Kai G. Henriksen
Encyclopedia
Kai Henning Gjesdal Henriksen (born 21 May 1956) is a Norwegian
businessperson. A former politician for the Conservative Party of Norway
, and having served a period as the chief executive officer
of Storebrand Bank
, Henriksen is since 2006 the current CEO of the Norwegian government-owned wine
and spirits retail monopoly company
, AS Vinmonopolet
.
from 1975 to 1976 in the Royal Norwegian Navy
. Henriksen holds a cand.polit.
degree from the University of Oslo
which he attended from 1978 to 1984, a period during which he also worked as a journalist for regional newspaper Østlandets Blad
. While studying French
in Tours
during the early 80s, Henriksen has stated he first discovered wine
.
From 1984 to 1986, Henriksen was the leader of the Young Conservatives
(Unge Høyre), the youth wing of the Conservative Party. In 1986 Henriksen worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a private secretary (now called political adviser) for then foreign minister Svenn Stray
, during Willoch's Second Cabinet.
Henriksen served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Akershus
during the term 1985–1989. Then from 1986 to 1988 he was political advisor to the chairman of the Conservative Party, Rolf Presthus
, and a similar capacity during 1989–1990 under then Minister of Trade Kaci Kullmann Five
during the cabinet Syse
.
from Harvard Business School
which he attended from 1990 to 1992. Henriksen served as a "summer trainee" in 1991 at Procter & Gamble
in Stockholm, and held the position of project leader at McKinsey & Company
from 1992 to 1995, working with projects involving strategies and business development. From 1995, Henriksen was market director at Avanse Forvaltning AS until 1997.
In 1997 Henriksen became the CEO of Storebrand Bank AS
, which he remained until 2003. From 2003 to 2006, Henriksen was CEO of the attorney firm DLA Nordic DA.
in the episode named the "Ekjord Case", Henriksen was appointed as successor to the position which he began in August 2006.
In this capacity, Henriksen has stressed his commitment to the 'social responsibility' of preventing access to alcohol among minors, and fulfilling the mandate to run an operation so successful that the monopoly arrangement will remain in the future, having stated, "We will earn the support of the people". Henriksen has implored that other leaders in Vinmonopolet ought to leave their desks, put on uniforms and experience "work on the floor", which he does himself at least three times a year. Having initiated several reforms relating to the employees' conditions and competency investment, some at great financial cost, many maintain the opinion that he is the best director of the company they have experienced.
From a customer perspective, the period under Henriksen's leadership and its changes have widely been received positively, with several voices previously critical of the Vinmonopolet institution in recent years declaring that it may be becoming the "world's leading wine store". In contrast, Tom Marthinsen of Dagens Næringsliv
though acknowledging progress from the conditions of the 90s, is critical of techniques Henriksen and his team have introduced from chain stores and standardization methods. Arne Ronold
MW
stated in 2008, "they have become aware of the problems and are taking measures", and, "I may have been one of the most ardent critics, but I have mildened somewhat".
In August 2010, Henriksen passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust
advanced diploma with the distinction "with merit", becoming the first managing director of Vinmonopolet to obtain a wine trade education.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
businessperson. A former politician for the Conservative Party of Norway
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
, and having served a period as the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Storebrand Bank
Storebrand
Storebrand is a financial services company in Norway. By volume, the company's main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has major divisions working on investments, banking and, since 2006, P&C insurance products...
, Henriksen is since 2006 the current CEO of the Norwegian government-owned wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and spirits retail monopoly company
Alcohol monopoly
An alcohol monopoly is a government monopoly on manufacturing and/or retailing of some or all alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine and spirits. It can be used as an alternative for total prohibition...
, AS Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet
Vinmonopolet , symbolized by Ⓥ and colloquially shortened to Polet, is a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4.75% in Norway....
.
Early career and politics
Henriksen served his mandatory military serviceConscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
from 1975 to 1976 in the Royal Norwegian Navy
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Defence Force responsible for naval operations. , the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 5 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support...
. Henriksen holds a cand.polit.
Cand.polit.
Candidatus rerum politicarum , Candidata rerum politicarum , abbreviated cand.polit., is an academic degree within the fields of social sciences issued under the old education system in Denmark and Norway.-Denmark:...
degree from the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
which he attended from 1978 to 1984, a period during which he also worked as a journalist for regional newspaper Østlandets Blad
Østlandets Blad
Østlandets Blad is a regional newspaper published in Ski, Norway.It was established in 1908 under the name Øieren, named after a local lake. It was based in Kråkstad at that time. The name Østlandets Blad was taken in 1919. The political stance was Conservative.After 1945 it gradually increased...
. While studying French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
during the early 80s, Henriksen has stated he first discovered wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
From 1984 to 1986, Henriksen was the leader of the Young Conservatives
Norwegian Young Conservatives
Norwegian Young Conservatives is a Norwegian youth party. Its ideology is liberal conservatism, and the party is in many ways more liberal than its mother party, Conservative Party of Norway. Henrik Asheim succeeded Torbjørn Røe Isaksen as leader in 2008.- Leaders :...
(Unge Høyre), the youth wing of the Conservative Party. In 1986 Henriksen worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a private secretary (now called political adviser) for then foreign minister Svenn Stray
Svenn Stray
Svenn Thorkild Stray is a retired Norwegian politician active in the Conservative Party of Norway and former foreign minister of Norway....
, during Willoch's Second Cabinet.
Henriksen served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Akershus
Akershus
- Geography :The county is conventionally divided into the traditional districts Follo and Romerike, which fill the vast part of the county, as well as the small exclave west of Oslo that consists of Asker and Bærum...
during the term 1985–1989. Then from 1986 to 1988 he was political advisor to the chairman of the Conservative Party, Rolf Presthus
Rolf Presthus
Rolf Presthus was a Norwegian politician, who was chairman of the Conservative Party of Norway 1986-1988.Presthus was also Minister of Finance 1981-1986, and Minister of Defence in 1986....
, and a similar capacity during 1989–1990 under then Minister of Trade Kaci Kullmann Five
Kaci Kullmann Five
Karin Cecilie Kullmann Five is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party, and a business professional. She was born Karin Cecilie Kullmann in Bærum and was educated in law, French language and political science at University of Oslo in 1981...
during the cabinet Syse
Cabinet Syse
Syse's Cabinet was a minority, Conservative/Centre/Christian Democrat Government of Norway. It succeeded the Labour Second cabinet Brundtland after the 1989 election, and sat between 16 October 1989 and 3 November 1990...
.
Business career
Henriksen achieved his Master of Business AdministrationMaster of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
which he attended from 1990 to 1992. Henriksen served as a "summer trainee" in 1991 at Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
in Stockholm, and held the position of project leader at McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
from 1992 to 1995, working with projects involving strategies and business development. From 1995, Henriksen was market director at Avanse Forvaltning AS until 1997.
In 1997 Henriksen became the CEO of Storebrand Bank AS
Storebrand
Storebrand is a financial services company in Norway. By volume, the company's main activities are related to life insurance and pension savings. However, the company also has major divisions working on investments, banking and, since 2006, P&C insurance products...
, which he remained until 2003. From 2003 to 2006, Henriksen was CEO of the attorney firm DLA Nordic DA.
Vinmonopolet
Following the scandal that was uncovered in 2005 involving Vinmonopolet employees and the importer firm Ekjord A/S that brought about the resignation of then Vinmonopolet CEO Knut GrøholtKnut Grøholt
Knut Grøholt is a Norwegian civil servant.He was born in Oslo, was educated with the siv.øk. degree and later took the Ph.D. degree. He was hired in the Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Labour in 1973, and was promoted to deputy under-secretary of state in 1985...
in the episode named the "Ekjord Case", Henriksen was appointed as successor to the position which he began in August 2006.
In this capacity, Henriksen has stressed his commitment to the 'social responsibility' of preventing access to alcohol among minors, and fulfilling the mandate to run an operation so successful that the monopoly arrangement will remain in the future, having stated, "We will earn the support of the people". Henriksen has implored that other leaders in Vinmonopolet ought to leave their desks, put on uniforms and experience "work on the floor", which he does himself at least three times a year. Having initiated several reforms relating to the employees' conditions and competency investment, some at great financial cost, many maintain the opinion that he is the best director of the company they have experienced.
From a customer perspective, the period under Henriksen's leadership and its changes have widely been received positively, with several voices previously critical of the Vinmonopolet institution in recent years declaring that it may be becoming the "world's leading wine store". In contrast, Tom Marthinsen of Dagens Næringsliv
Dagens Næringsliv
Dagens Næringsliv, commonly known as DN, is a Norwegian tabloid specializing in business reporting with a claimed daily circulation of 82,775 copies in 2008, making it the 8th largest newspaper in Norway. The editor in chief is Amund Djuve. Its name is Norwegian for "Today's Business".Originally...
though acknowledging progress from the conditions of the 90s, is critical of techniques Henriksen and his team have introduced from chain stores and standardization methods. Arne Ronold
Arne Ronold
Arne Ronold is a Norwegian Master of Wine, a journalist and editor of the Norwegian wine publication Vinforum, and considered an expert on Italian and Burgundy wine.-Career:...
MW
Master of Wine
Master of Wine is a qualification issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom...
stated in 2008, "they have become aware of the problems and are taking measures", and, "I may have been one of the most ardent critics, but I have mildened somewhat".
In August 2010, Henriksen passed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Wine & Spirit Education Trust
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust, often referred to as WSET, is a British organisation which arranges courses and exams in the field of wine and spirits. WSET was founded in 1969, is headquartered in London and is generally regarded as the world's leading provider of wine education. The courses...
advanced diploma with the distinction "with merit", becoming the first managing director of Vinmonopolet to obtain a wine trade education.