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- Kongsberg Agenda has struck a nerve
- I am deeply impressed by what Kongsberg Agenda has become in just two years, and the event has already been put on the map as an important gathering place for decision-makers in politics, business, education and research, says CEO of Kongsberg Gruppen, Geir Håøy.
He believes Kongsberg Agenda has struck a nerve – namely the fact that technology is a common framework for the entire event.
- There are many places where decision-makers meet, but I don't know of any other arena that is as focused on technology as Kongsberg Agenda. There is nothing like it in Norway. It is completely unique, says Håøy.
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Closer to the answer to Agenda?
Håøy believes that Kongsberg Agenda, where people meet across industries, is particularly important in today's world. Technology is developing at lightning speed, while the geopolitical situation is constantly changing.
- We see that changes are happening faster and faster, while the world situation is more uncertain. Kongsberg Agenda opens up the opportunity to meet stakeholders and discuss these topics. It is about us having a common picture of the opportunities and challenges that this entails, says Håøy.
Kongsberg Gruppen uses the arena in several ways. In addition to bringing together both national and international stakeholders, they hold several seminars, including on defense and security, and a maritime space seminar. They have several other program items, large exhibitions and a stand. Håøy also says that they use Kongsberg Agenda to keep up with new technological developments.
- What do the new technology trends mean for us? It is important for us to keep up, both as a company and as a nation. How we adapt to new technology is both about opportunities – but also about where we should focus in the future, says Håøy, who also emphasizes that they hope to show how exciting it is to work in a high-tech company like Kongsberg Gruppen.
He hopes that both small, medium-sized and large companies know their visiting hours and look at the opportunities to become partners with Kongsberg Agenda.
- Kongsberg Agenda is an incredibly important meeting place, and all players within the technology industry and business in general should be interested in becoming part of this community. Simply to help influence the way forward, says Håøy.
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The art of finding balance
Kongsberg Gruppen has had a rapid development in the last five years. The order books are well filled, and they have fivefold increased their turnover and number of employees – at the same time as the result has almost fivefold. In parallel with this, they have to think ahead and constantly think about development.
- We have to find a balance. We cannot live on what we have achieved in the last five years, we have to take new positions within safety, emergency preparedness, maritime, climate and space. We have to constantly work with pilots that can be scaled to both national and international opportunities, says Håøy.
- We try as best we can to understand what the world will look like in 1, 5 and 10 years – it is incredibly important that we do not become too myopic in the short term.
And Håøy is far from alone in trying to find the balance between delivery and development. He has no less than 13,000 employees to rely on, more than 2,000 suppliers in Norway and many thousands of suppliers internationally.
- What we achieve would not have been possible without the employees getting up every morning and wanting to do a good job. In addition, we have good cooperation with suppliers and good contact with decision-makers. Simply put, AS Norge, concludes Håøy.
