TURNING RISKS INTO OPPORTUNITIES
PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE In 2015, we once again took the lead in helping our customers in the maritime, oil and gas, renewable and power sectors set new benchmarks of safer, smarter and greener performance in their industries. We also strengthened our ability to assure the value chain of companies across a wide range of industries – helping them build trust and confidence with their stakeholders.
I am proud to have taken over as the new President & CEO of DNV GL. Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment I am passionate about quality and delivering excellent service to our customers. With two of our core markets, maritime and oil and gas, facing challenging times, I am nevertheless satisfied with the financial performance we achieved in 2015. However, I foresee challenging conditions persisting for at least the next two years, including slower global economic growth,a low oil price and overcapacity of shipping tonnage. In DNV GL, we have taken measures to cut costs, increase our efficiency by working smarter, and right-size the organization in line with lower activity levels in some markets.Tough market conditions also present opportunities for DNV GL to assist customers to innovate, standardize and reduce complexity. Moreover, I am pleased to see robust performance in segments less dependent on the oil price, and I am eager to implement our new strategy to pursue digitalization opportunities for new, smarter and more efficient services and growth opportunities within markets such as energy and life sciences.
NEW DNV GL RULES. We reached many of our goals in 2015. The merger integration has progressed according to plan and is successfully nearing completion, creating synergies of scope, scale and skills across the company. This will further strengthen our leading position in our chosen industries and enable us to better serve our customers. A major achievement in 2015 was the completion of our new ship and offshore Classification Rules, which came into effect on 1 January 2016. We promised our customers that the merger of DNV and GL would result in the best basis for them to design, construct and operate their vessels. Few companies are given the opportunity to have a fresh look at the core of their operations. By involving 250 of our own experts along with more than 800 customers and maritime stakeholders, we grabbed the opportunity. I am confident that we delivered on our promise and that ship owners, yards, ship designers, manufacturers and other maritime stakeholders worldwide will embrace the modern class rules as the new industry benchmark.
In a difficult oil and gas market, we secured two mega-projects and additional strategic projects for the midstream market. Our energy business delivered strong results in North America and good growth in Scandinavia, and we are reinforcing our position as a leading certification and advisory company within renewable power, as well as in power grids and energy use. Our Business Assurance entity enhanced its position through data smart solutions and is developing new positions within life sciences. Software has become a separate business area and has strengthened its sales performance, reduced its cost base and further developed its digital ecosystem. All business areas – and Group IT in particular – have taken action to prepare for our digital transformation.
LEADING THE WAY TOWARDS A DIGITAL, AGILE AND EFFICIENT FUTURE. Our 2016–2020 strategy sets the ambition and direction for DNV GL for the next five years – how we will tackle challenging markets and at the same time create new opportunities. I am confident that our new strategy will help us excel in our existing domains, as well as develop new positions through new services, industries and geographies.
The strategy also outlines our continued strong commitment to invest in R&D and innovation to maintain and enhance our leadership position in many fields of expertise. We will continue to strive for standard-setting roles and to drive industry development through joint industry collaboration. At the same time, we will be making changes. I have placed a strong focus on serving customers with a higher degree of pro-activeness, responsiveness and efficiency. We will also increase the use of digital solutions to offer better services, generate new revenue streams and streamline processes internally.
SUSTAINABILITY AT THE CORE OF BUSINESS. Society has new expectations for companies. This was demonstrated at the COP21 climate agreement in Paris, which raised ambition levels on action for all stakeholders. It is clear that the industries in which we operate will be challenged with stricter safety, environment and broader sustainability requirements stemming from not only regulators, but also increased customer expectations. I see great business opportunities for DNV GL in this demand for increased transparency and in the ongoing transition to a low-carbon society. We remain committed to making a positive impact on society – doing the right things and doing things right. Our support for the UN Global Compact principles continues, and we are working to deliver on the UN’s 17 new sustainable development goals together with customers and partners. The safety of our employees comes first in DNV GL and we have high expectations for our performance in this area. I am proud to see the broad engagement in our safety culture programme across the organization and for our new goal of becoming carbon neutral in relation to our travel and office buildings by 2020. We continue to outperform the high-performance norm for the engagement and enablement of our employees. Our 2015 people engagement survey results showed improvements in prioritized areas, but also pointed to areas for further focus in 2016, including those related to ’clarity and direction‘. I take it as a personal challenge to improve on those results, in line with my belief in the power of highly skilled and engaged people working towards the same goal. We have a key role to play in managing risks in the new business reality facing our customers, and we have the skilled people, relevant multi-disciplinary services and global presence to make an impact. I am confident that we will continue to improve and develop as an organization, and enable our customers to turn a broader spectrum of risks into opportunities.
Remi Eriksen, Group President & CEO
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Read the full CSR report 2015 or by the attached file
