Resources

Article

The power of entrepreneurial thinking in public services

Article

The power of entrepreneurial thinking in public services

Article

The power of entrepreneurial thinking in public services

Business insights

Article

The power of entrepreneurial thinking in public services

Business insights

As Segment Director for Visma’s Public Segment, Kasper Lyhr works to digitalise and strengthen the public sector across Europe. While leading the segment management team, shaping strategic initiatives, and overseeing budget allocation, he also holds several chair and board roles across different organisations within the segment, helping set direction, ensure good governance, and inspire teams to achieve shared goals through clear communication and accountability.

“Real change happens when technology meets purpose, and people lead with passion. That’s something I have carried with me while setting the direction for the Public Segment at Visma.”

In the latest episode of the Voice of Visma podcast, Kasper shares his journey from startup founder to transforming the public sector at Visma – and what he thinks is the key to building efficient societies. Together with host Linda Emmery, he explains Visma’s approach to supporting public organisations in modernising through cloud solutions and local expertise.

→ Find the episode here

Keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive

Kasper’s career in software started nearly two decades ago. With a background in business administration, he started working on the commercial side before quickly stepping into leadership roles. From Sweden to San Francisco, London to Dubai, Kasper’s early years took him around the world to gain hands-on experience in scaling businesses internationally. “I was lucky enough to live abroad for years, and it was quite an educational journey,” Kasper says, recalling the time he spent exploring everything from Silicon Valley’s innovative culture to the fast pace of London or working with the Asia-Pacific region.

After nearly a decade of international experience, Kasper returned to Denmark and became the founding CEO FirstAgenda, a software company offering meeting software solutions for the public sector. In just four years, FirstAgenda captured about 95% of the market share in Denmark and 40% in Norway. Soon enough, the company caught the eye of several potential acquirers.

“I really wanted FirstAgenda to be acquired by Visma. I knew the company, I knew its values, and I knew the unique advantage of being part of something bigger while still keeping an entrepreneurial spirit. That combination was extremely appealing to me.”

For Kasper, the choice was clear, and in 2020, his vision came true – FirstAgenda officially became part of Visma.

Kasper Lyhr, Segment Director for Visma’s Public Segment, and Linda Emmery, People Director at Visma.

Visma’s mission to empower efficient societies

What stood out to Kasper once he joined Visma was the unique level of autonomy for each company. “My expectations were true: Visma allows every company to maintain their entrepreneurial DNA. That was important to me,” he says. Since then, he has taken on greater responsibility within Visma, and is now leading the Public Segment across several markets. He’s also been at the forefront of multiple acquisitions to strengthen our offerings in the public sector – something that would’ve been difficult to achieve as an independent company.

“The opportunities that came with being part of Visma made a huge difference. You get to build an ecosystem – not just a company.”

Kasper’s genuine passion for helping the public sector run more efficiently is what pulled him towards Visma. By working closely with our customers, and taking their needs into account in every step of every development process, we’re able to provide compliant and secure software products for municipalities, governments, the education sector, and the healthcare industry. And that’s the beauty of working to empower public institutions – the impact meets people’s day-to-day needs.

As the population ages, public sector organisations face growing pressure to deliver more efficient, accessible services. Demographic shifts demand smarter, more sustainable solutions that can support increasing demand without overwhelming resources. We offer a broad portfolio of cloud-based software designed specifically for the public sector, with solutions tailored to meet the current needs of public organisations, and help them run more efficiently, securely, and smoothly – freeing up time and resources so public sector professionals can focus on what matters most.

Visma’s products and solutions for the public sector include:

  • Financial management and planning
  • HRM and payroll
  • Healthcare administration
  • Educational administration
  • eGovernment solutions

By combining local expertise with cutting-edge technology, we enable public sector organisations across Europe to deliver better outcomes for their communities. “Working with municipalities and public institutions is rewarding in a different way,” Kasper emphasises. “It’s not just about business growth – it’s about impact, efficiency, and making a difference in people’s everyday lives.”

Related content