Helge Lund addressed students at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH) in Bergen on 2 September when StatoilHydro was the first company invited to the new NHH Forum.
In his speech, Mr Lund covered some of the energy, climate, internationalisation, expansion and change management challenges facing the industry and StatoilHydro as a group.
“We operate in an increasingly complex environment where the importance of people, technology and a clear performance framework is higher than ever,” he noted.
The academic community and the NHH have an important role to play in this area, the chief executive added.
“The quality of a university is not about the number or quality of the students who enter but about the quality of the ones who graduate,” he commented.
Mr Lund was also challenged through contributions from the academic staff at the NHH, and answered questions from the audience.
After the session, NHH students and staff continued the discussion on the topics covered in the student canteen. Mr Lund took the opportunity to chat with several of the students.
“I’ve talked to many different nationalities today,” said Mr Lund. “This school has become much more multinational than it was in my day – which is good, because we definitely need international expertise.”
The NHH Forum is intended to be an annual meeting place between industry and the academic community, explained rector Jan Håland.
“Our idea was to secure a good professional discussion with the focus on StatoilHydro’s challenges, and that I feel we have achieved,” he said.
