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Travel Agent Central: USTOA To Host Sustainability Summit In Norway

Airline / Travel, Business News

This May, the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), in partnership with Visit Norway, will host its first SIR – Sustainability is Responsibility Summit in Bodø, Norway. The two-day executive-level interactive member conference will bring together leaders from across the travel industry to set a path for a more sustainable future, the USTOA said. 

The May 20-21 program includes inspirational and educational content, case study learnings and interactive dialogue presented through a series of panel and roundtable discussions, keynote presentations and fireside chats. The summit is aimed at fostering future collaborations, innovative approaches and cross-sector education that will benefit all participants. 

“Achieving sustainable tourism is a complex initiative that is best addressed globally by working together as an industry in order to maintain long-term impact,” said Terry Dale, president and CEO of the USTOA, in a written statement. 

Read entire article HERE.

Boston Dynamics Robot Dog Goes on Patrol at Norwegian Oil Rig

Business News, Energy, Technology, ,

Meet Spot, the first robot to get its own employee number at Norwegian oil producer Aker BP ASA.

Developed by Boston Dynamics Inc., the robot is set to start patrolling Aker BP’s oil and gas production vessel at the Skarv field in the Norwegian Sea this year, testing its ability to run inspections, detect hydrocarbon leaks, gather data and generate reports.

The upshot for Aker BP, which is seeking to be a front-runner in the digitalization of the oil industry, is to make offshore operations safer and more efficient, the company said as it presented the robot at its capital markets day in Oslo on Tuesday. Aker BP will run the tests with Cognite AS, the software venture controlled by the oil company’s main owner, Aker ASA.

Economic Perspectives: Address by Governor Øystein Olsen to the Supervisory Council of Norges Bank and invited guests, 13 February 2020

Accounting / Financial, Business News

“We are now moving into the final phase of a period where domestic raw materials and energy sources have provided an essential basis for economic expansion. Hereafter, growth must increasingly rely on the production of finished goods in areas where we do not have a natural advantage.”[1]

The same could be said about the challenges facing the Norwegian economy today. But this quote is from 50 years ago – from the annual address by central bank governor Erik Brofoss on 16 February 1970.

The 50th anniversary of the first oil discovery on the Ekofisk field was commemorated in October last year. Aptly enough, this took place on the same day as the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) topped NOK 10 000 billion.

Read entire address HERE.

AmCham Mentorship Program Wrap-Up & Next Edition!

AmCham News

AmCham Mentorship Program Wrap-Up & Next Edition!

The 2019-2020 edition of the AmCham Mentorship Program had its closing meeting at Janssen’s Oslo headquarters. The meeting was kicked off by presentations from Janssen Nordic Commercial Director Angelique Fjeldstad and Catalysts Founder & CEO Lisa Cooper, who highlighted takeaways from their own mentoring experiences, effective strategies for building structured mentorship relationships, and reverse mentoring strategies.

Initiated in May 2019, this fourth edition of the popular AmCham program included participants from AIG, Bristol-Myers Squibb, British American Tobacco, Coca-Cola, Gambit Hill+Knowlton, Janssen, Jotun, KPMG, MSD, Philip Morris International, Pfizer, Radisson, Roche, and the US Embassy.

All participants were paired across industries, based upon their personal interests and goals, in order to facilitate leadership dialogue, share best practices, and learn from one other through the nine-month curriculum.

Presenters

1 AF

Angelique Fjeldstad – Nordic Commerical Director

Cooper

Lisa Cooper – CEO & Founder

Reflections and Strategies for Success

Janssen’s Nordic Commercial Director Angelique Fjeldstad provided tips and skills to work on for professional and personal development. Fjeldstad reflected on strategies that have helped her reach success while maintaining work-life balance, strategies that she has shared with her mentees through her participation in the AmCham program over the past two years.

 

Noting the increased demands and distractions of a working world where no one is ever truly out of reach, Fjeldstad suggested two things for the mentors and mentees to adapt into their routines. First, the need to be present during all of your workplace and personal interactions, even if that means disconnecting in order to focus on the specific task at hand or disconnecting to provide colleagues with focus and respect. Second, the need to go slow in order to go fast – the importance of taking time to reflect and slow down in order to think clearly about the task at hand and to achieve an optimal outcome.

The Role of Mentoring in the “Future of Work"

Catalysts Founder & CEO Lisa Cooper shared her experience of moving to Norway 30 years ago and developing what was once a pilot mentoring program with four mentors and four mentees promoting diversity into Catalysts, which is now one of the leading mentoring programs in Norway is a part of the Nordic Mentoring Summit and the Nordic Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring. 

Cooper then focused on reverse mentoring, a powerful tool popularized in 1999 by former General Electric CEO Jack Welch, consisting of interaction between younger and more seasoned employees to bridge the skill gap and learn from each other. Lisa suggested that success in the future of work will rely on being prepared for changing workforce and market demographics, giving examples of how reverse mentoring has worked exceptionally well and positively influenced workplace culture. 

The session ended with mentors and mentees providing feedback on the program. They shared what they had learned from their time together and the value of their mentoring relationships, in addition to highlighting how  the unique cross-industry pairings at the core of the AmCham Mentoring Program enable an exciting flow of knowledge, perspectives, and ideas between our Patron member companies.

The Road Ahead

Planning for the next edition of AmCham’s Mentorship Program 2020-2021 is underway, with many of our previous mentors returning to the program. A call for participants will commence from March, with our initial meeting in May. Mentors will select talented and aspiring colleagues from within their own companies to participate as mentees. Program participants will then be paired by AmCham across industries to facilitate the nine-month leadership dialogue.  

The Mentorship program is available to Patron-level members of AmCham Norway. For further information and interest in the program, please contact katja.dahl.murphy@amcham.no

About the AmCham Mentorship Program

With its unique cross-industry orientation and global approach, the AmCham Mentorship Program offers a dynamic, internationally-minded arena for leadership development. 

The program pairs emerging business talent with seasoned executives from Patron-level AmCham member companies. The result: a collaborative arena that fosters innovation, prepares developing and seasoned leaders for the challenges of today’s international business environment, and forges strong bonds between AmCham member companies. The Mentorship Program is available to AmCham Norway’s Patron level members.

With thirty-four mentor and mentee representatives from fifteen different companies and organizations, including AmCham– the 2019-2020 cycle is the largest participation to date.

Advanced Television: Telenor, Discovery Carriage Agreement

Business News, Entertainment & Lifestyle, Technology,

Telenor, the Norwegian telco and owner of Canal Digital, has signed an agreement to distribute eleven Discovery channels in the country, as well as the Dplay streaming service.

“We are very pleased to have reached a new and forward-looking agreement with Telenor,” said Tine Austvoll Jensen, CEO of TVNorge and Discovery Networks in a press release.

Read entire article HERE.

E24: Norsk Wework-topp trekker seg etter at eiendomsgiganten girer ned ekspansjonen

Business News

Wework har gått gjennom et krevende år med eierbytte, masseoppsigelser og en rekke kontroverser. Nå trekker den norske direktøren for ekspansjon i Norden og Nederland, Henrik Taubøll, seg fra stillingen sin i selskapet.

– Det har vært et helt crazy år, sier Henrik Botten Taubøll, transaksjonsdirektør for Wework i Norden og Nederland til E24.

Han har åpnet 13 Wework-kontorer det siste året sammen med den andre norske Wework-direktøren Salman Saeed, men nå er det slutt for 35-åringen som har vært ansiktet utad for den internasjonale eiendomsgiganten i Norge.

Les hele saken HER.

E24: Norsk investorgruppe kjøper Domino’s i Norge: – Tidligere eier forstod ikke markedet

Business News, Food & Beverage

Etter måneder med tøffe forhandlinger har en norsk investorgruppe sikret seg rettighetene til Domino’s i Norge etter at de britiske eierne har tapt millioner på Norge-satsingen. Målet er fremdeles å stå igjen som vinneren i pizzakrigen.

Det var i oktober at det britiske selskapet Dominos Pizza Group ga beskjed til aksjonærene om at de kastet inn håndkleet i Norge.

Selskapet er børsnotert i London, og har frem til nå eid rettighetene til Domino’s-merkevaren i store deler av Vest-Europa, inkludert Norge.

Les hele saken HER.

Press Release: Hard Rock Cafe Oslo Debuts Its Most Extensive Menu Innovation With More Than 20 New Options

Airline / Travel, Business News, Entertainment & Lifestyle, Food & Beverage

Hard Rock Cafe Oslo is launching on February 14th the brand’s most extensive menu innovation in the company’s history with more than 20 new offerings. The Oslo Cafe’s new menu puts the spotlight on its lineup of all-new, award-winning Steak Burgers, headlined by the world’s first edible 24-Karat Gold Leaf Steak Burger™ that will benefit a local charity. Steak Burgers aren’t the only items making their debut on Hard Rock Oslo’s new menu, which also includes Instagram-worthy Milkshakes, Sliders and Shareables that encourage adventure and exploration, allowing fans to curate their most flavorful playlist.

Forbes: Norway, Sweden Create Airspace For Electric Plane Tests

Airline / Travel, Business News,

Drones and electric-powered aircraft will soon be flying across the border between Norway and Sweden. The launch of the Green Flyway research project between Røros and Östersund marks a world-first test area for electric flights.

Many airlines and aviation companies in Norway and Sweden are already backing R&D projects in the field. Now the two countries have a cost-efficient test environment to accelerate those activities, thanks in part to a €2 million Euro grant from an EU interregional funding pot.

“In short, the project is about trying to facilitate test flights of driverless aircraft and drones in the airspace between Røros and Østersund, so that others who test out electric aircraft and drones can come here and use this as a test arena,” said project manager Hans Petter Kvikne to local Røros newspaper Fjell-Ljom.

Read entire article HERE.

DN Smak: Amerikansk vinklassiker i Norge for første gang

Business News, Food & Beverage,

I vinens verden finnes det mange legender. Enten det er en spesiell flaske, i en spesiell årgang eller en produsent eller et vinslott. Felles for dem alle er at de har oppnådd høyere priser enn sine naboer og ikke minst en høyt skattet berømmelse. En annen fellesnevner er også at den kommer fra den gamle vinverdenen, altså Europa.

Men det finnes unntak, og et av dem har aldri vært på Vinmonopolet. Før nå.

Les hele saken her.