Meet our new Chairwoman

As we underwent a demerger with the Stavanger department last year, we had to restructure our board. Since the turn of the new year, we were on the lookout for board members and a chair. After getting in touch with so many extraordinary people who showed interest and were able to provide knowledge and capabilities we desperately needed, we have finalized our board with the start of March 2023.

It is now with the outmost excitement that we can introduce everyone to our newly formed board.  In the following weeks, we will write two articles about our board members and explaining why we have a strong asset in them with our future growth plans.

The first one to talk about is our chairwoman, Trine Tolfsby. She is currently acting CEO of Sonat Consulting in Oslo.

Trine has set some time aside to answer some questions regarding her motives of joining the board, her career path, and most importantly about herself in the interview below.

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Trine, thank you so much for taking your time for a question round. We are trying to paint a portrait of you in words. I know it sounds fancy, but the more detailed the better the picture. So, let us start from the beginning! What is it you studied?

“Well, I studied theater science at the University in Bergen, I loved theater, and thought I would be an actor or a theater director, but after my first year, I fell in love with an actor, story short, I left the drama and started working my way up instead. 

I have dyslexia, and when I was in school the tools to help people like me, was not the greatest. I loved storytelling and writing, but my diagnosis made it difficult for me. I was the first one in my school to get a private laptop and learned to use the touch-method. Combined with auto-correction it was great for the writing part, but still, reading was a problem. I found the smartest girl in the class in university, figured she liked beer, so I bought her beer, and she told me everything I needed to know. That’s how I managed through school. I do like to surround myself with people that are smarter than me, then I can learn, get challenged and stretch.”  

That really shows your ability to adapt when you think about how you studied, or took on knowledge back then, reflecting on your dyslexia and finding a way around it. And it seems that even back in your study times you surrounded yourself with people you can learn from. Still, theater science is not the precise area you work in now, so how did your career take you to the place you are in now?

“Ha ha – how long time do you have? I started my first job in fifth grade, I cleaned up and sorted in a sewing shop on Saturdays and after school on Thursdays. I thought it was so much fun to learn and to help in the shop - I don’t even think I got paid. 

I do truly love to work, feel that I can be of service. I’m also a big fan of Pippi-long- stockings, “Sure I can, I just haven’t done it before.”   I have been a housepainter, shop assistant, a teacher, a telemarketer, a secretary, and a marketeer. 

For 13th years I worked for Bacardi Norway, there I built my career. I figured out what they needed and learned as I went along. There I learned how to be a graphic designer, copywriter, project manager and marketing manager. It was interesting to work creatively with products with so much history in a market where there is so many marketing restrictions. After 13 years, I figured it was time to learn communication and marketing from the pros. So, I went to a Strategy and Advertising agency called Fjeldheim & Partners. There I was the lead project manager on their biggest client REMA 1000. It was a great challenge, and all my manager skills got to work, it was huge and complex task - from long time planning of new products, to adds we needed to make due to competition in just a few hours. The retail industry is truly fun, and it was a steep learning curve for me, just as I love it! 

There I also found what I truly love, to work with people that thrive, with passion, and solving mission impossible, together! I like to inspire, and make people see their incredible talent and potential. I moved on to a company where I got personnel responsibility, my true passion. 

I lost my mom to ALS, it changed me, so I had to try and learn standing on my own two feet. I started my company DYD AS. There I worked with startups within sustainability, I helped them with commercialization and business development. It was three fantastic years, whit all the trouble, hard work, and ups-and-downs that comes along with startups. What I learned - listening in on the market - was that it is the technologists, that are going to save us from the climate change. Well, then it was time to talk with them.” 

The almost sounds like you spent two whole lifetimes working with everything you have tried out, learned, and accomplished. I think sometimes it is impressive to reflect on a path one has walked. So, once you decided to walk with the technologists, what is it you are doing right now?

“Now I am the CEO of a senior consulting firm – Sonat Consulting Oslo. We are 20 senior consultants within system development, service and product development and machine learning. My responsibility is being the whole administration, to make sure everyone is happy & have the assignments they love and thrive in. That they get the right portion of challenges and development to serve our clients and the community.”  

That sounds like quite a task, but it seems you love every bit of it. So, how did you find the time to join as Chairwoman, or more importantly – why?

“I had a great meeting with Erik, your CEO, and we truly hit it off. We are aligned on values, have complementary qualities and experiences. I love his thrive and passion and admire what he has done with AvantGarde Search and his ambitions in moving forward. So, when he asked me why I hadn’t applied for the position as your chairwoman of the board, I felt truly honored and totally eager to join in. We kept on talking, and the more we did, the more right it felt. I’m looking forward to being on the board and be of service to your great team.”   

Well, I think we are as eager to have you on the board as you are yourself then. For us and everyone else, I think it would be super interesting to know what strengths you bring to the board. Can you give us a preview on that?

“I think my experience, my knowledge and strategic mind, included my abilities to make things happened and get people to thrive, is of the biggest value. And of course, to be a good discussion partner and watch dog for Erik, haha” 

That is exactly what Erik needs! So how do you will work together, or what is it you contribute?

“I will make sure that we align, that the strategy works, and that Erik gets the tools to deliver well, and organize the company in a healthy way. Keep you guys on track on your plans and vision, being agile and sustainable.”   

Outside of that, what is it that differentiates the position of you being Chairwoman to a normal board member?

“My outmost important job is to make the board function at its best, make us work well together for the good of the company. I am the project leader – I need to make sure that we have and do what needs to be done, and that we all serve you well.” 

With your experience I am sure that you will make this a great success! Speaking of experiences, what is your experience with recruitment companies?

“My experience is being a client of and recruited by recruitment companies. But with all new tasks I go into, I dig in, investigates, and ask tons of questions to put myself in the position to be of real value to the partner I serve.” 

So having been in touch with recruiters in your career, how is AvantGarde different than other recruitment companies?

“The people, the culture, and the agile method, plus the fact that you are the best! 

Please add in – if you want to help me answer that question, haha.” 

Well, I think I will not help you out there now, I am sure you will find out soon enough, haha. But you already learned about our ambitions and growth plans. How do you see our journey ahead?

“We kick off with a workshop tomorrow, the new members of the board will align and get to know each other and each other’s strengths and weaknesses. So that we can provide you guys with the best of the best for the way forward. You have a strong individual team – so guess what we can do with joint forces!”

Yes, guess what we can do with joint forces! Having said that, I think that is a great way to end the interview. Once again, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule. I am super excited to get know you even better over time and we all cannot wait to see what the future holds.

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AvantGarde Search is for the first time in our history in the process of raising capital to allow for significant expansion plans both here in Oslo, but also in Denmark and Sweden. We are considering a share-issue round via www.folkeinvest.no. In the coming weeks we are speaking to professional investors and hobby investors with the interest of investing 10 000 NOK to 250 000 NOK. Feel free to see our presentations via the link or contact Erik Falk Hansen (efh@avantgardesearh.no | +47 40 43 54 93).