Cflow appoints managing director

Bjørkedal joins Cflow from a role as executive vice president of strategy and business development at the Vard shipbuilding group, a role he has held since 2006. In this role, Bjørkedal has been overall responsible for the group’s strategy and M&A activities, including the establishment of deck machinery supplier Seaonics, acquisition of Vard Marine Inc and the build-up of Vard’s shipyard in Vietnam. He was also acting managing director at Vard Electro from 2016 to 2019.

Prior to his many years in Vard, Bjørkedal spent five years as vice president of deck machinery at Rolls-Royce. He has also held management roles at Johansen Maritime, Ulstein Brattvaag, ship designer Skipsteknisk and Farstad Shipping.

“Stig has extensive experience from the entire maritime value chain, from ship designers, equipment suppliers and shipbuilders, including involvement in a huge number of vessels for the fishery and aquaculture industries. He understands exactly what shipbuilders and shipowners need and is the ideal candidate to continue developing Cflow,” says Steve Paulsen, chairman of Cflow’s board of directors.

Cflow develops, designs and manufactures complete fish handling systems for the fishery and aquaculture industries. Its fish handling technology is one of the most used systems for loading, unloading, cooling and the transport of live fish The company is renowned for developing innovative products that ensure maximum fish welfare, with associated financial benefits for the customers.

“Cflow has an impressive history, growing in the space of a few years to become one of the world’s leading suppliers of fish handling systems. I am impressed with the organisation who has handled this growth and I am really looking forward to joining the company and being a part of this fast-moving organisation with short decision routes and positive spirit,” says Stig Bjørkedal, who will assume his role in Cflow on 1 August 2020.

Bjørkedal succeeds current managing director, Arnstein Johansen. Johansen has been managing director of Cflow since 2010 and will remain available as an advisor to Stig Bjørkedal over the coming months.

“Arnstein has done a fantastic job for Cflow, helping to grow the business from 17 employees and NOK 45 million revenues in 2010 to 100 employees and almost NOK 500 in revenues in 2019. As the obvious next step for Cflow is further industrialisation of the company, thereby entering a very different growth phase, now is the right time to let a new managing director take over the reins,” says chairman Steve Paulsen.