These interviews give you a unique opportunity to get to know our talented board candidates, who are ready to bring their expertise and insight to the boardroom.
We have access to Norway’s most comprehensive database of board candidates, and from it we have handpicked a selection of experienced leaders with a broad range of backgrounds and expertise. They represent a diversity of perspectives, and all share an understanding of the importance of good governance in achieving strategic and operational goals.
Through these interviews you will gain insight into what motivates them, their views on board work and, not least, the personal qualities and skills they can offer. We hope this will give a fuller picture of each candidate and inspire engagement and discussion about the role of the board in modern business management.
Eirik is an executive vice president in Petter Stordalen’s Strawberry group, where his responsibilities include technology and IT, people experience (HR) and sustainability. He was previously an executive vice president at Amedia and has also worked outside Europe for five years. He has an education in business and leadership from institutions including Harvard Business School and INSEAD.
He has previous board experience from several newspapers, including Bergensavisen, Haugesunds Avis and Russia’s largest daily newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda. He has also been a board member of several IT companies.
I find it tremendously exciting to take a holistic view of a business. Getting to grips with complex issues and being able to contribute your expertise so that better decisions are made is both developing and rewarding.
Each board member brings their own unique expertise, which together should add up to what the business needs. In addition to knowledge and experience, qualities such as strategic thinking, integrity and decisiveness are important. You also need a clear understanding of your role and a genuine desire to contribute.
You should engage like a T – go deep where you have particular expertise, but at the same time take part and contribute across the full breadth of matters.
That I helped bring clarity to the discussions and that the decisions were better as a result. That I helped the board use its time well and prioritise what matters most to the business.
The importance of the relationship between the board and management. Although the board hires (and fires) the CEO, management has a responsibility for ensuring that the board functions optimally. A good CEO should seek to use the board actively to develop the company, not drown it in PowerPoints or self-promotion. And the board, for its part, must strike a good balance between motivating and controlling management.
In addition to bringing a great deal of expertise in technology and cyber security, culture and sustainability from large companies, I think the most important thing I can add is genuine curiosity and the ability to ask the right questions to get to the heart of what matters. Nor am I afraid to voice an opinion.
Boards generally have more than enough focus on finance and compliance – so I also hope to help put corporate culture on the agenda, which I believe is an underestimated factor in long-term value creation and profitability.
Do you need new board members? Get in touch!