C4IR Ocean appoints Kimberly Mathisen as new CEO
Øyvind Eriksen, Chairman of the C4IR Ocean board, and President and CEO at Aker (left) together with Kimberly Mathisen C4IR Ocean new appointed CEO (right).
Kimberly Mathisen will be the new CEO for C4IR Ocean. Coming from the position as General Manager in Microsoft Norway, Mathisen will also contribute to Aker´s active ownership in key developing areas such as industrial software and marine biotechnology.
Kimberly Mathisen has an impressive background of more than 20 years of leadership in global corporations. For the last five years, she has been the General Manager of Microsoft Norway.
“I am delighted to announce that Kimberly Mathisen has accepted the position as the new CEO of C4IR Ocean. She is experienced within leadership and technology. Her energy and ability to convert business decisions into actions and success make her the best choice as new CEO of C4IR Ocean,” — said Øyvind Eriksen, Chairman of the C4IR Ocean board, and President and CEO at Aker.
C4IR Ocean is an independent, global technology and sustainability foundation dedicated to improving ocean health. Central to the foundation's work is unlocking the power of shared ocean data through the development of a powerful tool, the Ocean Data Platform. The shared data provide deep and contextualised insights for better decision-making and form the basis for applications and solutions with profoundly positive potential for ocean health and the ocean economy.
“I am truly thrilled to embark upon this crucial journey for a healthy and productive ocean, and I see an enormous opportunity for global leaders of a diverse set of industries to join us in this ambitious data-sharing project,” — said incoming CEO, Kimberly Mathisen.
Collectively, private and public actors own vast amounts of relevant and valuable ocean data, which would help fill in the blind spots in the understanding of ocean eco-systems.
“When we join forces, unlock, and unite these data assets, we will be able to empower a new level of understanding of the interconnections between our actions and outcomes. The world has not yet been able to harness these insights, making this data collaboration and its capabilities one of the most powerful missing elements in today’s quest for sustainable oceans,” — said Mathisen.
The Ocean Data Platform was established in 2019 and can mirror data from a variety of scientific and industrial data sources. For instance, it has the capability to handle large institutional datasets like the World Ocean Database, which includes billions of essential ocean variables dating back to 1890. This is but one of several thousand relevant data sets. The platform is able to fuse data from both open and closed sources.
C4IR Ocean is working with a growing number of partners from world-leading industrial, research, and policy organisations, paving the way for data sharing and utilization to become a reality. In addition to sharing ocean data, the partners contribute to developing ground-breaking digital projects, such as trending greenhouse gas emissions from the global merchant fleet.
“Together with an incredibly talented and passionate group of people, I aim to vault C4IR Ocean to become the world’s most important data collaboration hub,” —said Mathisen.
Kimberly Mathisen will also contribute to Aker´s active ownership in other parts of the Aker Group, including industrial software and marine biotechnology. The appointment will take effect no later than January 1st, 2022.
About C4IR Ocean
The foundation is an affiliate of the World Economic Forum's Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) network, with a global mandate to use fourth industrial revolution technologies and multi-stakeholder cooperation to create ocean impact.
The World Economic Forum has set up 13 centres for the Fourth Industrial Revolution across the globe. The centres work with governments, leading companies, civil society, innovators, and science experts from different sectors to explore how to maximise modern technology's benefits to solve critical societal tasks. Located in Oslo, Norway, the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Ocean is the only Centre solely focusing on oceanic challenges. C4IR Ocean was initially founded by the Aker Group and the World Economic Forum in 2019 and now has a growing network of 16 partners.
About Kimberly Mathisen
Kimberly Mathisen is a CEO and board member and is triggered by challenges and helping a company find new sources of energy, growth, and momentum. As General Manager of Microsoft Norway, she has been a passionate voice for how technology, sustainability and diversity can lift Norway and the world.
She has more than 20 years of experience in Branded Consumer Goods, Pharmaceuticals, Media, and Technology leading across geographies in North America, Europe and Asia. Her roles have included CEO of Lilleborg (Orkla Home & Personal Care); Global VP & Alliance Leader, Eli Lilly; General Manager, Germany and Norway, Eli Lilly; Co-Founder Appear Networks; and Production Leader, Procter & Gamble.
Mathisen has extensive board experience including Yara, Abelia, NHST (parent of Dagens Næringsliv), Meda AB, Borregaard, and Kappa Bioscience. She has been named one of Norway’s top female executives in technology by Abelia and Oda Network and one of Norway’s most influential leaders by Kapital.
Mathisen has a BS in engineering from the University of Illinois, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is an American citizen and a permanent resident of Norway, and the mother of 2 children. Mathisen has been a lifelong volunteer in many different organizations, often focused on youth/education. She enjoys skiing, tennis, music, and international travel.
For more information, please contact:
Vigdis Hvaal, Director of Communication, C4IR Ocean
Tel: +47 952 00 932
E-mail: vigdis.hvaal@oceandata.earth