Welcome to our interview series presenting our accomplished board candidates. These interviews give you a unique opportunity to get to know our accomplished 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 how important good governance is to achieving strategic and operational goals.
Through these interviews you will gain insight into what motivates them, how they view 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 leadership.
This time we talk to board candidate Merethe Holte
For the past 12 years, Merethe has combined board work with operational leadership positions in the seafood industry. She also brings broad experience from her role as head of business development at Mills and Insula, and from her time as a consultant at the internationally renowned advisory firm Kearney.
Merethe has worked along the entire seafood value chain and has held a number of board positions in Norwegian and Nordic companies and in various organisations, including SalMar ASA, Lofotprodukt AS, First Seafood AS, AL Oslo Fiskehall, Marenor AB, Escamar Seafood Oy, Amanda Seafood AS and Sjømat Norge (Seafood Norway). Today she runs the company Coast Retail AS and combines this with board work at Sotra Fiskeindustri.
What motivates you to serve on a board?
I am motivated by development and improvement work that delivers visible results for the business. I am curious and have a strong drive to create new and lasting value that builds on and strengthens the company’s competitive position.
Board work is also exciting team development, where the composition of the board and the division of roles can be highly motivating and a great learning experience.
What do you think are the most important qualities of a good board candidate?
A good board candidate should have a holistic understanding of the business and its position in the market. She must focus on safeguarding the best interests of the business and keep up to date on the requirements facing the industry and the various risks that need to be managed.
This means being clear in demanding situations, while also supporting the management and the processes it leads.
What is your philosophy on board work?
It is a great advantage if the board has set clear guidelines for how things should be done, which discussions it needs to have given the requirements of the law, and which strategic and operational topics should be prioritised. In addition, the board should evaluate itself and its working methods regularly, so that the company’s governance model is also developed and improved.
How would you like people to describe you after a board meeting?
I want to be seen as a committed contributor who is well prepared on the board papers and on the decisions the management needs. It is important to me to be seen as a constructive person who lifts discussions to the right strategic or operational level by actively involving the whole board and the management.
What is the most valuable lesson you have taken from your previous board experience?
The importance of a well-anchored strategy with clear goals for the business, followed up by the board. The complexity of major change processes is often underestimated and involves considerable risk, both for the people involved and financially. When deviations arise in relation to strategic goals or change processes, the management must present the necessary measures, which the board then follows up.
What do you hope to contribute as a board member?
Creative, insight-based input and a little ‘outside the box’ thinking, building on the company’s competitive position and a holistic value-chain perspective.
