contract, or the project, so we quickly know what it will take and we can decide on an informed basis.

How quickly can you step in?

An initial conversation can almost always happen within a few days. How quickly the engagement itself can start depends on scope and my ongoing commitments, but in escalated cases I go far to move fast.

How much time do you put into an engagement?

We agree on what fits, but most engagements run as a fixed rhythm of a few days a week: more in the initial and intensive phases, less when things are rolling. That is a deliberate choice. As an advisor I need to be close enough to know the details, while still leaving room for the existing team to operate autonomously. If you need more for a period, for example in a transitional role as interim CIO/CTO, we agree on that.

Who do you typically work for?

Mid-size and larger Danish companies and public sector organisations, across the whole country, in person and virtually.

Do you work directly or through consultancies?

Most engagements run through consultancies I partner with, typically as part of a larger agreement or framework contract: in the public sector often via framework agreements such as SKI.

How do you work with AI?

Concretely, and with both feet on the ground. I use AI daily in my own analysis, development, and writing, so I know what the tools can and cannot do. To me, AI is an accelerator: it amplifies experience and judgment, but does not replace them. In my advisory work I use that insight to assess vendors’ AI promises, to help teams use AI sensibly and securely, and to give the organisation and its leadership a calm picture of where AI creates value and where it does not.

What about confidentiality and conflicts of interest?

Confidentiality is a precondition: no clients or cases are mentioned publicly without explicit agreement. Conflicts of interest are the first thing we clear, and I say so openly if an engagement sits too close to previous or ongoing work.

When am I not the right choice?

If you need someone to take over day-to-day project or vendor management for an extended period: there I advise the people who drive the work, but I do not take it over. The exception is technical leadership, where I gladly step in as interim CIO/CTO or playing coach through a transition. And if you need a whole consulting team, one advisor is not the answer, but I will gladly help you find the right setup.

Think Slow. Act Fast.

Understand the situation
The instinct is to act right away. I begin by understanding: the contract, the estimates, the architecture, and what really drives the parties. That calm is the foundation for picking up speed.
Create clarity
I cut to the core and separate what we actually know from what we merely assume. The result is a clear decision basis that the organisation, leadership, and steering committee can act on.
Advise and negotiate
I set the course together with the organisation and its leadership, and support the people who run the work day to day. With clarity and preparation we avoid unnecessary conflict, and if pressure rises anyway, I stand at your side with calm and perspective.
Anchor and exit
I hand over the playbook, anchor the way of working, and step out to make room for the team.

Need a fresh perspective at a critical moment?

Let's have a no-obligation conversation about vendors, projects, or technical leadership: no sales pitch, just a clear conversation about where you stand and what the next step is. The first step is 30 minutes: your situation, my immediate observations, and whether I am the right fit at all. I typically reply within one working day.

Email me LinkedIn +45 40 90 41 68

I look forward to hearing from you.

Jasper