Report - Kongsberg Gruppen 2007 - Kongsberg Maritime ...

6
NEW MAN AT THE HELM
Walter Qvam is the man chosen by Kongsberg's Board of Directors to take over the helm
of the Group as successor to Jan Erik Korssjøen. Korssjøen joined the ranks of pensioners on
1 March following yet another record year for Kongsberg.
Jan Erik Korssjøen,
CEO, Kongsberg from 1999–2008
Walter Qvam,
CEO, Kongsberg from 1 March 2008
"It is the underlying
expertise and
professionalism that
say the most about
opportunities in the
long term."
Walter Qvam
Korssjøen feels privileged to be stepping
down at a time when everything is run -
ning so smoothly for Kongsberg. Mean -
while, he immediately shares the credit.
"Our achievements are a result of the hard
work of many talented employees over
many years, combined with their willing -
ness to strive for continuous improve -
ment, and positive market trends. The fact
that large parts of our advancement are
not entirely market driven means that our
success is likely to continue", comments
Korssjøen.
Exciting and challenging future
The new CEO is both eager and excited
about the tasks before him and, like
Korssjøen, he firmly believes the Group
will continue to make progress.
"Things have gone smoothly for the
Group for a long time. Inasmuch as mar -
kets will invariably fluctuate somewhat,
ultimately, our underlying expertise and
professionalism will determine our longterm
possibilities. Kongsberg rests on a
strong foundation and is well positioned
for further growth. Our strong results are
supported by a long history featuring the
development of technology, world-class
products and a fantastic competence
base. Combined with the seasoned inter -
national sales networks Kongsberg has in
different markets, I believe we have laid
the foundation for further progress",
maintains Qvam.
Strongest growth abroad
Both Korssjøen and Qvam point out that
relative growth in terms of sales and staff
will be strongest outside Norway.
"We have become far more international
in recent years. A growing percentage of
our value creation has been moved closer
to our customers, enabling us to
strengthen customer relations further.
"In the years ahead, I believe an even
greater share of the value chain will be
distributed. We will do more in more
places. A prime example is the production
of the PROTECTOR Remote Weapon
Station (RWS). We have set up production
lines in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (USA).
We see this as a proactive move to
provide faster customer service, at the
same time as we are positioning ourselves
relative to future opportunities in the
world's largest defence market.
"Asia has been another geographical
fo cal point for us in recent years. The
strate gy is the same: proactive positioning
relative to the world's largest shipbuilding
market. Accordingly, it is profoundly im -
portant and right that we continue to
inter nationalise the Group. This will con -
tribute to Kongsberg's long-term devel -
op ment trend, benefiting our customers
as well as our employees", underlines
Korssjøen.
"I agree with Korssjøen that it is abso -
lutely essential that Kongsberg's opera -
tions be distributed across different loca -
tions. We must be close to the action to
pick up signals from customers and mar -
kets if we are to maintain our position as
a technological leader. Technology is
developing more rapidly than before and
new solutions are often developed in co -
operation with the customer. Moreover,
increased globalisation is leading to the
development of global resource centres
and Kongsberg may also benefit from be -
Kongsberg – Annual Report and Sustainability Report 2007