Vitenparken

When Per Olav Skjervold retired in August this year, Vitenparken is starting a major process to recruit the perfect candidate to drive the Science Park project forward. Solveig Arnesen started as acting director in April and when the position was advertised it was natural for her to apply for it.

After conducting several interviews, she was hired as the new director, an appointment that both the board and the employees welcomed. Vitenparken is very pleased with. We let Solveig answer some questions so that our guests, customers and partners can get to know her a little better.

What is your background?

I have a professional background that is well suited to the balancing act that the manager of the Science Park has to face. I have recently completed an Executive MBA. This is a senior management education with a focus on strategy, economics and management, where I was able to use a large consultancy assignment to develop the Science Park's digital business strategy, which I later worked on implementing. I have a combined master of management with a focus on green economy, innovation and digital communication management. At the bottom, I have a bachelor's degree in tourism management. I am entering my eighth year as an employee at Vitenparken and have held many roles on the way to the director's chair. Before that, I worked in communications and media production and have many years of experience in the travel industry. In my job as a manager at Vitenparken I believe I will be able to use the sum of everything I have learned in various roles throughout my working life.

What made you apply for the position of CEO of Vitenparken ?

I am applying for the position because I am strongly motivated by Vitenparken's social mission. Vitenparken have the opportunity to play a real positive role in the green shift by inspiring the next generation – and that inspires me. Our mission is precisely to inspire the next generation, the climate strikers and their less committed classmates in how they can participate in solutions. We will do this by using everything we can about creative and engaging communication to help them experience mastery and be inspired instead of feeling powerless and paralyzed in the face of the major sustainability crises we face. This is incredibly exciting and inspiring to me. In addition, Vitenparken , with its mandate within research communication, a very important mission at a time when society and democracy are challenged by fake news on the one hand and pink bloggers on the other, to put it a bit banally. Working for the role of research - and knowledge-based communication in society and especially in connection with the green shift, is very important to me. I have strong personal convictions and commitment in this area. It is almost the meaning of life to do this.

What are you most looking forward to working on in the future?

At least what I know is that on Vitenparken There is never a dull day. It is teeming with ideas and creativity even when corona means that we cannot be open to the public. We will continue to develop as a destination people visit because of inspiring, green knowledge experiences and an exciting food concept, and then, in line with our dissemination mandate, we will now reach as many people as possible through digital knowledge experiences, and not least our art initiative NOBA, which will come with new projects and exhibitions in 2021. No, there are many things to look forward to and it is difficult to pick one thing out of the diversity of the Science Park. An extra exciting task is the work on the Science Park's new strategy for the next five years. A lot has happened in the last five years. Specifying the way forward for the next five years will be an important focus for me as the new manager