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Profile
She is a lawyer by training, with a degree from Oslo, a diploma
in legal studies from Oxford and a licence to practice law in
New York. Today, she regards this part of her past more like
a detour: “Looking back, I see a pattern that almost looks
planned, with three significant threads. First, I have always
taken an interest in industrial development. Second, I enjoy the
challenge of getting complex organizations to work well. Third,
advanced sales of services in highly competent enterprises has
been a recurring trigger.”
HYDRO AND STATOIL
SINTEF is not new to Bech Gjørv. She’s been a board member for
four years. At the time, she was a Hydro executive with several
years behind her in the automotive structures division. When
Hydro and Statoil joined forces, Bech Gjørv was the only Hydro
executive to continue on top in the merged company. All in all,
she worked 17 years for the two companies. The tasks ranged
from wind turbines to carbon capture, from aluminium to HR.
The multifaceted experience is no handicap in her new position:
SINTEF develops everything from data chips for space stations
to fodder for fish farms.
BEST FRIENDS
Alexandra Bech Gjørv gave her first major address as SINTEF
CEO at the annual conference of the Confederation of
Norwegian Enterprise. In her presentation, she said: “We are
best friends with NTNU”.
She is well aware that her 2000 colleagues in Scandinavia’s
largest independent research organization rely heavily on the
cooperation with the neighbouring university. For the partners
in SFI CASA, access to the SIMLab Tool Box, owned jointly by
NTNU and SINTEF, is an essential foundation for innovation and
commercial harvest from the scientific findings.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM TERROR
As most Norwegians know, Bech Gjørv headed the fact-finding
commission appointed by the government after the 2011
terrorist attacks.
She makes a point of not commenting whether the police have
taken on the lessons learned. On the other hand, few have a
better impression of the results of the terrorist attack. This
includes the massive impact of the explosion outside the
government administration complex.
She readily recognizes the importance of SIMLab’s and CASA’s
advances in multi-scale testing, modelling and simulation
of materials and structures. One of the many areas where
this kind of research is needed is in the planning of the new
government administration complex:
SIMULATIONS SHOWED THE NEED
“Simulations of structural vulnerability are a critical enabler
of planning a government complex with an architecture and
choice of materials that balances the real needs for security
with the equally important need for democratic access.
Our commission did in fact document that such simulations
done before the terrorist attack showed a need to block the
street leading to the Prime Minister’s office for vehicle access,
while allowing pedestrian access was an acceptable risk. The
mistake made was in not implementing the governmental
decision to block the road for vehicles,” she says.
CURIOSITY-DRIVEN
Curiosity killed the cat. Luckily, it doesn’t work like that for
humans. In Alexandra Bech Gjørv’s case, it is what drives her.
“At the same time, I’m disciplined. In spite of a spontaneous
nature, over the years in executive positions, I have learned to
enjoy working systematically and with a plan. It definitely helps
that I find whatever I’m working with at any given moment very
exciting. I get completely absorbed,” she confesses.
At the time of the interview she is full of enthusiasm over
the fruits of a long-lasting collaboration between her old
employer Hydro, and SINTEF and NTNU: Hydro has decided
to invest almost NOK 4 billion in a pilot for the world’s most
environmentally friendly aluminium plant at Karmøy.
A NEED TO CULTIVATE
SINTEF’s new CEO stresses the importance of high ambitions
as well as the courage to ask difficult questions. This includes
a diligent search for the highest risks, whether the topic is
avalanches, terror or refugees.
“SINTEF’s mission is to guide enterprises on the road to
creating value by solving problems in society,” she says.
She looks forward to continue the cooperation with best friend
NTNU, including CASA. She also is well aware of the continuous
tension between a university dedicated to basic research and
an independent research organization that must always have
the market in mind.
“I think this fundamentally is a constructive tension that has
served NTNU, Norwegian industry and SINTEF well over the
years. However, as the institutions have grown, there is a need
to cultivate and perhaps formalize the relationship a bit more.
I also have some ideas around how the Ministry of Education
could facilitate the university/institute relationship, but I
shouldn’t get too excited before the ideas are fully explored
with people more experienced in university politics than
myself,” she sums up.
A perfect
MATCH
With thorough insight in aluminium, automotive industry and anti-terror, it’s hard to
imagine a better match for SFI CASA than SINTEF’s new CEO Alexandra Bech Gjørv.