One month as a Country Director in Norway
How to turn a Seafood trade fair in Barcelona into a business opportunity
At the beginning of May, our new Country Director in Norway, Kim Laméus, visited the PNO Group office in Copenhagen, and we had a chat about his first month as Country Director.
Kim is responsible for the Norwegian team, which counts four people. His greatest responsibility is to support and develop the team and ensure that PNO Norway continues to grow commercially. He brings knowledge from, among others, the air freight industry.
“In my first month here, it’s been a pleasure to see how much focus is on the customers. The atmosphere is good, and it’s easy to turn ideas into action because PNO has a flat structure.”
Being a B Corp, PNO is always looking for more sustainable ways. We want to lead the transition to sustainable freight and hope to inspire our customers to do the same.
Of course, we’re not perfect at PNO, but we’re trying to make a difference and inspire our customers, and that is a great motivation, says Kim.
It’s exciting times in Norway when it comes to sustainable solutions. There has been a lot of focus on, for example, electric cars. Previously Norwegians chose to drive electric cars because they were cheaper, but now the focus has changed for more environmental reasons. Overall, we’re seeing an increasing awareness of how we can look after our planet and secure it for future generations.
“The environmental awareness increases the pressure from the customers to have sustainable solutions, and for PNO, this means having more sustainable trailers available, such as the New Cool.”
You’ve just been to Barcelona. Could you tell us why you were there and why it’s interesting for PNO?
I had many contacts from previous work who were going to the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest seafood trade fair. Seafood suppliers from all over the world attend to this.
We need more focus on sustainable cooling transport when goods are being moved from, for example, Norway to South Europe. There is an increasing focus on sustainable air freight. Still, the part of the supply chain transporting the goods from a to b is lacking, and the exporters are experiencing pressure from customers who want to reduce their emissions.
I eyed an excellent opportunity for PNO here and went to the trade fair in Barcelona. I pitched and showed potential clients the New Cool trailer (ideal for transporting, for example, seafood) on my phone, and the feedback has been exciting. Shortly after the fair, we got two new deals with our New Cool and Thermoking, both more sustainable solutions and perfect for transporting cold goods such as seafood.
What is challenging about moving into a new business coming from air freight?
The challenging but exciting part is that there are many moving parts and customer-specific specifications compared to what I’m used to from air freight. I enjoy working in an environment where no day is like the day before, and you’re challenged to think outside the box.
I can really embrace such a working environment as I come from a fast-paced industry. I believe that the knowledge I bring can help the team and myself grow our footprint in Norway. And continue to deliver a great customer experience to all existing and future customers.
