Hilde Merete Nafstad fotografed by Gjensidie, Norway.
Av Nina Birgitte Koch.
You may have heard about Equinor and Shell’s decision to form a joint venture for their upstream business in the UK. It is a very ambitious plan as it will effectively create the UK North Sea’s largest independent player. To implement this combination, a transition period of about a year is needed, and I have been tasked with leading it.
This project will require me to spend quite some time in Aberdeen and to take a step back from my regular duties as SVP, Head of Africa. While I will be away, Equinor’s Africa business will remain in good hands, as Hilde Merete Nafstad Nafstad, a fantastic leader with long and diverse experience in our international business, accepted to act in my absence.
Hilde will not only lead Equinor’s Africa cluster, but she will also move to Dar Es Salaam and take on the role of Country Manager in Tanzania from January, replacing another fantastic colleague Unni Fjaer, who is moving to Brazil for a new challenge in our growing local business.
I am very excited to welcome Hilde to the Africa management team in her dual role. Equinor’s business in Africa contributes significant value to our company’s international portfolio, and as we now look to develop more opportunities to add and prolong production, Hilde will lead a set of countries with tremendous potential for the future.
Tanzania in particular, which Hilde will continue to lead after my return, has one of the continent’s best foundations for a transformational gas project, which can superboost Tanzania’s economy and offer low-carbon LNG to the world, and which Equinor and its partners are passionate to develop. Navigating this project is a therefore a fantastic opportunity and Hilde’s experience is a great match for the task.
