The Board of Directors of Norse Atlantic ASA has appointed Eivind Roald as the group’s new president and chief executive officer, succeeding founder and CEO Bjørn Tore Larsen. Roald will assume the role with immediate effect.
Eivind Roald has previously served as managing director of Hewlett-Packard, executive vice president and chief commercial officer at SAS, and CEO of QNTM Group.
Roald is said to have played a key role in the commercial turnaround of SAS, where he wis described as “instrumental in repositioning the company and strengthening its competitive performance”.
In recent years, Roald has served as CEO of CRST Advisory, where he has advised companies and senior executives in turnaround and commercial transformation with focus on utilising the power of AI and technology.
“I am grateful to the Board and to founder Bjørn Tore Larsen for the trust they have placed in me. I look forward to continuing the exciting journey that has already begun,” says Eivind Roald. “Norse holds a unique position with a modern fleet, an attractive product, and a balanced business model with long term charters as well as attractive own scheduled flights.”
Bjørn Tore Larsen, founder of Norse, expressed his strong confidence in the appointment: “I am pleased to welcome such an experienced leader to continue the work we have started at Norse. Anyone who has followed SAS’ development knows the extraordinary impact Eivind had as its commercial director. We have been searching for someone who understands the aviation industry, knows how to commercialise businesses, and brings technological insight – combined with the ability to be a strong team-leader and builder. We found exactly that in Eivind Roald.”
Bjørn Tore Larsen intends to continue supporting the company and the new CEO from an active role as the chairman of the board of Norse Atlantic ASA.
Norse Atlantic Airways operates a Dreamliner fleet, flying between major European cities and destinations in the United States, South Africa, and Asia.