All posts by Margrethe Harboe

Vil forene krefter med USA for grønn omstilling

Business News, Government

Grønn omstilling er øverst på agendaen når næringsminister Jan Christian Vestre møter næringslivet og har politiske samtaler i New York og Washington D.C. denne uken.

– USA og Norge har et langt og solid forhold, og nå vil vi forene krefter for å nå de globale klimamålene. Selv om Norge er et lite land, har vi verdensledende teknologi og kompetanse å bidra med, sier næringsminister Jan Christian Vestre.

Denne uken reiser han til New York og Washington for å ledsage kronprinsen, sammen med utenriksministeren og olje- og energiministeren. På agendaen står møter med norsk næringsliv med virksomhet i USA, og politiske møter om hvordan næringslivssamarbeidet kan brukes for å nå klimamålene.

Les hele pressemeldingen.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise to Supply U.S. Green Energy Research Supercomputer

Business News, Technology

(Reuters) – Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co on Wednesday said it will supply a supercomputer to the U.S. government for renewable energy and energy efficiency research.

The “Kestrel” supercomputer will be housed at a U.S. Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory facility in Golden, Colorado and will use “Sapphire Rapids” chips from Intel Corp and accelerator chips from Nvidia Corp, as well as multiple technologies from HPE’s supercomputing unit.

Read full article.

AmCham Thanksgiving Charity Dinner 2021

AmCham News,

AmCham Thanksgiving Charity Dinner 2021

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Hosted at Hotel Bristol in their grand Bristol Hall, event sponsors 3M, KPMG and Merck, along with AmCham members, international leaders and government representatives gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving. In theme with the night, and in keeping with AmCham’s tradition, the evening concluded with a raffle and auction consisting of generous prizes from member companies, with all proceeds going to charitable partner CARE Norway.

Hotel Bristol’s Executive Chef, Johan Laursen, mastered the traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, as both Norwegian and American guests agreed it tasted sublime. The dinner was accompanied by Washington’s Charles Smith Wines from Anora followed by pecan, pumpkin and apple pies.

Strong Ties and Principles for the Future

The dinner featured a keynote speech by newly appointed Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre. Minister Vestre highlighted the essential transatlantic cooperation between our nations to accelerate the green transition, stating that “Norwegian companies are well equipped to deliver on high ambitions and strict environmental demands in cooperation with American partners,” recognizing that companies – in both Norway and the US – are putting forth best efforts to develop new green technologies. He also announced proudly that his first trip overseas in capacity as Minister will be together with Crown Prince Haakon on his visit to New York and Washington D.C. Vestre cited the trip as being of special importance, not only due to his American heritage, but also because of the strong ties Norway shares with the US as its largest trading partner outside of Europe.

To follow, US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Sharon Hudson-Dean thanked AmCham members for their support of US and Norwegian joint prosperity and investment, and for maintaining the highest standards of international business practice. Hudson-Dean also directed attention to the role of businesses in the green transition, before expertly carving the ceremonial first slice of turkey.

Peter Skovholt Gitmark, Chair of CARE Norway, presented a charity that places special focus on empowering women and girls by promoting gender equality and women’s rights. Gitmark explained that equipped with the proper resources, such as VSLAs (Village Savings and Loan Associations), women have the capacity to lift families and communities out of poverty. Founded in the US in 1945, CARE assisted many families in post-WWII Norway.

Going Once…Going Twice!

A highlight of the evening, the lively charity raffle drawing and auction began after dinner. Attendees eagerly bid on and won a broad selection of coveted prizes – ranging from VR headsets from PortalOne to a 10kg Jarlsberg cheese wheel from Tine AS.

With the raffle and auction complete, AmCham Managing Director Jason Turflinger announced that this year’s auction and raffle had raised a record-breaking 100 000 NOK for CARE Norway. In response to the donation, Kaj-Martin Georgsen, National Director of CARE Norway, remarked “thank you so much for granting CARE Norway with your generous gift in relation to your annual Thanksgiving Celebration. CARE, together with our partners, will support women to access financial services, participate in dignified work, and thrive as entrepreneurs and small-scale producers, whilst also adapting our approach to fragile contexts. The generous support from AmCham will contribute to CARE’s work with women’s economic justice, and I want to thank you for your support.” To read the full letter, please click on the letter below.

 

CARE Norway_letter screenshot

Raffle & Auction Prize Sponsors

Photo Gallery

AmCham Digitalization Forum: Ransomware Recovery & Digital Adaptation Leadership

AmCham News, Technology

AmCham Digitalization Forum: Ransomware Recovery & Digital Adaptation Leadership

Leaders from Badenoch + Clark, DNB, DNV, KPMG, Lockton Companies, Marsh, Microsoft, Schjødt, Sparebank1, Tailormade Consulting and Thommessen met virtually for AmCham’s latest Digitalization Forum.

Ibas Ontrack Country Sales Manager Lars Løfsgaard and Senior Nordic Operations Manager Øyvind Nyland, expertly presenting from their Nordic headquarters Kongsvinger, outlined first steps for directors to take during a ransomware attack. Detailing practical data recovery processes and salvage options, “a new business falls victim to ransomware every 11 seconds,” according to Nyland.

Regular staff training, replacing legacy systems and cultivating a rapid incident reporting culture are vital.

The duo emphasized that data exfiltration has markedly increased during recent attacks, with more potential reward for criminals than simply blocking access to key company files. Guiding participants through illustrative case studies, “regular staff training, replacing legacy systems and cultivating a rapid incident reporting culture are vital” for addressing what is unfortunately a very possible scenario for all of our businesses.

Presenters

Lars Løvsgaard  – Country Sales Manager

Ibas ontrack

Øyvind Nyland – Senior Nordic Operations Manager

Ibas ontrack

Jennifer Vessels – CEO

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Customer Needs & Team Empowerment

Longtime forum moderator Jennifer Vessels, CEO of Next Step, then took the lead by outlining observations and key findings from her intensive work with organizations and international business leaders through the shift to digital business. “In 2020 there was no rulebook on how to lead and change your business in the face of a pandemic. Companies who had digital transformation on the agenda for years suddenly had to adjust in a matter of hours,” noted Vessels.

With almost every business leader in Norway, the US and around the globe facing similar challenges, Vessels warmly embraces the radical shift in innovation and business transformation, noting however that not all things can be done or experienced the same virtually. “Don’t simply recreate physical experiences digitally, start with understanding customer needs today and in the future. Learn by doing – start small, learn, pivot, learn.”

Vessels and forum participants went on to discuss the importance of an empowered, communicative team – supported by a sound OKR framework – in achieving such profound adaptation.

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Source: Next Step

AmCham Digitalization Forum: Building Networks, Developing Competence, Expanding Knowledge

From sharing best practices to exploring how member companies adapt and innovate, AmCham’s long running Digitalization Forum fosters leaders’ transformation confidence and inspires cross-industry collaboration in an ever-evolving digital business environment.

Please contact amcham@amcham.no for interest in joining and/or presenting during future Digitalization Forums.

Stricter Coronavirus Testing Being Weighed for All Travelers to U.S.

Airline / Travel, Business News, Government

The Biden administration is preparing stricter testing requirements for all travelers entering the United States, including returning Americans, to curb the spread of the potentially dangerous omicron variant, according to three federal health officials.

As part of an enhanced winter covid strategy Biden is expected to announce Thursday, U.S. officials would require everyone entering the country to be tested one day before boarding flights, regardless of their vaccination status or country of departure. Administration officials are also considering a requirement that all travelers get retested within three to five days of arrival.

Read full article.

Kronprins Haakon og statsråder til USA 5.-9. desember

Business News, Government

Kronprins Haakon besøker New York 6.-7. desember og Washington DC 7.-9. desember. På reisen deltar også utenriksminister Anniken Huitfeldt, olje- og energiminister Marte Mjøs Persen og næringsminister Jan Christian Vestre.

Besøket er bredt anlagt og vil dekke blant annet besøk til FN, fremme av norske kultur- og næringsinteresser, klima- og energispørsmål, nordområdene og det bilaterale forholdet mellom Norge og USA.

Les hele pressemeldingen HER.

Hydro on Track to Build New State-of-the-Art Recycling Plant in Cassopolis, Michigan

Business News, Chemicals / Metals

Hydro has made the investment decision for the construction of a new state-of-the-art aluminium recycling plant producing 120,000 tonnes of aluminium extrusion ingot per year. Construction is set to start in early Q2 2022, with production commencing in 2023. The plant will have approximately 70 direct employees.

Read full article.

AmCham Mentorship Program: Team Culture & Employee Voice

AmCham News, ,

AmCham Mentorship Program: Team Culture & Employee Voice

AmCham Mentorship Program mentors and mentees recently convened at the newly opened Oslo House for leadership presentations by Thommessen Managing Partner Sverre Tyrhaug and Mirha Sunagic, Associate Professor at USN School of Business.

Speaker

Sverre Tyrhaug

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Speaker

Mirha Sunagic

USN

From a Team of All Stars to an All-Star Team

Sverre Tyrhaug, who has led the law practice Thommessen for the past eight years, has methodically worked towards building a team-centric culture as opposed to solely recognizing individual performance. One reason for a renewed focus on the team, Sverre explained, is that “the world is multi-disciplinary, and to thrive you must be able to collaborate.” To illustrate this point, he used an analogy that resonated well with Norwegians; “we cannot be individual cross-country skiers.  Instead, we must collaborate in teams.” Across his team, Sverre is instilling a sense of concern for the success of fellow colleagues in order for the team to perform well – as a unit. Besides the function of preforming well, teams offer the opportunity to share successes and celebrate victories together.

 

Within the competitive field of law, the industry standard has long been, and to a strong degree still is, to promote individual achievements – “the cost of changing nothing has not been high enough.” High profits have acted as a barrier to the introduction of a shift in culture, though that sentiment is changing as Thommessen is ensuring the culture is promoted from the leadership level, which in turn affects the team, ultimately creating a firm wide change in the culture. By designing a team that prioritizes trust, support and open discussions, the firm corrects dysfunctions before they disrupt. Serre’s last piece of advice was to ask colleagues new questions, as they will lead to new conversations with unexpected and useful gains.

 

Breaking the Barriers to Reach a Positive Voice Climate

How does one create a low threshold, or stor takhøyde, to voice opinions within an organization? This is one of the questions Mirha Suangic, PhD in leadership and organizations, addressed in her presentation. In simple terms, the answer is psychological safety. Voice climate is defined as the shared beliefs within a group about consequences. If an employee does not feel safe to voice their opinions, it is because they fear exclusion and negative future consequences. Another term that was introduced to participants was voice advocacy. This refers to the weight that a person’s opinion or suggestion holds. Feeling a strong degree of psychological safety results in a lower barrier to voice opinions. A negative voice climate can lead to a fear for punishment and consequences, silencing the person who, in reality, holds valid and valuable insights.

Mirha also addressed the distinction between internal organization employee voice versus externally oriented whistleblowing. The benefits of a positive voice culture that welcomes employee engagement does, through her research, improve workplace performance. Moreover, a positive voice climate will contribute to ethics being upheld within the workplace. Mirha concluded with underscoring the strong effects of leadership style in the quest of a positive voice climate, echoed by Sverre’s reflections on his role in defining the company’s culture.

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 corporate talent with seasoned executives from AmCham Patron-level member companies. The result: a collaborative arena that fosters improvement and reflection, prepares young leaders for the challenges of the international marketplace, and forges bonds between AmCham member companies.

If you are interested in participating in the mentorship program, please contact Madeleine Brekke at madeleine.brekke@amcham.no for more information.

Past Mentorship Program Events

Orkla Listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index

Business News, Food & Beverage

For the seventh year in a row, Orkla is featured in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe.

“Being included in one of the world’s most highly regarded sustainability indices is an important recognition of the work we do in this area, and will serve as inspiration for further efforts,” says Ellen Behrens, VP Corporate Responsibility at Orkla.

Read full article.