Press release -
New Directors reflect NGI´s international strategy
Three new Directors have been elected to the Board of Directors of NGI, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. For the first time, a non-Norwegian citizen enters the board. The new board reflects our strategy of increasing the volume of R&D and consulting services towards a growing European offshore wind energy market as well as the Norwegian building and construction sector, says Lars Andersen, Managing Director of NGI.
Today, 30 per cent of NGI`s turnover is generated outside of Norway, the majority of which has been from the offshore oil & gas market. NGI expects the market for offshore wind energy to grow substantially during the next few years. The building and construction sector is now the largest market for NGI, with about 46 % of the Activity.
Dr. Morten Albjerg Liingaard is a leading specialist in the Wind Power division of DONG Energy. He is in the top management group of DONG Energy, and is also a board member of the Danish Geotechnical Society. He knows NGI well from professional cooperation on offshore wind turbine foundations. He is the first representative of a foreign corporation on the Board of NGI.
Jon Sandnes is managing director since 2013 for the Federation of Norwegian Construction Industries (BNL). Prior to that he was managing director for Norwegian Contractors Association (EBA). Sandnes has a MSc. degree in civil engineering (1983) from NTH (now NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway.
The third new Director of the Board is Gudny Okkenhaug. She was elected by the employees as their representation was increased from two to three. The two others are Carl Harbitz and Beate Kvistedal, both elected to the Board in 2014.
Chairman of the Board is Klaus J. Hansen, Director of Veidekke.Deputy Chair is Vibecke Hverven, General Manager of OBOS Prosjekt. The other Directors are Bente Nyland, Director of the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, and Per Are Hellebust, Regional Director of Statkraft Energy.Professor and geotechnical engineer Steinar Nordal, NTNU, has status as an observer on the Board.
Topics
- Environment, Energy
The Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) is a leading international centre for research and consulting within the geosciences. NGI develops optimum solutions for society, and offers expertise on the behaviour of soil, rock and snow and their interaction with the natural and built environment.
NGI works within the markets Offshore energy; Building, construction and transportation; Natural hazards, and Environmental Engineering.
NGI is a private foundation with office and laboratory in Oslo, branch office in Trondheim, and daughter companies in Houston, Texas, USA, and Perth, Western Australia. NGI was established in 1953.
