Meet Helge Nyrønning: APT Group CEO

Today we introduce Helge Nyrønning, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for the APT Group. Mr. Nyrønning has been with APT for over 3 years and has accumulated more than 30 years of experience working with both service companies and operators in the industry.


What sparked your interest in the oil and gas industry, and what are you most passionate about?

I wanted to work in a business where science was applied. During my studies, I had part-time jobs for Norsk Hydro, and my MSc thesis was a cooperation between my university and Norsk Hydro. Back in those days, Norsk Hydro was a significant oil and gas E&P company where employees were proud to work, management was good, you were given challenging tasks in fantastic projects, and people had fun. I enjoyed it a lot and had no doubt that the oil and gas industry would provide great opportunities for the future.

With my mathematical and technical/economical background, I was fortunate to be able to engage in projects where we applied geostatistics and also in risk management projects where financial and field development aspects were integrated to optimize the development plan. A lot of the work involved mathematical modeling, so this was perfect for me.

I still have a great interest in science and the natural sciences in particular, but in parallel with getting more experienced, I have realized that I also am passionate about developing organizations and businesses. I have been lucky, and this has been my focus for the last 20 years or so. In APT, the situation is optimal for me, with great science as the foundation for our services, an excellent team that is the strongest in the world (!) in our domain, and a huge potential to grow and win business. Which we are doing - I love it!

How have your past experiences helped/shaped you for your current role?

Even though the oil and gas industry is extremely important for society, it is an unpredictable business. I have experienced exciting upturns and tough downturns. In good times I have built organizations and established new businesses, and in bad times I have taken responsibility to downsize, and at times, I have left positions myself. I love to win, but in some strange way, I also like to fight and have the stamina to get through challenging times. I need challenges, and with time I have also learned to appreciate the opportunities that arise when change comes. Working closely with colleagues during varying times, I have developed a deep respect for people, and I believe my experience helps me when developing businesses and organizations in both good and bad times.

What have you enjoyed most about your time at APT?

A characteristic I like is that on all levels of APT’s processes and entities we have an open, constructive, and direct dialogue. This makes us efficient and able to reach our goals.

I would also like to mention three aspects that I appreciate highly.

• Our owners and board are hands-on, and a great strength when it comes to developing our strategy and way forward.
• We have a fit organization that is uniquely strong (globally!) when it comes to knowledge, quality, and flexibility, and we like working together on all levels. Our Norwegian office has the group’s longest lunch table, and when we go to lunch we all sit together and play jokes and have a good time.
• We have a management team that is able to work as one even if we are global, and we have great discussions. We have the space to disagree, but when decisions are made, we all work together towards our common goals.

As the CEO of APT, what is your vision for the company in the coming years?

Our general vision is to be a preferred vendor of geoscience services globally and to be acknowledged by the market as the best vendor of our deliverables when it comes to client satisfaction, quality, and efficiency.

In addition to this overarching vision, I will add that we shall reach our goals of becoming a dominant and highly regarded provider of our services in selected new regions. We shall increase our global footprint significantly and see a similar strong development of our financial results. This shall be done while we keep a strong focus on maintaining the excellent relationship we have with our existing customers.

In this way, we will be able to provide the value of our services to new clients and businesses, which will also include a step into areas seen as more sustainable than oil and gas. We will help build a positive business case for the new energy solutions.

What are you most looking forward to in the coming months?

When it comes to work, I must say that the continuation of business development in some specific regions is very exciting. We already see that we are winning, and we will succeed. Contributing to this development is something I highly look forward to.

On a personal side, I’m happy to say that I became a grandfather a year ago. It’s a great experience! My wife, Heidi, and I are always looking forward to each time we get to see little Ava and seeing all of the new things she has learned.

Outside of work, what is your favorite pastime and why?

Being with my family and friends and the activities we do together are the most important to me. But, I guess you are asking about other interests than friends and family, and then number one is definitely outdoor life.

I love hiking in the mountains, in a forest, or by the sea. Just being, sitting there, observing, walking slowly, running, cross-country skiing, bicycling, fishing, and tenting; all these activities have high and different values to me. These experiences are very different as there are some you must do alone, and some that are great to share with others. When you walk slowly, you participate in nature, you are part of it. When you speed up you don’t participate at that level, but you still enjoy nature’s qualities.

I am also an urban man. Second to outdoor life, I highly enjoy being in the city and enjoying the cultural activities that come with it such as restaurants, theater, and concerts - great stuff.