The board work of the future requires diversity and new thinking In our blog series on the finalists for Styrekvinnen 2024, we highlight inspiring women who help strengthen Norwegian business through board work. One of them is Siri Nilssen, group CEO of Amesto AccountHouse and Amesto TechHouse/Solutions. With an impressive career in finance, auditing and strategy, combined with board positions in both Norway and Sweden, she is a clear voice for new thinking in the boardroom.
A leader with broad experience
Siri Nilssen has a solid academic background, with a Master of Science in Business from BI and a master’s degree in auditing and accounting from NHH Norwegian School of Economics. She has also recently completed an Executive Master in Sustainable Business Strategy. Her career began at PricewaterhouseCoopers, before she took on senior roles in various industries, including as CFO of Adecco. For the past ten years she has been a key leader in the Amesto group, where she now runs two groups of companies while also holding several board positions.
Her interest in board work stems from a strong belief that the board can be a catalyst for change and innovation. Through her experience, she has seen how financial insight, strategy and operational understanding can help build more robust and future-oriented companies.
The boards of the future require a new kind of leadership
Nilssen believes the business world is facing major changes, and that traditional leadership is not always suited to the challenges of tomorrow. She encourages companies to recruit more broadly and to prioritise diversity in the boardroom.
“We need to value the unique perspective and the expertise that women bring to the table, not just think about filling a quota,” she says.
To ensure that more women take their place on Norwegian boards, she believes it is important to demystify board work and make clear what value a board member actually brings to the company. Networks, mentoring schemes and training are important measures for getting more women to take the step into the world of boards.
“Believe in your own worth”
With the new gender balance requirements for Norwegian limited companies from 2024, 13,000 more women board members will be needed by 2028. Nilssen believes there are enough qualified women in business, but that they need to become more visible and actively seek out the opportunities.
Her advice to women who want board positions is clear:
- Build and maintain a professional network.
- Acquire relevant knowledge and experience.
- Say yes to new challenges – including outside your comfort zone.
- Believe in your own worth and in what you can bring to a board.
Read the full interview with Siri Nilssen (in Norwegian) in AW Magazine here
