The Board of Directors of Petroleum Geo-Services ASA (“PGS” or “the Company”) has appointed Rune Olav Pedersen (47) as the new President & CEO of the Company. He will succeed Jon Erik Reinhardsen on 1 September 2017.
“The Board has run a thorough succession process since early spring, and assessed a number of very qualified Norwegian and international candidates. With the appointment of Mr. Pedersen, PGS will get a CEO with deep knowledge of the Company and industry and with strong execution capabilities. We look forward to working closely with Mr. Pedersen in the time to come,” says Chairperson Walter Qvam.
Rune Olav Pedersen has worked in PGS for 7 years and comes from the position of Executive Vice President & General Counsel. In this position he has been responsible for Corporate Development, Strategy, Communication, Legal, Marketing, Strategic Customer Relations and Compliance. Prior to joining PGS, he was a partner in the oil and gas department of the law firm Arntzen de Besche. He has a law degree from the University of Oslo and an executive MBA from London Business School.
“I am honored to be chosen as the new President & CEO of PGS. I consider us well positioned for a market recovery with an excellent organization, industry leading MultiClient performance and imaging capabilities combined with an upgraded fleet of Ramform vessels. To address the continued challenging market in the shorter term we have to continue our focus on reducing our cost base. I have really enjoyed working closely with Mr. Reinhardsen over the last 7 years and I wish him success in his future endeavors,” says Mr. Pedersen.
Rune O. Pedersen (1970)
Executive Vice President & General Counsel
Mr. Pedersen joined PGS in October 2010 as General Counsel. In September 2014 he also became responsible for Group Communication, Strategic Customer Relations, and Marketing. His responsibilities were further expanded in September 2015 to include corporate development. Prior to joining PGS, Mr. Pedersen was, for more than four years, a partner in the law firm Arntzen de Besche and previous to that a lawyer and associate in the same firm. He started his career as a junior research fellow at the University of Oslo, and has also served as a deputy judge in a District Court of Norway. Mr. Pedersen is a non-executive director of Azimuth Ltd, and deputy non-executive director of the Norwegian Shipowners’ Mutual War Risk Insurance Association. Mr. Pedersen earned his Law degree from the University of Oslo, and enhanced his expertise within European competition law with a post graduate diploma from Kings College London. In 2014 Mr. Pedersen earned an Executive MBA from London Business School.