Former owner and founder of DS Stålkonstruktion, Svend Møller Hansen – also known as the “Steel King” – was present to personally congratulate Torben on the royal honour.
40 years of loyal service at DS honoured with the Royal Medal of Recompense
For more than four decades, Torben Jakobsgård Geertsen has carried out his daily work at DS Stålkonstruktion – which is why he has received the King’s Medal of Recompense, and the story becomes extra special because his wife Hanne is also set to receive her own royal medal for 40 years of service in elderly care.
Tuesday 9 December 2025 was a very special day in Hobro. Here, Torben Jakobsgård Geertsen received the Royal Medal of Recompense for 40 years of loyal service at DS Stålkonstruktion, where he has left his mark on production since 1983. The medal was presented at a ceremony in the canteen, flanked by colleagues from production, management and Torben’s wife.
Employee no. 44
Torben qualified as a metalworker in 1981 and on 20 April 1983 was hired as employee no. 44 at DS Stålkonstruktion A/S. Ever since, he has been a key professional figure in production, known for his particular technical understanding and his ability to translate theory into practice. He has been an active contributor to the company’s technological development, not least when new technologies and production methods had to be tested, implemented and rolled out to colleagues.
Over the years, Torben has had a continuous focus on knowledge sharing and training new generations. He has made an extraordinary effort to train apprentices and has been an important figure in the integration of new employees – both Danish and international. With his calm nature and practical approach, he has contributed to a strong working environment across professional disciplines and cultural differences.
Working environment and safety have also held a special place in Torben’s work. For 12 years, he has been a safety representative and has acted as a bridge-builder between the company’s management and employees on questions of working environment and safety. At the same time, as treasurer of the gift fund for more than 250 colleagues, he has taken responsibility for social events, weekend trips and gift purchases.
At the medal presentation, both the CEO of DS Stålkonstruktion, Morten Kaad, and the COO, Claus Rathmann Barnewitz, gave speeches for Torben. A big and warm thank you was extended for more than 40 years of loyal service and for the significance he has had for production, colleagues and the company’s culture.
“At DS Stålkonstruktion, we are both proud and grateful to have employees with as long a tenure as Torben. More than 40 years of loyal service is remarkable in itself, and it is far from a given in today’s labour market. It’s also not every day that someone is honoured with the King’s Medal of Recompense, and we see it as a fine recognition of Torben’s efforts and of the community he has helped build up here in the company”, says Morten Kaad, CEO DS Stålkonstruktion.
The “Steel King” came to celebrate Torben
The day also became a little “royal” when DS Stålkonstruktion’s former owner and founder, Svend Møller Hansen – also known as the “Steel King” – showed up to personally congratulate Torben on the honour.
An extra nice detail of the ceremony was that it was Torben’s wife, Hanne, who got to attach the medal – duly over the heart, side by side with the DS logo on his work clothes. Mrs. Hanne makes the event a very special double celebration, as on 22 May 2026 she herself will receive the Royal Medal of Merit for 40 years of loyal service at the Borupvænget elderly care centre in Randers, where she works as a night nurse. Hanne is a trained social and healthcare assistant.
Mr. and Mrs. Geertsen can look forward to completing the royal honour together when they travel to the capital for a thank-you audience with His Majesty the King.
After 43 years at DS, retirement awaits
Torben retires on well-deserved pension on 31 December 2025 after almost 43 years of loyal service at DS Stålkonstruktion. He has been happy with his many years of working life at DS Stålkonstruktion, and says; “otherwise I probably would have looked for something else”. Now he looks forward to enjoying his retirement at his home in Randers, where he gets more time for his family, which counts four sons and eight grandchildren.
With the presentation of the Royal Medal of Recompense, DS Stålkonstruktion marks its deep gratitude to Torben Jakobsgård Geertsen for a lifelong effort.
