Who is Helge Lund and what’s he up to now?

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice has recently announced the appointment of Helge Lund as an Operating Advisor to CD&R’s funds which is suprising to many of us in the oil and gas industry as we’ve just gotten used to his new role at BG group after a long tenure with Statoil.

Why the jump? Founded in 1978, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice is a private investment firm with an investment strategy producing financial returns through profitable businesses. Since inception, CD&R has managed the investment of $22 billion in 70 companies representing a broad range of industries with an aggregate transaction value of more than $100 billion. The Firm has offices in London and New York.

Helge Lund has an impressive record of serving in senior leadership positions across a range of multinational corporations, including Chief Executive Officer of BG Group PLC and Statoil ASA. Now that he’s a member of the Clayton, Dubilier & Rice team he will be expressing his Management Consulting skills once again through a smorgasbord of companies that have been acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, some of which are in the energy space.

Helge Lund is recognized for turn arounds and leading corporate transformations where he focuses on operational excellence to build long-term value. His industry sector experience includes energy, industrials,and healthcare, which are a perfect match for Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.

Early in his career, Helge was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company so there are many synergies across the board. At BG Group, Helge Lund led the transformation of the company, including building a new management team and organizational structure, and implementing a number of operational initiatives that improved safety, reduced operating costs, and increased production. He oversaw the sale and integration of the company to Royal Dutch Shell PLC in February 2016 for approximately $50 billion.

With visionary acumen Helge Lund was instrumental in harnessing the opportunities of Offshore Newfoundland. His team was assertive in the acquisition of land ownership offshore, through BG Group and Royal Dutch Shell. Given that Royal Dutch Shell has purchased BG Group, the company now has a significant stake in the region. Helge seems to hold the vision for the future and understands the powerful potential that the Newfoundland offshore oil region holds. During his 10 years at Statoil, Helge Lund grew the business into one of the world’s leading oil and gas companies, with operations in 36 countries.

Statoil’s market capitalization rose from NOK 189 billion to more than NOK 500 billion under Mr. Lund’s leadership. He also oversaw Statoil’s $30 billion acquisition of Norsk Hydro ASA’s oil and natural gas division.

“Helge has made a material, positive and lasting impact on the many businesses that he has led,” said CD&R Partner David Novak. “We greatly admire his many accomplishments and look forward to him applying his strong leadership skills, bold strategic thinking and operational acumen to CD&R’s investment activities and our portfolio businesses.”

“CD&R has a stellar record of delivering sustainable performance through operating excellence, strong financial discipline and building strong, values-based cultures,” said Helge. “The Firm’s strategy and approach is a great match for me and I look forward to adding my experience and networks to identify new investment opportunities, as well as helping CD&R’s portfolio companies become more valuable enterprises.”

Prior to Statoil, Mr. Lund served as CEO of Aker Kvaerner ASA, an international industrial group, where he successfully implemented Kvaerner’s merger with Aker Maritime, improved the operations of the combined businesses, restructured the business units, and improved financial stability. Prior to this he spent five years at Hafslund Nycomed, a healthcare and energy enterprise, in a number of executive positions, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the pharmaceutical business.

Today, Helge Lund is a Director at Schlumberger Limited and previously served on the Board of Directors at Novo Nordisk A/S and Nokia Oyj. Mr. Lund graduated from the Norwegian School of Economics & Business Administration with a M.A. in Economics and holds a M.B.A. from INSEAD.