Meet our longest serving employee

What opportunities for personal and career development have you had as an employee? 

– I have been fortunate enough to fill a variety of roles over the years, as well as having different combinations of responsibilities. My Kristiania-journey started with a summer job after completing upper secondary school on May 31st , 1976. And, like so many others, I realized I enjoyed my job and my place of work so much that I never left. 

- We have an extremely generous employer

After completing my summer job, I became the foreman of a warehouse we had at Holmlia, before taking over as the manager of a warehouse and printing facility we were developing in Lørenskog. I then went on to work for years as the Operations Manager, before becoming the Operations and IT Manager, Operations and HR Manager, Estate Manager. I am now the Estate and Procurement Director. I was actually invited to an interviews for an external role many years ago, but I did not enjoy the experience.

There are many different advantages of being a Kristiania employee. Which do you value the most?   

We have excellent pension and insurance schemes, which are equally important. We also have flexible working hours and can enjoy extra time off.  
  
However, the “benefit” that has been the most important to me, has been the trust afforded to me by my managers - a trust that has given me the opportunity to work in so many different roles. I now report to University College Director Tine Widerøe and I find her to be an outstanding, generous manager.

Which personal qualities do you consider to be the most important for someone wanting to become part of the Kristiania family?

– I believe it is important that all employees relate to Kristianias social mandate. Our mission of educating and developing people is extremely important. This places high demands on employees and the organization

We have many open doors here

At the same time, rapid changes are taking place and the ability to adjust and manage changes are becoming increasingly important. The way in which we have adapted to the pandemic shows what Kristiania is capable of. We are now in the midst of a period of significant growth and we are set to become a university. It will be important for us to maintain our ability to make rapid changes in the future.

How would you describe the corporate culture?  

– A positive corporate culture is something that is important to me. At Kristiania, the CEO Solfrid Lind and the Rector Arne H. Krumsvik are both very approachable.