In the summer of 2018, CEO Frank Stabu saw the need to strengthen the expertise and capacity of the company's management team. In August an interim Deputy CEO was in place. – I have not regretted that decision, says Frank Stabu.
Of the hundred operating contracts Norway is divided into, Veidrift had five of these at the beginning of 2018. The contracts include snow clearing and road salting during winter months and maintenance of roads and green space in the summer season.
– As in many other industries, we see a trend in the transport industry where one has gone from a practical to a more theoretical execution of contracts. The formal requirements are increasing, and the contracts are being interpreted more stringently than before, says Stabu.
A significant resource from day one
– The challenges we faced in the summer of 2018 triggered a need to strengthen the company on the administrative side. We contacted Interimleder AS to hire someone who could step in as Deputy CEO with responsibility for putting in place clearer routines and processes to adapt to an industry that had become more formal than it was before. Espen Aarstad started in August of the same year and from day one he was a significant resource for the administration. His experience from similar roles in other companies enabled him to quickly get his head around new problems and issues, and we were able to make a number of quick decisions where we set prioritized, ambitious and realistic goals regarding deliveries going forward. Espen has great expertise, and he is skilled at analyzing and getting the necessary understanding of the operation of the company. He is not afraid to discuss and express his opinions, which is necessary for this type of position.
New competitive advantages
– Thanks to skilled and experienced staff, we have always had a very good reputation. Now that we have strengthened ourselves on the administrative side, with ISO certifications and learning schemes, we have reached a point where we have a good balance between the practical and the administrative, and we have achieved new competitive advantages that make us well prepared for the future, concludes Stabu.
Espen Aarstad has now been replaced by a newly appointed Deputy CEO.
