Nina came to “brannlaben” (the fire lab.) from NTNU in 2012, and has since then worked with fire testing, fire research and research management. She has had a central role in development of new research projects on fire safety and has established a broad network and collaboration with national and international research organisations.
Nina has a PhD from the Institute of Physics at NTNU, with focus on imaging of nanoparticles. She has work experience from both business and academia, and her background in sales and marketing, theoretical and experimental research, project development and management has given her a broad expertise and a holistic perspective of the activities in RISE Fire Research. Both as researcher and research manager, she has been engaged in operation and development of the company, and she is now looking forward to the increased responsibility.
-What I enjoy about RISE Fire Research is that the organisation has an important/meaningful role in society and is therefore an intriguing place to work. To work closely with industry, research partners and authorities to develop good solutions and increased fire safety in the society is a driving force for me, Nina says.
In recent years, RISE Fire Research has significantly expanded their research activity, with increased participation in national and international projects. They are also host institution for the Fire Research and Innovation Centre (FRIC), which was kicked off in May 2019
-The establishment of FRIC represents a positive development, not only for RISE Fire Research, but for fire safety research in Norway in general. We will keep on pinpointing the need for fire research, continuously aiming at increasing and maintaining fire safety in the society, Nina continues.
-One important task is to contribute to safe implementation of new materials and new technology in the society, by ensuring that knowledge about fire safety, relevance of regulations and good procedures keeps up with the rapid technological development and changes in society as response to the climate changes. This is among the many interesting tasks I look forward to work on together with our highly competent employees and our collaboration partners, and I am confident we will accomplish good things together, she concludes.
The Chair of the board of RISE Fire Research, Martin Olander, is satisfied with the recruiting process for the position. He says that the board met several qualified, external applicants, but in the end, it was no doubt that the strongest candidate was “in the house”.
-I would like to congratulate Nina and the organisation with the appointment of the new CEO. It feels good that an enthusiastic person who already is well familiar with the business, take up the position.
The employees at RISE Fire Research characterise Nina as having a sense of justice, being grounded and that she takes responsibility for implementing tasks. They say she is clear on what she wants, but also positive, happy and full of energy, with a recognisable sound of footsteps in the corridor.
We congratulate Nina with the position as CEO and look forward to the way forward!