Mr. Tore Morten Olsen, President of Marlink Group, says digitalization brings many benefits to maritime industry and explains how he decided to join the area of satellite communications. Satellite communications technology and the maritime marketplace are fluid, Mr Olsen notes, therefore investment in continuous learning is required to keep pace with all developments. Overall, in order to succeed, it is important to being open and receptive, collaborate, have team spirit and a listening ear, he advises us, adding that we should adapt, stay positive and be kind in every aspect of work and life.
SAFETY4SEA: How did it come about that you joined the shipping industry and your specific field of expertise?
Tore Morten Olsen: I wanted to improve life for seafarers, especially seeing the potential to improve the current situation through the potential of digitalisation and its current roll-out throughout maritime markets. Additionally, I remain keen to contribute to steer the satellite communications industry towards manufacturing products tailored to meet the many and varied requirements of our clients.
S4S: What about your current job/role most excites you, and why?
T.M.O.: Marlink is a genuinely global business operation: it’s inspiring to see that our ideology of tireless innovation in improving efficiency and life for our customers has given us a position in the market which has strengthened our ability to drive beneficial developments in the field of maritime satellite communications. Connectivity and efficient use of IT are still in their infancy where vessels are concerned, so it excites me to reflect that I can assist our global teams and our customers in bringing a strategy which best serves our clients. We’re writing new chapters in this ongoing narrative on a daily basis.
S4S: When you think of the word ‘successful’, who is the first person that comes to mind, and why?
T.M.O.: Nelson Mandela. He never allowed adversity to dilute or derail his vision, but still adapted to events and stayed true to his principles. His name has become synonymous with justice and decency – and I can’t think of a better definition of success.
S4S: Who is/was the most influential person/mentor to you, and why?
T.M.O.: There have been many: firstly, my parents, who instilled the belief in me that hard work will be rewarded in every respect. Beyond that, I’d have to nominate my superiors in job roles throughout my career who trusted me with ever-growing responsibilities. This gave me the impetus to not merely repay their confidence, but also to keep raising my game and pushing forward.
S4S: What is the best (and what was the worst) piece of advice you’ve ever been given, and why?
T.M.O.: I was once told that you should treat global commerce with the same care and pride that you would apply to your own local community, and I’ve never forgotten that. It engenders mutual respect and understanding in business management while acknowledging that real people are at the heart of every development, decision and transaction. However, I was also once advised that ideas are best kept to oneself, which is a farcical notion. How on earth can you build a successful business without team collaboration and a listening ear?
S4S: What is the most worthwhile career investment (in energy, time, money) you’ve ever made?
T.M.O.: Simply the fundamental observation that you should wholeheartedly invest in your own education. Your career is a continuous learning process, and every day inevitably brings to light new developments that you can study, learn from, adapt if necessary and apply further on along the line. Satellite communications technology and the maritime marketplace are fluid, interconnected entities, subject to constant change: being open and receptive is key.
S4S: If you could give one piece of advice to your 18-year-old self, what would that be, and why? What piece of advice should you ignore?
T.M.O.: Believe in yourself, and work hard every day. Look towards the future, not behind you – unless it’s to learn from past mistakes. Dare to fail, and learn from your mistakes. And if anyone tells you that you aren’t good or talented enough to succeed, or that you’re in any way unsuited to your chosen career path, just ignore them. That kind of negative advice says far more about the person issuing it than it does about you.
S4S: In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your business life?
T.M.O.: The development and progress of versatile digital platforms to streamline working practices has been utterly transformative – and this obviously applies not just within the maritime sector, but for businesses in general. In essence, with today’s tools it doesn’t matter where you are in order to be available and do your work – in the office, at home, travelling, or in the field somewhere – we become more and more available and capable of doing our job from smaller and smarter devices which will be always connected…
S4S: What would you like to change in the current maritime landscape and your area of expertise specifically, and why?
T.M.O.: The maritime landscape is already evolving in an exciting direction with the advent of new LEO constellations that can deliver more bandwidth and lower latency, plus the potential to provide truly global connectivity. In the same maritime context, the digital transformation is already leading to autonomous shipping, which presents a world of opportunities for the satellite comms industry. Most commercial ships are still likely to be crewed for the next 20 to 30 years, however, so digitalisation will continue to enhance elements such as crew welfare, plus informed decision-making via vessel monitoring, passage planning and predictive maintenance.
S4S: What is your personal motto?
T.M.O.: I don’t have a personal motto, as such: but if anything, I adhere to the unspoken credo that one should always strive to be one’s best self in every aspect of work and life, regardless of circumstance. Work your hardest, always look for ways to adapt and improve, stay positive and be kind – then you can greet each day with a clear conscience!
About Tore Morten Olsen, President, Marlink Group
Tore Morten Olsen holds a M.Sc in Telecommunications from the Norwegian Technical University from 1993, and has participated in Executive MBA programs at Wharton Business School in the United States, Insead in France and Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden. He has 24 years of experience in the satellite communications sector, starting out as a technical product manager in 1994 and moving on to hold several senior management positions with Telenor, Astrium Services, Airbus Defence and Space, and Marlink
