DNV GL has named a former chief executive of Telenor as its new chairman of the board amid the shipping industry’s continued digitalisation drive.
Jon Fredrik Baksaas, best known for serving as the Norwegian telecom’s top executive between 2002 and 2015, joined DNV GL’s board as vice chair last year before the recent appointment.
“DNV GL is a company that is well positioned to take a role as trusted voice to tackle the global transformations the world is facing,” Baksaas said in an emailed statement.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic the company has shown that the investments in digitalisation have helped to continuously serve its customers through smart digital solutions like remote surveys and remote audits.
“I look forward to continue the good work that DNV GL has achieved and to work with the board and DNV GL colleagues on the ambitious goals in the years to come.”
Baksaas, 65, began his career at the Norway-based classification society in 1979 and left six years later.
He joined Telenor in 1989 before quickly rising through the ranks. However, his tenure as CEO ended as part of the fallout of VimpelCom scandal.
DNV GL recorded operating revenue of NOK 21.6bn ($2.26bn) in 2019, of which NOK 7.74bn came from the maritime division.
Its revenue has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic this year, but maritime head Knut Orbeck-Nilssen earlier told TradeWinds that the impact was not material.
New board members
Separately, DNV GL announced two additions to its board.
Ingvild Saether, president and CEO of Altera Infrastructure, and Christian Venderby, Vestas’ executive vice-president, have both joined as board members.
“We are entering the decade of transformations where the pace of decarbonisation will be set and where the digital technologies underpinning industry 4.0 will mature from experimentation into large-scale application,” DNV GL’s group president Remi Eriksen said.
“The new appointments to the board will help us to better position the company in the new world emerging.”
Leif-Arne Langoy will step down after serving as chairman of the board for nine years. He oversaw the merger between DNV and Germanischer Lloyd to create DNV GL in 2013.
“He guided the board during one of the biggest changes in our 150-year history and I would like to thank him for his wisdom and hard work,” said Eriksen.
Torvald Klaveness’ president Lasse Kristoffersen, who has been a board member since 2017, will take over as vice chairman.
