Speak last, lean on your team, and one CEO's other top lessons learned: Norsk Hydro
Apr 26, 2024
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CEO of Norsk Hydro, Hilde Merete Aasheim, shares insights on driving a green energy transition with low-carbon aluminum. She discusses the importance of partnerships, diverse leadership experiences, and the significance of upskilling in the aluminum industry amidst climate change and geopolitical challenges.
Norsk Hydro pioneers low-carbon aluminum for green energy transition.
CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim advocates diverse experiences for leadership development and team engagement.
Deep dives
Norwegian Company's Historical Impact and Evolution
Norwegian company Norzk Idro originated in response to the 19th-century crisis of food production struggling to support a growing population, leading engineers and scientists developed industrial nitrogen fertilizer. This innovation helped combat global starvation, paving the way for Norzk Idro's evolution into an aluminum and energy company. Today, the company focuses on producing low and zero-carbon aluminum crucial for electric vehicles, energy-efficient homes, comprising 2% of global emissions.
CEO's Insights on Aluminum and Climate Change
CEO Hilda Mirate emphasizes the critical role of aluminum in the green shift due to its lightweight and formable nature beneficial for electric vehicles, buildings, and energy infrastructure like solar panels. The company aims to pioneer the transition to green aluminum production, targeting low carbon and eventually zero-carbon aluminum production to reduce its substantial CO2 emissions.
Leadership and Employee Engagement Strategies
Mirate's leadership approach emphasizes engaging employees to unlock their full potential. Drawing from experiences in diverse roles like plant management and HR leadership, she advocates for continuous learning and diverse experiences for leadership development. Ensuring women's retention and development in the organization is a priority, with targeted efforts to increase female leadership representation and foster a diverse and inclusive work environment.
Strategic Partnerships and Continuous Learning
The importance of strategic partnerships with companies like Mercedes and Volvo is highlighted, focusing on collaborative efforts for low carbon material production alignment with sustainability goals. Mirate encourages continuous learning and adapting to industry changes, stressing the significance of leaders using their teams' full potential and engaging diverse perspectives for innovation and success.
Norsk Hydro was founded nearly 120 years ago to tackle global famine. Today, it has evolved to take on a bigger challenge: climate change. The company focuses on low- and no-carbon aluminium, a material that will be key in electric vehicles, construction and comprises 2% of emissions. CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim shares the unique technologies and partnerships that are helping to drive a green energy transition. She also takes us through her unique path to the top job, one that has spanned a range of roles, from plant manager to auditor to HR leader. She shares how seemingly unrelated roles can help you better understand yourself and how you can contribute as a leader -- better motivating people and tapping the full capabilities of your team. This episode was recorded at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, 2024.
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