Newsroom - Arendals Fossekompani - Our People
Ann-Kari Amundsen Heier is a Leader with Juxtapositions
She is both thoughtful but firm when responding to questions. She has a commanding presence, but a cashmere-soft voice. She is highly professional and can at times come off as somewhat guarded. But then she’ll throw a wild card during lunch and share hilarious stories of her bachelorette party and a hidden tattoo.
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At Arendals Fossekompani, Ann-Kari holds the title of Executive Vice President and sits on the board of their portfolio companies, AFK Property, NSSLGlobal and Tekna.
While growing up with her parents and older sister in Fevik, a charming seaside village in the south of Norway, Ann-Kari readily admits to experiencing some of the well-known benefits of youngest child syndrome. “I would say I got off easier than my older sister,” she says.
Ann-Kari is an active person. Her interest in working out stems from year-round activities throughout her youth. Cross country in the winter. Track and field during the warmer months. And her willingness to find ways to break a sweat is varied. Though you will never find her sending a mountain.
“I really will try almost everything, but I’m not interested in mountain climbing. It’s a fear of heights thing,” she shares.
“I have my favourite activities, but I have always enjoyed trying new things like karate, Pilates and yoga. I’ve even belly danced, but don’t ask me to show you,” she deadpans.
Heier’s resume reads as strong as she is. Coming to Arendals Fossekompani from the position of Chief Operating Officer at Telenor Maritime, she has previously held various management positions at MacGregor, Aker Solutions, and Data Respons. While working at Data Respons, Ann-Kari’s passion for leadership grew. The blend of the commercial, technical, people and strategy was, and still is intensely motivating for her.
Earlier in her professional life, she worked at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands and at CERN in Switzerland.
During her time at CERN, Ann-Kari settled in France, just along the border of Switzerland which she crossed every day by bicycle to get to Geneva.
“I feel extremely lucky to have had the chance to work on exciting projects such as particle accelerators to increase our understanding of the Big Bang. And SOHO satellite – a Solar Observatory to investigate the sun and solar winds in outer space,” she shares.
She exudes warmth when France is brought into the conversation. A country she began to have intense feelings for when she was just a teenager. Ann-Kari speaks fluent French and even after returning home to the south of Norway decades ago, she tries to pay a visit to wine country at least once a year. And while she is happily settled close to her childhood home, she can’t help but miss the bustling local markets, and the ultimate leisure of meal preparation and dining in France.
She is almost whimsical when she talks about the people and places that are dear to her. It’s a subtle but noticeable shift to more serious when the topic of discussion changes.
“I reflect intensely and look back on the past a lot. Perhaps too much. My son says I’m much too critical on myself and it’s something I’m working on,” she admits.
As often as she looks back, Ann-Kari is also a huge fan looking forward to the future.
“I love planning. It’s not about taking control. It’s more about staying sharp and knowing what to look forward to next. It doesn’t have to be something big like an extravagant holiday. It’s about anticipating the small things. Even the chance to step away and buy fresh vegetables on my own is something to look forward to.”
If one were to take peek at Ann-Kari’s calendar, they would likely note that her love for planning is a huge advantage. In between her travels to the United Kingdom for NSSLGlobal and Canada and France for Tekna, she is busy singing in her local choir and spending time with her husband, son, friends and bonus family which includes six grandchildren.
Her desire to keep a full schedule is driven by her deep interest in growth.
“I get out of bed to make a positive impact – for the people around me and for the good companies I am involved in. Perhaps it’s not so revolutionary, but I am motivated by contribution. It’s so important that Arendals Fossekompani, NSSLGlobal, Tekna and AFK Property succeed. I need to know that I am doing my best to contribute to their success,” she says.
When the discussion veers to the topic of success and what it looks like in her eyes, she doesn’t hesitate before answering that it goes hand in hand with what gets her up in the morning.
“My idea of success in my professional life is to develop a commercially successful business with a sustainable purpose. A successful company is very much related to the people and teams involved thriving, which in turn is directly related to good leadership. There is this motto we had in Data Respons that has a great deal of simple truth in it – you need to make money to have fun, and you need to have fun to make money,” she says.
Even when off the clock, Ann-Kari is invested in development.
“I do enjoy knitting. Right now, I am creating a Setesdal sweater for my son’s friend. Yes, I am fond of him, but I am mostly knitting for him because my family doesn’t need any more sweaters. I’ve knitted so much for them, I’m now taking external orders,” she laughs.