The board of Statkraft has appointed Birgitte Ringstad Vartdal (pictured) as the new chief executive of the company.
She is currently executive vice president Nordics at Statkraft and succeeds Christian Rynning-Tønnesen who has decided to step down after 14 years in the position.
Vartdal will assume her new role as chief executive on 1 April 2024.
Alexandra Bech Gjørv, chair of the Board of Directors at Statkraft, said: “The board is very pleased that Birgitte has accepted the position as chief executive of Statkraft.
“Birgitte has a broad and relevant background as an executive vice president at Statkraft, and as CEO and CFO at the shipping company Golden Ocean.
“She is a very capable and assertive leader with the qualities required to lead a large international company.
“It is a strength that we are appointing a new chief executive from within our own ranks, who knows the company, the organisation, and our key stakeholders well.”
Over the past two years, Vartdal has led Statkraft’s largest business area, the Nordics.
Prior to that, she was headed the business area European wind and solar at the company, overseeing the development of wind and solar power in Europe, new business, group procurement, and project delivery.
She has previously been a board member at Yara and Mowi, and a member of the corporate assembly at Equinor.
Vartdal currently serves on the board of Renewable Norway and several of Statkraft’s subsidiaries.
She said: “I am very happy and humbled to be given the responsibility of leading Statkraft and our more than 6000 committed employees who work every day to renew the way the world is powered.
“Statkraft is an important company in the energy transition of Norway, Europe, and the world, and I am proud to be a part of the journey.
“We will continue to contribute as Norway’s largest power producer and be the industry’s most important partner by offering stable, green energy at competitive prices in the markets we operate in.”