HR Director: “Our interim consultants are some of our best investments”
Arnt Morten Skei is Head of Global HR & Sustainability at fast-growing industrial company Hydroscand. As with any fast-moving, ever-changing company, skills needs can arise quickly - and with consequences for the company's progress and ongoing business-critical projects. To ensure that the organization always has access to the right skills, Arnt and the management at Hydroscand have a recurring tool to fill acute skills gaps - Interim Management.
Arnt has a history in several large, global companies that are no strangers to Interim Management. Over the years, however, Arnt has seen great development in the establishment of Interim Management, the business-critical needs it can solve and the number of roles that can come from one and the same client. ”Our world is changing incredibly fast, which makes Interim Management an effective tool that can be used in many different ways. Companies today are growing fast, operating in a globalized market and digitizing operations in different places. In addition, more regulations are emerging that companies need to relate to - especially those of us who are large companies. The most topical area of development right now is sustainability reporting and ESG reporting. This is something that affects all large companies and where you need specialist knowledge to ensure compliance. Given the generally high pace of change, Interim Management is a great comfort to me. Decision-making, projects and delivery need to be faster today and as an HR manager there is an almost insatiable need to always have the right skills in the right place and at the right time,” says Arnt.
What interim positions have you placed within Hydroscand?
We recently hired an interim Sustainability consultant in Norway via Interim Searchs International Desk. The interim consultant is helping us build our sustainability strategy, which in our industry, and with our position, needs to be transparent. It's an extensive piece of work where we have to qualify suppliers at several stages. It's also a critical business area, so getting the right person in that position simply couldn't wait. Our interim consultants have been some of our best investments - the time taken on the assignments has varied, but as a customer we get a lot of value in just six months.
What effect do multiple interim consultants have on the organization?
A lot gets done in a short time. When several new managers and specialists come in to enforce change and implement new processes in the organization, it does not go unnoticed. In a way, it can be difficult to build trust and become a natural part of the culture; it takes a skilled and experienced interim manager to succeed. On the other hand, I think it creates a great atmosphere of optimism and forward thinking when the company is developing in many directions at the same time.
As a regular buyer of interim services, what is the added value of an interim consultant?
I think it is optimal for driving change. As I mentioned earlier, the market and the world around us change rapidly. When organizations need to move in a new direction or become more competitive in a particular area, they usually need a new person with different skills and a new perspective. Internal staff already have their responsibilities and probably don't have enough time to take on business-critical projects. In my experience, the biggest added value of Interim Management is that the interim consultant is ready to deliver from the start and can fully dedicate himself to a very important and concrete task.
