Building Trust Across Borders: The Leadership Perspective of Frans Leenaars
- Roger Blikkberget
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
Introduction
For DNBN Magazine, Founder and Chairman Kristian Aartun meets Frans Leenaars—a Dutch executive operating at the forefront of international business transformation, with leadership experience spanning companies such as TUI, Air France-KLM and Disney Parks & Resorts. He has built a career turning complexity into measurable growth across markets and cultures, working where strategy, technology and customer experience intersect. In this conversation, Leenaars shares sharp, practical insights on trust, execution and cross-cultural leadership—while making a compelling case for Norway as a quiet but powerful force in European business.
The Interview
You have been living in Norway for several years — what originally drew you to the country?
That is simple, my wife for 25 years...
How has living in Norway influenced your leadership style?
In Norway, you need to be a bit less direct than in the Netherlands.... you need to build trust first
What differences do you see between Dutch and Norwegian business culture?
Different is the speed and the directness, but common is the entrepreneurial spirit and getting things done
What aspects of Norwegian society resonate most with you personally?
I love the connection with nature, the relaxedness of people and the general trust towards each other
How has living in Norway shaped your perspective on work-life balance?
That balance is much better here than in France or the Netherlands, where I lived the 12 years combined before we moved here
Norway is known for its strong trust-based society — how does that influence business leadership?
You need to build and gain trust first, that takes a bit of time so that takes patience
Do you see Norway as a test market for innovation within Europe? Why or why not?
On digitalization I am much impressed on a daily basis, so the answer is yes
How do you stay connected to both Dutch and Norwegian business communities?
I try to meet as many people as possible and support people where I can
Looking back at your time as Country Manager Norway for KLM, what were your main priorities when you started?
Taking market share from SAS, which we did big time in those days
What were the biggest commercial challenges in the Norwegian aviation market at the time?
For KLM then our own capacity was the bottleneck, market was booming
How did Norwegian customer expectations differ from other markets you had worked in?
Norwegians both B2C and B2B are less price sensitive, but want good quality & solid products
What leadership lessons did you learn specifically from managing operations in Norway?
Give people even more freedom than you would in other places
How important were partnerships and local relationships in succeeding in the Norwegian market?
Very much, we had a strong team, well connected with the travel trade, corporate market and relevant stakeholders
How did your experience in Norway compare with managing markets like Singapore or Australia?
Norwegian & Dutch cultures are very similar in many ways, so it's easier to adapt to
What leadership qualities are universal across cultures?
Building bridges between people & teams, supporting change, trying to understand before you want to be understood (Covey)
What cultural misunderstandings have you learned the most from?
Both with Asians & with the French
How do you create alignment in geographically dispersed teams?
Be clear on the priorities, communicate continuously and be visible virtually and f2f
What role does transparency play in multinational leadership?
A big role, however the definition and expectation of transparency is not the same everywhere....
At Disney Parks & Resorts, what did you learn about emotional brand building?
You need to create emotions, positive memories around your brand and how your guests interact with it
How does the concept of “experience” differ between aviation and entertainment?
Aviation is more straight forward, getting from A to B as comfortable as possible, in entertainment you have many and varied interactions
Do Norwegian consumers respond differently to global brands compared to other European markets?
Not really, even though Norway feels quite protective of its own brands sometimes
What lessons from Disney still influence your leadership today?
Always go for excellence, nothing less
You led the rebranding of multiple local brands into one TUI master brand — what was the hardest part of that transformation?
Getting the whole organization behind it willing to leave the old brand(s) behind
How do you manage resistance during large-scale organizational change?
Explain the rationale, find supporters and just start... people will get on board eventually
What role does internal culture play in successful brand integration?
A lot, back to getting buy-in internally first
How important is local market sensitivity when building a unified European brand?
It is relevant but sometimes exaggerated
During your time as Director Customer Experience, how did you measure real impact?
Via continuously measuring & reporting customer feedback
How do you balance cost efficiency with customer satisfaction?
That is a fine line, but when done well, you have a win-win situation for the customer & the bottom line of the company
You’ve built new departments from scratch — what are the first three things you focus on?
Get a plan approved, find the right people and define what success looks like
What defines strong commercial leadership today?
Setting an ambitious plan, creating the right team, following progress tightly and adapting where needed along the way
How do you develop future leaders within your teams?
Giving them increased responsibility and letting them make mistakes
What advice would you give young Dutch professionals considering a career in Norway?
Norwegian business culture is a great place to learn as it is less hierarchical than French or German business culture
And vice versa — what can Norwegian leaders learn from Dutch business culture?
Maybe be more direct and a bit more bold
What role does sustainability play in the future of travel and aviation?
A very important role, we are finding more sustainable solutions for all aspects of travel, we need to be determined & persistent in implementing them
How do you see AI and digital transformation reshaping customer experience?
It is completely reshaping the way things are done and will continue to do so
Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of the Dutch-Norwegian business relationship?
I think we should solidify and build further on this strong foundation. We like each other, we have a lot in common, so let's develop more business together
Closing
Frans Leenaars represents a generation of global leaders shaped not by theory, but by execution across markets, cultures and industries. His perspective is grounded, pragmatic and results-driven—yet consistently anchored in one principle: trust comes first.
Across aviation, hospitality and customer experience, his message remains clear. Strategy alone is not enough. Success depends on alignment, cultural understanding and the ability to translate insight into action.
For leaders navigating international growth, the takeaway is precise: move fast when you can—but build trust before you do.
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