Executive Senior Vice President Steinar Sønsteby succeeds Claus Hougesen as CEO for Atea ASA
After 16 years in Atea CEO Claus Hougesen has decided to leave Atea. Executive Senior Vice President Steinar Sønsteby takes the role as new CEO of Atea.
After 16 years in Atea, of which the last seven years has been in the role as CEO of Atea, Claus Hougesen has chosen to leave Atea. During Claus Hougesen's time the company has grown in revenue to NOK 22 billion, the number of employees has increased to 6,600 and profit has multiplied. Moreover, the company has gone from being a local reseller to an international IT infrastructure provider in seven countries. After 27 years in the IT industry Claus Hougesen has concluded that he will turn his remaining working life in another direction - what it will be, time will tell. "It has been an incredibly exciting time, and a development that I am unbelievably proud of," says Claus Hougesen, who leaves a solid company, both financially and commercially, and an Atea that holds a unique market position.
Steinar Sønsteby new CEO
New CEO of Atea will be Steinar Sønsteby. Steinar Sønsteby is 51 years old and has been employed by the Atea Group since 1997 when he entered the position as CEO in Norway. After that he served amongst others as CEO of Atea in Sweden (living in Sweden with his family for 2 years). Sønsteby was CEO of Atea in Norway for six years from February 2006. Under his leadership the company was growing the revenue by 4 times. Since October 2012 Sønsteby has been Executive Senior Vice President in Atea ASA. Before joining Atea he was the CEO of Skrivervik Data AS.
Complementing his professional affiliations, Steinar Sønsteby holds a degree in Mechanical Design from Oslo College of Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Utah (USA). He also has a finance degree from Norwegian School of Management (BI) and for Training in Management and Human relations from Dale Carnegie Institute.
Sønsteby has comprehensive leadership experience from top-level management positions in the Nordics for more than 20 years. In total, Steinar Sønsteby has 25 years of experience from the IT industry. He is valued for his ability to effectively balance strategy and execution, success at building long standing customer relationships, and deep commitment to his employees.
Atea's major shareholder and Chairman Ib Kunøe expresses: "I would like to thank Claus for the extraordinary effort and energy he has brought to Atea throughout the years and the unique partnership Claus Hougesen and I have had during the 16 years. Atea stands today as the absolute market leader within IT infrastructure in the Nordic and Baltic countries with revenue of more than NOK 22 billion. Additionally, the last year's results - including the 2013 results which will be presented at 5 February - have created a solid financial foundation for future growth."
Atea's major shareholder and Chairman Ib Kunøe expresses: "I would like to thank Claus for the extraordinary effort and energy he has brought to Atea throughout the years and the unique partnership Claus Hougesen and I have had during the 16 years. Atea stands today as the absolute market leader within IT infrastructure in the Nordic and Baltic countries with revenue of more than NOK 22 billion. Additionally, the last year's results - including the 2013 results which will be presented at 5 February - have created a solid financial foundation for future growth."
"It is an honor to be given the trust of the CEO position and I have huge respect for the challenge it is to take over the management of a company I care so much for. I am looking forward to taking on the job and continue the success. The focus in the coming years will be to keep the growth of the company measured in market share, and in terms of EBITDA," says Steinar Sønsteby.
For further information, please contact:
Ib Kunøe, Chairman of the Board of Atea ASA, mobile +45 4030 8680
Steinar Sønsteby, CEO of Atea ASA, mobile +47 930 55 655
About Atea
Atea is the leading Nordic and Baltic supplier of IT infrastructure with approximately 6,600 employees. Atea is present in 82 cities in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Atea delivers IT products from leading vendors and assists its customers with specialist competencies within IT infrastructure services. Atea had revenue of approximately NOK 21 billion in 2012 and is listed on Oslo Stock Exchange.
www.atea.com
Tags: