The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate said Friday it had hired Aibel's Ole Einar Hass as the head of the office in Harstad. He will start this job on October 1. 2021.
Hass has management training from the Norwegian Armed Forces. He worked for the Norwegian Army for 19 years, including two deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan. He finished up his career in the Armed Forces as an instructor at the Norwegian Military Academy in Oslo.
Hass, who has lived has lived in Harstad with his family since 2009, joins NPD from the Norwegian company Aibel, which specializes in the construction of facilities for offshore oil and gas and wind industries.
In Aibel, Hass has where he has held various management positions – with his main focus on maintenance and modifications on Norne, Aasta Hansteen and Snøhvit fields.
"I applied for the position primarily because I want to take part in the NPD's important social mission of administering the values the industry represents for the Norwegian society. I think I can contribute with my executive experience from the Armed Forces and Aibel, and perhaps even some of my expertise from the supplier side of the industry," he said.
"There are a lot of expectations for the industry, and perhaps not all of them have been met so far. I think coexistence and cooperation with other industries on the shelf, facilitating positive ripple effects for the High North and predictability for the players are important lines to follow," Hass said.
"At the same time, we have to contribute to protect the overall value potential that the Norwegian shelf represents for the various industries, and make sure that future generations can benefit from the good work we do today."
According to NPD, Hass said was not an easy decision to leave Aibel and the good team they've built up locally along with Equinor in Harstad.
"Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to starting this job and maybe having the opportunity to contribute to the industry to an even greater extent. At the same time, I'm very humble in the face of the knowledge and experience I see in the NPD employees, across an impressive range of disciplines."