Aker Solutions ASA: Paal Eikeseth appointed new CEO of Aker Solutions

"Aker Solutions has a track record of planning ahead and acting at the right time. We have a strong market position, a solid project portfolio and robust financial results. When Kjetel Digre shared that he wanted to step down as CEO, the Board and Digre agreed that now was the right time for a change in leadership," says Leif-Arne Langøy, Chair of the Aker Solutions' Board of Directors. 

Kjetel Digre has led Aker Solutions through one of the most significant periods in the company's history, initiating the shift to a broader energy services scope while improving profitability and significantly increasing shareholder value. His deep project expertise was fundamental for securing one of the largest and most significant project portfolios in the company's history, which is now nearing successful completion. 

"Aker Solutions has a strong foundation for continued transformation, and the board is confident that the financial and commercial experience of Paal Eikeseth will help drive this change. As leader of Aker Solutions' Life Cycle business segment, Paal has pushed a highly effective and sustained customer-focused change agenda. His experience will be valuable to achieve our targets on productivity and execution, scale our expertise, and expand the reach of Aker Solutions' capabilities," says Langøy. 

Paal Eikeseth is an experienced business leader with a strong track record in operational growth, performance improvement and transformation. Since 2022, he has headed Aker Solutions' Life Cycle business and has previously held responsibility for operations and growth in the UK, Angola, Canada, and Asia. Throughout his career, Paal has worked with improving project and business performance, restructuring operations, scaling organizations, and delivering profitable growth in both mature and emerging markets. He holds a master's degree from Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and brings consulting experience from PwC. 
 
Delivering next level solutions 

"I will build on Aker Solutions' strengths to create greater value for our customers and shareholders as we continue to develop energy solutions and strengthen our competitiveness. Together with our 11,700 colleagues around the world, I look forward to further improving project execution and making greater use of our expertise through standardization, reuse and data," says Paal Eikeseth. 

"We have already started this journey. We are reducing project costs, standardizing deliveries and using digital and autonomous solutions to deliver measurable gains, while expanding our customer base and market reach. The opportunity now is to scale these improvements across the company and continue evolving our capabilities to meet our customers' needs in a changing energy landscape," says Eikeseth. 

Purpose and culture at the core 

Kjetel Digre became President & CEO of Aker Solutions in 2020 and has decided to step down after six years in the role.  

"During these years, we aligned the company behind a clear purpose - to solve global energy challenges for future generations - and we have shown that Aker Solutions can turn that purpose into tangible results for our customers and society. I've spent a lot of my time as a leader building the culture that holds us together, and I care deeply about the people that make this company what it is. And perhaps more than anything, I'm proud that we've built a culture where curiosity is encouraged, learning is continuous, and we challenge each other to reframe what's possible," says Kjetel Digre.  

"The company is in a strong position for its next chapter, and I am confident that Paal and the team will continue to build on this foundation," says Digre. 

ENDS