Jon Haugervåg takes the helm as Chair

He took over as Chair of the Board at Grieg Maturitas on July 1^st after the General Assembly as Elisabeth Grieg steps down from the role after seven years.

-Good ownership governance is all about giving our companies the predictability to develop their own business, and at the same time making sure there is value in belonging to a group

Its not hard to understand that Jon is a man that values the process and enjoys looking at a challenge from different viewpoints. As the first chair of the board at Grieg Maturitas from outside the ownership family, he believes that is valuable traits

–In a family-owned business the owners are supposed to be closer to the operating business and more hands on then other companies, and when the family expands, that makes it that more important to make sure that all shareholders are included in a good way and that we have robust processes that everyone can get behind

When Jon was finished at Bergen Handelsgymnas in 1982, he didn’t want to go into the military right away.

–Back then you could instead go into banking. I went into the main entrance of Bergen Bank, took the escalator up to where it said personnel department and knocked on the door. And I got a job at the auditor department.

That begin a career as an auditor. He later went into the military and finished his education at the Norwegian Business School (NHH) in 1990. On the side he kept on working at the auditor department in Bergen Bank. He worked as CFO in Nedship Bank and partner at Arthur Andersen before joining PwC in 2002. Grieg was one of their clients, and that’s when he first met Elisabeth Grieg. Since then, he has had a close relationship as an auditor for the group he will now be the Head of Chair of.

One of the many things that attracted him to say yes to the job was the work that Grieg does through its Foundation

–The work that Grieg Foundation does is incredible and highly motivating both for me, the owners and our employees. It’s also a unique model, where the owners give back 25 percent of the profit while maintaining an active business.

He is very impressed in how the Grieg family has worked with going from one generation to the next

–I have seen how Elisabeth, Per, Camilla and Elna-Kathrine has worked with the next generation, and unlike some other family-owned companies, they have spent a lot of time in creating both the space and the motivation for their children. They have been willing to take their hands of the wheels to make sure that the next generation takes ownership. That makes me very optimistic in terms of making sure the generational partnership with continue to work well

This year Grieg is celebrating the company’s 140^th anniversary. Jon thinks the values that Grieg has held high in the past such as sustainability, diversity, equal rights and innovation  will be even more important in the future for the company to attract new talent.

–These are values that have been part of Grieg for a long time due to the owners and the people who work here. And I think it has provided us with an edge. I believe sustainability should be a ground pillar for our business. However, there is a lot of ground to be made to find the new green solutions for the future. Our ambitions therefore should be to concentrate on the areas where we can really make a difference.

–At the same time, we need to think about risk. We are not a tech company, and as a family business with a long-term view we need to maintain a high probability of survival. We are going to take business risks, but also have a risk profile that secures the group for the future. We are going to have some losses, but always make sure that we can afford those losses

When asked how Grieg should position itself for the future to attract the best talent, he believes the modern values that is inherent of the company today is an advantage.

–The best talent usually picks the employer, not the other way around. Obviously having a good working environment and the values we hold are important. But I also believe that people want to work for a winning team. Therefore, creating business through winning markets, solving problems and making money – that makes us attractive.

-I don’t watch tv or series. I did watch The Crown, but I never finished it. I do have a bucket list however of shows people say I need to watch, but I haven’t started it yet.

He is married, has three children and two grandchildren. His oldest child has the diagnosis Prader-Willis Syndrome.

-That is also obviously a part of our journey. She is doing well and living in her own apartment but needs facilitating and extra care. Early on I chose to become a part of the association for her diagnosis. As leader of the Norwegian arm of the association we held the world conference for this diagnosis in Oslo, and through that was able to change how to treat it. That led to a positive change, both for my daughter and many, many others around the world. That’s something I’m very proud of.

He has one major advantage he points out. Jon sleeps incredibly well

-I can barely remember the head hitting the pillow, and waking up at night is a yearly event.

Jon points out that Grieg being both a local company with deep roots and history in Bergen and an international company operating in a global marked at the same time is an advantage

–We need however to still make sure that we look at ourselves with the perspective from New York and London, not Oslo or Tromsø. Our business is global, and we need to attain knowledge and competence from a global platform. And when we do, it makes us more ready to compete on an international level.