In this week’s podcast, Breakfast with a CEO, we hear from Geir Førre, a highly successful entrepreneur and current board member of several influential and important companies.
Written by Kelly Fisher
Geir Førre has founded and sold two different billion nok companies. As a leader he is concerned by some of the larger issues our world is facing, and he joined the podcast to talk about leadership and the role of leaders in confronting some of these different problems.
From a Small Town to the Tech World
Geir grew up in a small town in Norway. In fact, his first job when he was 12 was helping his father on their small family farm. While he never saw himself as being particularly interested in technology, he did consider himself a natural engineer, and it was just by chance he became more involved in the tech world. For him though this is an advantage, because Geir sees how too many founders of companies are too invested in their company or their product and can lose sight of directing the company in the right direction.
Equality and Diversity in a Heavily Male Workforce
As a board member of several different companies, Geir had some different reflections on what. it takes to run a company properly, or as he said, the right captain for the ship. For him, honesty and transparency are some of the most important ingredients for those in leadership positions. At times this can be challenging, especially when a company is facing challenges, but this helps to build up trust, and in the long term produce better results.
The Role of Tech in Solving Society’s Problems
Geir is concerned by many of the problems our world is facing today. However, he is also excited by the potential that new technologies have to solve some of these larger challenges. Some of those technologies include new energy sources, innovations to the sea farming industry, and others as well. Geir believes that due to the amount of wealth Norwegians have, this gives them a responsibility to be leaders in building up new sustainable industries and addressing climate change.
To hear more about the type of role a board should have with a company’s direction and how Geir feels about income inequality, check out the podcast here.
