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News from ICTP 107 - What's New
ICTP's new senior administrative officer brings a wealth of experience-in both the public and private sectors-to his job.
ICTP's New Administrator
Dag Harald Johannessen
"Here at ICTP, scientists
are our customers. The staff's primary job is to provide our customers--our
scientists--with the best services and products we possibly can."
That's the prevailing philosophy that Dag Harald Johannessen,
the Centre's new senior administrative officer, brings to his
position. Johannessen arrived in Trieste in mid October.
His management philosophy is based on his wide-ranging experience
in sales, service and personnel.
He began his career as a sales area manager for Jotul, an international
corporation headquartered in his home country of Norway. At the
time, Jøtul was the world's largest manufacturer of cast-iron
wood-burning stoves and stone fireplaces.
From there, he worked with the Norwegian-based management consultant
firm, AVANT, participating in a successful effort to 'turn around'
an international firm that manufactured elegant 'facings'--in-laid
wood, glass and composite material--for furniture wardrobes sold
to hotels, corporate offices and upscale residential homes around
the world.
"When I arrived, the firm we were hired to help was heavily
indebted and overstaffed. Over a period of 6 to 8 months, we introduced
budget and management controls that put the firm back on its feet.
Its new-found profitability ultimately led a larger multinational
corporation to purchase it for several million dollars. When the
firm moved to a new location, I decided to move on too."
Taking on new challenges, he assumed a position with Informatics
Engineering Company (INENCO), a licensed importer in Oslo, Norway,
specialising in software databases. In addition to heading the
company's administrative and accounts offices, Johannessen helped
to develop a database designed for large accounting systems that
is now used by most universities in the United Kingdom.
After spending nearly a decade in the private sector, Johannessen
entered the second phase of his career not as entrepreneur and
'corporate change-agent' but as a civil servant with the Norwegian
Space Centre, dividing his time between a rocket launch facility
in Andoya and satellite stations in Tromsø and Spitsbergen
in northern Norway. He also served as Norway's delegate to the
European Space Agency (ESA) responsible for administrative and
financial matters.
"Working for Norway's space agency," Johannessen notes,
"provided a welcome introduction to the world of science,
enabling me to learn first-hand the unique requirements of research
institutions."
Moving from 'space' to 'trade,' Johannessen was hired by the European
Free Trade Association's (EFTA) Surveillance Authority, a one-of-a-kind
European organisation headquartered in Brussels and closely tied
to the European Commission.
The Authority is responsible for ensuring that Iceland, Liechtenstein
and Norway respect the full range of rules, regulations and rights
stipulated under the 18-member European Economic Area--a political
and geographic entity that includes the 15-member European Union
plus the three nations cited above. Johannessen oversaw administration
and personnel for the organisation, which employs about 65 people.
"My responsibilities at the Authority were very similar to
my responsibilities at ICTP. Like the Centre, it also has an international
staff. In fact, I think every European language--except Portuguese--was
spoken there. My family and I very much enjoyed our stay in Brussels,
missing only the sea and sunny blue skies of Norway."
Arriving at ICTP just a few months ago, Johannessen has had "a
favourable first impression of both the staff at ICTP and the
city of Trieste."
"The staff is highly skilled and friendly and the beautiful
surroundings in which we work certainly adds to the appeal of
the job."
"As for Trieste, the sea and sun are indeed welcome. The
city's steep terrain, hillside houses, squares and cafes, in fact,
remind me of Bergen, Norway, where I went to university. Now,
if I can learn to get by in Italian, I should feel right at home."