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Me in the media

 

HR Norway

Monthly HR profile (february 2020)

"Tirsdag morgen" (columnist)

"HR tilbake til kjøkkenbordet" (February 2020)

"Hvor er kremmersjelene i HR-avdelingen?" (March 2020)

"Hvordan HR blir relevant" (March 2020)

"Fremtiden sett fra utsiden" (April 2020)

"Å se kompetanse som ennå ikke finnes" (April 2020)

My background

 

You will find my full CV on 

You may also download a PDF version in English or Norwegian, and a letter of recommendation (previous manager).

I have created a list of HR activities I have undertaken throughout the years and on who I am as a person. The list can be downloaded here.

The below content is a broader overview of my relevant professional experience, considering where I am heading professionally.

 

Professional summary

CV Top

What competences and capabilities we need to grow the business - that's what I am good at.

I have specialised in HR leadership – focusing on the main things in HR; organisational capability (ref. Why!), the drivers creating value and development/retention of people.

 

The organisational capabilities are what drives the strategy to success, motivates the employees and creates values for the company and owners. In a non-profit organisation different goals may substitute “shareholder value”, but the same principle applies.

 

The focus must be on the business essentials and fundamental HR processes (the need-to-have’s), discarding nice-to-have’s. If initiatives or HR measures not giving a positive ‘return of investment’ (ROI) or strategically output – I leave it. The smaller the business, the more important. What the drivers for creating values are is a paramount question.

business, people, teamwork and planning

There is no conflict between a strong business focus and people thriving and developing – that all depends on how they are managed.

 

My strongest feature is the ability to see the big picture, see across business disciplines, the helicopter perspective – with an analytical outlook. Asking what is good for the business.

 

The entirety of my career has been about transforming, restructuring or building organisations (or functions). Twice I have taken part in breathing life to organisations who either had been at a low point for 20 years or was in need for a transformation due to imminent changes. Twice I have participated in start-up processes; in newly established and in longstanding organisations, in small and large organisations, in Norwegian and international organisations. Transformation processes has also brought me in charge of downsizing processes, which is never pleasant.

 

Twice I have participated in combining cultures through incorporating acquired companies. It is challenging, but interesting process. As for most other mergers the learning points come in high numbers.

 

Taking on additional responsibilities in previous roles has also given me managerial experience from multi disciplines in addition to HR; admin, IT, HSE, QA, management systems, event management, media handling. Board member, board chair, General Manager and project manager. All in all this sharpens the business eye and improves the ability to see the overall picture.

Overall, my past roles on senior management team(s) has given me a broad experience from;

  • international commercial HR (strategical & operational)

  • organisational capability and business drivers

  • transformation, change, integration (acquisitions) and culture experience

  • international managerial roles, leading teams and “management by influence”

  • strategic planning (development and implementation)

  • organisational leadership, staff and competence development

  • matrix/complex knowledge based organisations with complex challenges

  • multicultural experience, working “cross border”

  • broad organisational understanding, with “political eyesight”

Most relevant previous positions

 

2014 – cont.: HR & Office Manager, RN Nordic Oil AS (Rosneft Group), Oslo

 

In addition to what is described in my CV: 

RN Nordic Oil AS (RNNO) is a start-up, but a 100% subsidiary of Rosneft Group – the world’s largest public listed oil company (in terms of production and reserves) with ~300.000 employees and headquarters in Moscow.

 

Arriving as employee #2 (May 2014) I was met with an almost empty office – indeed a start-up, despite a humongous parent company.

 

In RNNO I have built the HR function, and developing the organisational capability (competency framework) has been the primary objective. The Norwegian authorities has endorsed the RNNO capability framework on the basis of rigorous requirements for licencees and operators.

 

The organisation has successfully been established on the basis of the HR strategy. Branding, onboarding, C&B, various retention measures, staff development and HR basics (the need-to-have’s) are in place.

 

Albeit, attracting the right candidates in a start-up is normally a challenge. It requires a certain type of person, as most work and processes are in progress (or a organised disorder” if you like). Beyond work challenges RNNO had limited to offer at first; RNNO is not a wage leader (nor laggard!) and a one-step career ladder does not leave much room for career development (in the start-up phase). However, the success factor has been a well thought out Employee Value Proposition (the less visible values), enabling RNNO to attract and recruit the right people – avoiding attrition (but one).

 

Furthermore, developing a full spectre Management System (ISO 9001, legislation, corporate requirements) has also been an overall responsibility of mine – due to my background as certified Lead Auditor in Lloyd’s Register.

 

Reporting to the Managing Director, I am a member of the Senior Management Team.

 

2001 – 2014: Area HR Manager, Central Europe & Nordic Area, Lloyd’s Register EMEA, Gdansk/Oslo/Berlin/Hamburg/Copenhagen

 

In addition to what is described in my CV:  Lloyd’s Register is a global risk assessment company and classification society, operating in ~100 countries. LR is a (high) knowledge based business, with a complex structure.

 

After a restructuring in 2000 most of HR, Finance, HSE functions were decentralised into Areas. Nordic Area comprised 9 countries; Nordic countries, Baltic countries and Russia. My role was to establish the Area HR function from scratch, in addition to the role of Finance & Administration Manager for Norway and Iceland and HSE (Area). I was a member of the Nordic Management Team.

 

In 2005 I was promoted to Area HR Manager for the new combined Central European and Nordic Area (Nordic, Baltic, Russia, Germany, Poland, Austria, Czech, Slovakia and Hungary), comprising ~1.000 employees in 15 countries and with a revenue of GBP ~130m. I became a member of the Central Europe and Nordic Area Senior Management Team.

 

LR has a very complex, “cross border” organisation – agile business structure. The Area followed the business structure and was split (in two) in 2008. However, I remained as Area HR Manager for both Central European Area and the Nordic Area until 2011.

 

The Area office was at first located in Oslo, then Berlin, Hamburg and from 2008 in Copenhagen. My line management shifted from Oslo, to Berlin, to London and finally Rotterdam.

Hand putting the last piece of wooden bl

The years in LR was a unique opportunity to design a complementary HR team and piece together a group of 8 HR professionals. The function delivered the full range of strategic HR supporting higher management tiers (Area management) and operational HR support to the remaining part of the business units. The team was located in Oslo, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin and Gdansk.

 

The HR team was very proud of becoming certified as Top Employer Europe.

At first in LR I headed a Nordic cultural development project, as follow-up to the climate surveys or incorporation of acquired companies. Several times I was invited to participate in corporate HR development projects, developing and implementing a global competency framework, developing HR tools, structures and processes.

Our biggest achievement may be shifting the attitude towards HR, at first beheld (slightly) indifferently as redundant cost, to become in high demand and valued contributors in the business. How? By occasionally being on site (i.e. broad perspective) and delivering proposals and initiatives with business value to managers. In times of transition I believe managers found great value in the proposals from the HR team.

 

I also have broad experience from interacting towards trade unions, in particular in Sweden and Denmark, managing negotiation processes. Crisis management and conflict solving.

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