Jørn M. Askvik has almost been nine months in the job as general manager of the Shortsea Promotion Center Norway, SPC-N, the office promoting short sea shipping. During that time, he has got many inputs and thoughts regarding focus areas to ensure that shortsea becomes a more significant part of the intermodal value-chain.
The interview is available in its entirety on the pages of Moderne Transport.
Askvik has management experience in logistics and aviation within commercial and financial roles – including from former Nor-Cargo Thermo (now Bring Frigoscandia), Avinor and the founding company BB Computerteknikk. At the beginning of 2019, Jørn started as managing director for SPC-Norway, a challenging role that requires collaboration with all the players in the maritime industry.
Encouraged by a Port Manager to take the role
– I have a long experience from change management related to customer orientation and innovation. He continues:
– A former colleague from Avinor, who is now harbor manager in Moss – Øystein Høsteland Sundby – told me about the job over dinner. He tipped the Maritime Forum. The recruitment process used tips from the industry to identify possible candidates for the role. What made me interested in the position was the challenge of being able to promote increased use of sea transport. The combination of developing a market combined with the social perspective, including how to achieve the desired change, says Askvik.
Working on
When a new leader takes office, things often change. What have you started after CEO Hans Kristian Haram left the ship?
To focus on product owner dialogue, strengthen cooperation with Europe – product owners, shipping companies, ports, and the other Shortsea Promotion offices, as well as modernizing the system side, answers Askvik.
Establish active product owner dialogue
Are there any exciting projects underway?
We are launching new websites, have initiated a collaborative project with SPC-Sweden and Germany. I also want a more active role in the European Shortsea Network (ESN). The goal is to establish constructive commodity-owner dialogues related to concrete opportunities and increasing in-depth contact from ports and shipping companies in Europe. Also looking at creating an arena for commodity-owner discussion in more pointed forums – more specific measures and actions, explains Jørn M. Askivik.
Updated routes
Shortsea Schedules was a popular service. Does this continue?
Shortsea Schedules is a popular service. Schedules as a service continue and will include more partners in the time to come, he replies.
Read the full interview here
The interview is from Moderne Transport; article author is Tove Irén Becker.