Insight #1 - November 2012

INSIGHTramboll employee magazine #01 november 2012

My ONe COMpaNy experIeNCe

GeT ready fOr Take OffJens-Peter saul on the ambitious targets for 2016

buSINeSS ON TOp Of THe wOrldstePPing uP our arctic agenda

MeeT SakTHy SelvakuMaraN aNd fIve OTHer COlleaGueS aNd See THe wOrld Of raMbOll THrOuGH New eyeS

With around 10,000 people from more than 25 countries, there are good stories to be told all around us. Write your feedback and suggestions for future stories to editor Karen Klarskov at [email protected]

editor-in-chiefmorten Peick

editorKaren Klarskov

art directorlone olai

Writerschristina tækkerPeter mørkeberg hinsbyroos nederveen Jørgensenfergus Wooler

PhotosKim nilssonlars fenger

digital edition: 9,624 recipientsPrint edition: 4,000 copies

cover: sakthy selvakumaran, civil engineer, southampton, uK. Photographer: Kim nilsson

next issue: spring 2013

INSIGHT #012 stronger together

at ramboll, we want to be stronger together, an aim we can achieve by cooperating more closely, keeping each other abreast of our work and exchanging knowledge and ideas. our new common internal magazine is a vehicle to this end, enabling us to communicate across borders and business units and share our one company ambitions, initiatives, thoughts and insights. hopefully, the magazine will also provide a channel through which we can all enjoy some of the many inspiring stories we generate

every day as we collaborate with our customers and partners.

this first issue of insight focuses on the roll-out of our new strategy ‘stronger together’. the strategy gives ramboll its compass bearings for the coming years and will transform our company as we know it today. an exciting journey lies ahead of us, and we certainly want to share our experiences as we follow our new course.

insight will be published twice a year and distributed to all of you digitally by email. this sustainable solution means you won’t have to wait for the postman to arrive.

however, for those of you who prefer the printed word, every business unit will receive a number of hard copies for internal distribution. i hope you will enjoy reading the magazine!

edITOrIal

INSIGHT IT IS!

Jens-peter Saul, group ceo

INSIGHT #01 3

aG

eN

da

CONTeNT

key proJect in greenland p. 26equipping greenlandic companies for the future.

Stepping up ramboll’S arctic agenda p. 22interview with neel strøbæk, group market director for environment.

ready for the bold move? p. 04interview with Jens-Peter saul on ramboll’s new ‘stronger together’ strategy.

ramboll proJect management p. 21Prepares for full-scale implementation in January 2013.

taking on the challenge p. 28meet the new man in charge of the tough uK market. interview with steve canadine.

ramboll’S new image video p. 17boost your presentation with our newcorporate image video. 3 versions available.

a Strong perSonal drivep. 20a career with no borders. meet Jesper thomsen, branch director in abu dhabi.

Stronger together p. 10they are young, bright and some of your 9,624 colleagues. get their stories.

driving people excellence forward p. 18group hr director søren carlsen on our most valuable asset: People!

world-claSS waSte utiliSation p. 30an international waste-to-energy icon is underway in copenhagen. learn how.

agenda p. 32local news with a global reach.

iron, copper and gold in finland p. 27mining 100 km north of the arctic circle. the hannukainen mine Project.

interview


Jens-peter Saul is. in the four years to come ramboll will become stronger as it proceeds not only to roughly double in size, but also expand into new territories and broaden its portfolio. insight knocked on ceo Jens-peter Saul’s door to learn how he and the group executive board are planning for us to make this bold move.

by Karen Klarskov

ready fOr THe bOld MOve?

5INSIGHT #01


He is a man with a purpose. And a whole lot of confidence. A good mix if he is to succeed with Ramboll’s new strategy ‘Stronger Together – Strategy for Profitable Growth’.

As Jens-Peter Saul rolls out this strategy, he also makes his first major imprint on the Ramboll organisation. He and the Group Executive Board (GEB) have been working all summer to finalise the visionary strategy that will unfold over the next four years. In the last months he has visited 12 Ramboll offices during his roadshow, travelling from Oslo to Dubai and talking to over 3,500 employees to convey the overall message: Our way ahead is by becoming stronger together.

building on our strong dna The targets set for 2016 show that this company will certainly not be a dull place to work. By then, we will have been transformed into a global consultancy with a staff of 15,000-20,000 stationed in Europe, North America, the Arctic, India and the Middle East. We will also be present in major cities around the world as our portfolio of services continues to broaden. We are world-class society consultants and undisputed leaders in our home markets.

In short, we are gazing into a bright future full of exciting changes. Truth be told, it all seems a bit overwhelming, so I ask Jens-Peter Saul how we are going to make this happen.

“Ramboll is already a strong company, and in this strategy we focus on what we do best and doing more of that,” he begins.

And Jens-Peter Saul is keenly aware of the advantages of our strong culture, dedicated people and deeply rooted values. We are

known for our distinctive focus on quality and environmental sustainability.

“There is a deep pride in that, and that’s why we are building on the work achieved so far. The previous ‘Better, Bigger, Broader’ strategy from 2009 hasn’t been discarded,

but the ‘Stronger Together’ strategy is made even more focused, more accurate and a bit more ambitious

and explicit,” Jens-Peter Saul continues.

a strong home baseThus, profitability, growth, internationalisation and competitiveness remain at the core of our strategy. We are meeting the desire for a more balanced and diverse portfolio in terms of what services we want to offer and where we want to be present globally.

However, broadening our portfolio and customer base is one thing, but to become stronger we have to develop and dominate our home markets:

“We have to dominate and develop our home markets if we want to leap forward. We don’t want to go out and search for new territories and business if we simultaneously have problems at home. We want to make sure our traditional country business units are strong, but we also have to drive our performance up and improve our competitiveness and profitability. Only by continuously challenging ourselves, also in those areas where we are strong, will we succeed in the long term.”

going northwestWhen it comes to the next large multidisciplinary setup, the new strategy aims at developing our

business in countries that support our portfolio goals and also value what we offer. Therefore, we are setting our compass with a more northwest bearing towards the developed world, looking to the USA, Canada and the Arctic rather than low-cost markets like China.

We will keep on investing in and developing our well-established India and Middle East operations, but for foreign companies the consultancy engineering market is bigger in developed countries like the USA, Canada or even Australia than the accessible market in China. Still, we will not forego the developing countries but take a sharply focused, segmented approach, for instance in Southeast-Asian cities interested in services like sustainable master planning.

Further, Jens-Peter Saul is aware that some might wonder why we have avoided what he calls a “me-too strategy” when it comes to heading east like every other company in recent years.

“We have investigated the market thoroughly, and there is clearly plenty of room for growth in the developed countries. The world is big, and we are still relatively small on the international stage, so we are heading for markets and geographies that value what we offer, instead of hunting down markets where our services aren’t valued and where price comes before quality and sustainability. Our target is to acquire companies in markets that build on the strengths we already have.”

Stronger and togetherThe word “stronger” is essential to the strategy. It’s not for nothing that it constitutes half the title:

“We really need to develop One Company. It is one thing to become stronger by driving the competi-tive platform or by investing in the portfolio and new regions, but it is also important to develop and capitalise on our sustainable society platform.”

That’s something new – so far we

the world is big, and we are still relatively small on the internatio-nal stage, so we are heading for markets and geographies that value what we offer.Jens-Peter saul, group ceo

“

Jens-Peter saul and members of the group executive board visited 12 offices in 8 countries on their recent roadshow to present the new strategy. experience the presentation given at the head office in copenhagen (above) at the executive blog on the intranet.

the ‘stronger together’ strategy is based on four interlinked and reinforcing elements:

see how at the executive blog on the intranet.

INSIGHT #01 7

have talked a lot about Community Consultancy. What has happened to that?

“The Community Consultant is not gone. This is what we’re doing in many places. The Sustainable Soci-ety Consultant is just the next step. The community is part of society. And, indeed, in many areas we are already there. I have the view that you should strengthen what you are good at and become a leader in this field. So, the ambition to be the leading society consultant is the next ambition level.”

“We are already part of creating the most sustainable cities and have contributed with our management consulting to forming societies.”

With the new element of a ‘Sus-tainable Society Platform’ we want to make the most of our competen-cies as a multidisciplinary company

as well as of our excellent reputa-tion in these fields by utilising both our technical and our socio-economic competencies in areas like urban master planning. After all, a team is not a team unless it plays by the same rules. Are there any new systems and processes in the pipeline?

“Yes,” is the short answer, followed by:

“We are not using the full poten-tial of our company. We are not even set up to work together, as we have different processes and tools that make it difficult to collaborate across borders and share work and expertise. We re-invent everything several times in the company, and every business goes through the same learning curve because we don’t share best practice.”

“So, right now we are looking at what processes we need to

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%0% 100% 200%

EB

ITA

mar

gin

%

% of current revenue

2016

BU

ILD

ING

S

TR

AN

SP

OR

T

EN

VIR

ON

ME

NT

OIL

& G

AS

EN

ER

GY

MC

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%0% 100% 200%

EB

ITA

mar

gin

%


2016

14%

12%

10%

8%

6%

4%

2%

0%0% 100% 200%

EB

ITA

mar

gin

%


2016

BU

ILD

ING

S

TR

AN

SP

OR

T

EN

VIR

ON

ME

NT

OIL

& G

AS

EN

ER

GY

MIN

ING

MC


harmonise and what key Ramboll tools we need to have in common. The competitive platform has been in play since the old strategy, but we need to drive it much harder. We are also creating a plug-and-play infrastructure for the IT landscape. We are implementing a new governance model to improve collaboration between the different business units.”

HR is in the process of launching new systems. Finance is implement-ing the new ERP, and IT is following suit. What does One Company mean to you personally?

“If I know a business is in trouble, I expect the other units to rally to support it. We need to pull each other in, share the work and think ‘How can I support the overall company’ rather than ‘I work for Ramboll Denmark’. We have to act

as One Company and be the am-bassadors for the entire company towards our customers.”How will I – and all other employees – feel the new strategy in our daily work?

“Tomorrow you won’t feel any change, but in the medium and long terms you will feel part of a stronger global setup, more competency in your ability to participate in more exciting projects globally and also a stronger focus on achieving good results and better career opportuni-ties throughout the organisation.”

the ethical outsetThe One Company is, however, about to expand. Becoming stronger means growing not only organically but also through acquisitions. Ramboll’s portfolio in Energy, Environment and Natural Resources will be significantly

how to develop?Performance enhancements and a change in portfolio mix will increase margins.

strengthened even as we continue developing our traditional businesses in Buildings, Transport and Environment. This embodies not a shift to these more globally deployable businesses but rather a better portfolio balance.

“These markets will be of great importance to us in the coming years. If you consider the megatrends in place in terms of the growing demand for natural resources and energy, we are looking at businesses that are growing much faster than our traditional businesses within Buildings and Transport. We are also looking at expanding our portfolio into Mining, which also supports our ambitions in the Arctic, where we are planning to extend our services to cover the entire 360° area of the region,” Jens-Peter Saul explains and continues:

find news and updates on the ‘stronger together’ strategy at the executive blog on the intranet.

Watch the video at the executive blog on the intranet and see how various directors from our business units are reacting to the new strategy. meet robert arpe, anders rødgaard knudsen (below), bent Johannesson and tonny Johansen.

INSIGHT #01 9

“We are also looking to expand our globally deployable business. Customers in the oil and gas sector operate globally, so it is easy to follow them abroad. We are also expanding our energy portfolio in the areas of Wind, Transmission and Thermal and Oil and Gas, with a focus on offshore and midstream, and strengthening our customer base. We have also realised how strong we are in environment and aim to become a market leader. By following these global customers abroad, we can then pull our traditional businesses with us. Thus, investing in these areas will give us a vehicle for future growth and internationalisation, also in Buildings and Transport.”

But we are a company with strong ethical values, and some might find the new focus to deviate slightly from the Ramboll heritage

– the Mining element, for instance. How do you see that?

“We are clearly not a non-profit organisation dreaming up the ideal world. Society depends on natural resources, oil, metals and energy. We could say let’s stay out of this, that’s none of our business, but as engineers we can take up the responsibility of making it our business with the minimum environmental impact. You can drive this in a sustainable way and secure resources like the Nord Stream, for instance.”

You have a choice: leave it to the cowboys or take responsibility for getting it done right and in a sustainable manner. Jens-Peter Saul has chosen the latter.

I am curious to know, though, what kind of company he sees before him, when Ramboll hits New Year in 2016.

“I envision a very strong company with a well-balanced portfolio between our traditional businesses of Buildings and Transport and the more international fast-growing businesses of Oil & Gas and Energy, and with an international setup and undisputed leadership in the Nordic countries. We are in the most attractive markets and are seen as the world leader in the development of sustainable societies. We have strong values and a strong focus on people excellence. We value our employees and their contributions and have focused strongly on good technology and on delivering excellence in terms of performance.”

Well, we’d better wind this up and get back to work. After all, we’ve got a lot to achieve in the coming four to five years.

Portraits

stronger together 10 INSIGHT #01

meet six younger colleagues and get their take on ramboll, its company culture, profound expertise and supportive colleagues. a place where you make friends beyond borders. say hello to sakthy, trupti, tim, sanna, scott and roland.

By Peter Mørkeberg Hinsby

My

ON

e

CO

Mp

aN

ySakTHy SelvakuMaraN age: 24field of expertise: civil, structural and environmental engineeringworkplace: southampton, uKwow: named one of thirty young rising stars in engineering and manufacturing by the uK government campaign ‘make it in great britain’. as an ambassador for the campaign, she’s writing a blog for the huffington Post. noteworthy: finalist in the ‘new civil engineer’s 2011 graduate awards’ competition and part of a team commended in the ‘society of Public health engineers Young engineers award’ in 2011. received a ‘Vodafone World of difference award’ in 2011, which gave her the opportunity to work with the charity engineers Without borders uK.

what does one company mean to you?“I’m drawn to the opportunities that mean I can create solutions for society’s most pressing challenges. Also, being Sri Lankan, Canadian and British, I have always been drawn by the global mobility that this career can provide. I believe that, seen as One Company, Ramboll provides the variety of services and the size to do just that.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“I have been very active in Engineers Without Borders UK and their worldwide counterparts, and this has given me opportunities to work around the world, including

in Peru and Spain. It has given me hands-on experience with some of the great challenges that people face today and has highlighted the importance of being One Company that can draw from a breadth of experience to tackle these issues. I’m sure that I can continue to find projects across the Ramboll Group that address these challenges.”

what is your most memorable one company experience? “The Technical Excellence Forum at Ramboll (network showcasing expertise and projects throughout the company) really gave me an understanding of the potential synergies for development and innovation within different fields.”

Q & a

ex

pe

rIe

NC

e

11INSIGHT #01

I’M drawN TO THe OppOrTuNITIeS THaT MeaN I CaN CreaTe SOluTIONS TO SOCIeTy’S MOST preSSING CHalleNGeS


I lIke THaT I CaN Travel aNd buIld up experI-eNCe aNd yeT STIll be parT Of THe SaMe COMpaNy

rOlaNd SOMMer SøreNSeN

what does one company mean to you?“It means cooperating effectively and benefiting from state-of-the-art knowledge and frontline technology across borders and disciplines.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“I like that I can travel and build up experience and yet still be part of the same company. It gives me an opportunity to test myself – also on a more personal level. Though Oslo isn’t far from Copenhagen, having a network of colleagues from day one made it somewhat easier to adapt.”

Q & a

age: 35field of expertise: all types of railway signalling systems.workplace: oslo, norway motivated by: learning, applying and sharing frontline technology for railway signalling systems.professional achievement: roland played a key role in creating the technical concept for the level crossings used in the signalling programme in denmark – the single largest consultancy tender in danish history.

what is your most memorable one company experience?

“The signalling department recently submitted a tender for a project in Norway. We suggested a split where Danish colleagues would take care of the detailed design and our Norwegian colleagues would deal with the customer. This utilised our company platform perfectly.”

INSIGHT #01 13

TakING THe beST Of bOTH wOrldS

TrupTI NakTI

Q & a

what does one company mean to you?“One Company is an organisation working towards a common goal by sharing culture, knowledge and experience.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“One consequence of cooperating in a global company is having to adapt to different local systems and standards. At the moment, I’m in Denmark working on strengthening the common platform between India and Denmark by taking the best of both worlds.”

what is your most memorable one company experience? “A couple of months ago I became part of the Panum project in Denmark. I’m really enjoying cooperating on this landmark project with my Danish colleagues.”

age: 35field of expertise: hVac specialistworkplace: mumbai, india bookworm: loves to read indian literature and recommends that all fellow bibliophiles explore this tradition.

wOrkING IN lONdON ONe day aNd COpeNHaGeN THe NexT

SCOTT lewISage: 28 field of expertise: structural engineering workplace: london, uK noteworthy: scott speaks french and russian and plays bass in the indie music band behind the skies. motivation: creating something that will last longer than him.

Q & a

what does one company mean to you?“Being part of a rotation programme in Buildings, I have experienced working out of the Copenhagen office as well. This is what One Company is all about – drawing on the synergies and bringing us closer together, so that no business unit or department is left isolated or behind.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“The plug-and-play way of working in London one day and Copenhagen the next reminds me that I am part of a big company that has all the competencies necessary to solve almost anything. We have to develop this awareness and do everything we can to make the knowledge flow across borders. The fact is you can always find the answer to your question within Ramboll.”

what is your most memorable one company experience? “I did a spectacular retail centre project in Slovenia in close unison with a team consisting of specialists from Denmark and the UK. We had a great common understanding of how the job should be done. Almost just as memorable would be yesterday’s win with the Ramboll football team in Copenhagen.”

INSIGHT #01 15

GreaT COl-leaGueS aNd GreaT frIeNdS – THaT SayS IT all

SaNNa SOrvOjaage: 29 field of expertise: capacity analyses, scheduling, train operations and railway simulations.workplace: malmö, swedenmotivation: the opportunity to influ-ence societies by creating solutions that benefit both people and the environment. moving target: has managed to live, work and generate excellent results in malmö, helsinki and copenhagen within the last year.

Q & a

what does one company mean to you?“I have worked in three offices within the last year and met great colleagues and made friends in all three. That says it all.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“The fact that we are a big company gives us the advantage of drawing on knowledge and resources from all over the world. It also provides us with the resources to really develop our competencies and new innovative solutions. For me personally, my time abroad has significantly broadened my knowledge within my field of expertise. Conversely, I have taught colleagues about some of the software programs that I excel in.”

what is your most memorable one company experience? “In 2008 when more than 5,000 Ramboll employees gathered at the Ramboll Knowledge Experience in Denmark, I really understood that I work at a big company with a special culture and a wealth of knowledge. “


yOu fINd THe experT yOu are lOOkING fOr wITHIN TOpS THree pHONe CallS

TIM GudMaNd-Høyerage: 37field of expertise: technical competencies in all aspects of analysing and designing concrete, steel and masonry structures. workplace: mumbai, india his bold move: in 2011 tim and his family moved from smidstrup, denmark, and its 1,300 inhabitants to mumbai, home to roughly 23 million people.

demonstrates the breadth of this company. Another thing is that you generally find the expert you are looking for within tops three phone calls.”

what is your most memorable one company experience? “I remember a project I did with our airport department. The project required replacing a damaged pavement at an airport overnight. This was only possible because we could utilise our multi-disciplined insight effectively.”

Q & a

what does one company mean to you?“One Company is a perception of a company. The One Company feeling and mindset is where you naturally see all departments, sections and countries as possible contributors to a project. I am part of Ramboll’s shoring platform in Mumbai, so setups involving several departments have become a natural part of my working method and mindset.”

how do you experience being part of something bigger?“Moving from a small town in Denmark to the fourth most populous city in the world really

Fofind the three versions of the corporate image video (3, 6 and 8 minutes) on the group intranet, where you get further instructions on how to use it.

news

INSIGHT #01

ramboll’s new image video is yours to use whenever you need to tell the ramboll story. it will be available on our websites, intranet, social media channels, company presentation and office infoboards.

“We produced this new corporate image video to provide an efficient platform for further enhancing the understanding of ramboll externally and to complement the factual presentations of our company with a more emotionally engaging medium,” morten Peick, group director of communication and branding, explains.

the video centres on three different megatrends: urbanisation, resource scarcity and globalisation. using this structure, it illustrates how we meet these challenges through our projects – for the benefit of our customers and society in general.

boost Your Presentation

wITH THe New raMbOll IMaGe vIdeOramboll has launched a new corporate image video you can use whenever you need to present the company. morten Peick, group director of communication and branding, tells when and how to make the most of the video.

by roos nederveen Jørgensen

visual proof of ramboll’s approach“it enables us - in a very condensed way - to present our market potential while also illustrating our company values and culture. and more than anything, it provides visual proof of ramboll’s unique approach to our stakeholders – be they potential employees, new employees, customers, cooperation partners or the wider public.”

17

news


People excellence is central to the new company strategy. We met søren carlsen, group hr director, to learn more about what hr initiatives are to be implemented and when. the focus is clear. People are our most valuable asset, and only by driving excellence and performance forward can we deliver world-class solutions to our customers and to society as a whole.

By Roos Nederveen Jørgensen

drIvING peOple exCelleNCe fOrward

Søren Carlsen sees a clear-cut reason for focusing the group strategy on people: “For a consultancy company, Ramboll’s business model is quite simple. We employ people who work together to create solutions that meet our customers’ needs. Our capacity to deliver state-of-the-art solutions rests solely on the knowledge and skills of our people.”

aligning performance and developmentGroup HR is currently exploring several initiatives to ensure the sharp focus on people excellence. People excellence is more fully integrated in some parts of Ramboll than others. In general, our processes for enabling employees to perform and develop vary across the organisation. For example, Ramboll has nine different concepts for carrying out the Employee Development Dialogue. “This is why I like to say that today we have what I call People Excellence 1.0, but what we are aiming for is People Excellence 2.0,” explains Søren Carlsen and continues: “We are not only raising the bar for the HR processes at Ramboll, but

also introducing a new mindset about the importance of employee development and performance to the company’s success.”

“Overall, we are investigating how to identify, develop and retain the talent in our organisation. We are looking to introduce initiatives like global and transparent job architecture with clear career paths and a common training programme for all Ramboll project managers, as well as to reinforce our managers’ leadership skills through our Global Leadership Development programme. However, the first initiative we will be launching is a global and integrated Performance and Development Process – PDP for short.”

feedback an essential toolAs a knowledge and people-based company, Ramboll makes a strong point of being an attractive employer. One way of keeping employees is to ensure that they know the goals set and get the necessary performance feedback. Employees also need the opportunity to develop in a direction that interests them but also

INSIGHT #01 19

supports the competencies the company needs. The new PDP initiative is chiefly intended to raise the quality of the dialogue between employee and manager when discussing performance and development.

“It’s basically a framework for an annual dialogue cycle to ensure that all managers and employees provide mutual feedback twice a year and create individual employee goals and development plans. These are based on department/unit goals, the employee’s role, existing competencies and those an employee needs to further develop to become even better at fulfilling that role – and thereby better able to achieve his or her goals. This will create a clear link between role, goals and competence development,” says Søren Carlsen.

“We all need to know when we succeed and when there is room for improvement. You need to see that your efforts and the goals you are striving for create value in the larger context. This generates commitment and motivation. We have already achieved this in many parts of the organisation, but now we are putting a common process in place that will ensure high quality throughout the organisation. This will also greatly

søren carlsen, group hr director, and his team are introducing new talent development initiatives through the global leadership Programme.

overall, we are investigating how to identify, develop and retain the talent in our organisation. søren carlsen, group hr director

“

benefit Ramboll as an organisation. It will give us a clear overview of which competencies we have where, thus enabling us to pick the right people to send abroad or head new initiatives in a structured and transparent way.”

Shared roll-out of pdp initiative Once the PDP initiative has been implemented in January 2013, all employees will become part of the

collective process. Group HR, local managers and local HR will cooperate closely, rolling out the initiative with a series of training sessions for local management on various levels. Everybody will receive more information from their managers towards the end of the year. Online tutorials and guidelines will also be launched. Your

supervisor will set a date for your first PDP dialogue in the beginning of 2013.

Portrait


Jesper thomsen kicked off his career at ramboll oil & gas as an intern while studying chemical engineering. ramboll promptly hired him after he graduated in 2000, setting him on a career path that has led him to the colossal oil and gas industry in the middle east.

the arid landscape of Abu Dhabi. With only eight years of experience under his belt and next to no knowledge about the bureaucracy involved in Middle East business dealings, Jesper had to find some inner resources he was unaware he had.

“I really got out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t realised what it would take when I accepted the offer to go abroad. But that was a good thing. Sometimes it’s better not to know everything, but rather to take the plunge and learn to swim when you hit the water. I paddled and swam for a while, but then I slowly started to make some contacts with the oil companies in the area.”

landing the first project Six months after arriving in Abu Dhabi, Jesper landed the first

project: a multidisciplinary project worth almost USD 1 million. Jesper managed the project, and a team in Denmark carried out the primary work.

“Our ability to deliver this project successfully meant we were suddenly mentioned as this new, very professional company in the oil and gas sector in Abu Dhabi. The development that our office has undergone since then has been incredible. We were only three people in early 2011, and now we employ 40.”So, what has been the most valuable personal experience gained by moving abroad?

“Going abroad and seeing how things work elsewhere in the world has been very healthy. And it has represented a great step forward in my personal development. There

01

By Roos Nederveen Jørgensen

When Oil & Gas decided to focus more strongly on the Middle East, Jesper Thomsen’s name came up as the man to establish and manage a new branch office in Abu Dhabi. After discussing the opportunity with his family, he decided to accept the offer. On 12 May 2008, Jesper and his family touched down in

a STrONG perSONal drIve led TO a Career abrOad

INSIGHT #01 21

by fergus Wooler

The roll-out process for the Group-wide Ramboll Project Management model reached another milestone on 21 September, with all principal business units attending a seminar to report on their use of the new approach.

The model has been employed in several projects, with a view to ensuring that the new approach is as intuitive as possible and that training requirements are fully understood ahead of the company-wide implementation from 1 January 2013. All projects reported favourable experiences with using the Ramboll Project Management model at the seminar.

Sverre Sundfær, who is leading the roll-out process in Norway, commented, “The reason Ramboll Project Management has been met with such enthusiasm is that it is straightforward, practical and opens up real opportunities for project managers to develop professionally and win work that may otherwise be out of reach.”

improved cooperation and competitivenessThe initiative is a fundamental pillar of Ramboll’s One Company approach, which sharpens our competitive edge and facilitates closer cooperation across the business including improved work and knowledge sharing.

Ramboll’s model has been designed to enable world-class project management and brings together internationally recognised standards with best practice from across the company. The model covers the entire project cycle and comprises eight practical and intuitive tools that have been developed to maximise value creation for our customers. Since the model is generic and scalable, it can be applied to projects of any size or complexity.

new opportunitiesKnut Akselvoll, Group Executive Director, explains, “Effective project management is absolutely essential to the success of our business. We are fully committed to becoming the industry leader that sets the benchmark for project management performance, a goal that can only be achieved if we all work to the same high standards.”

He added, “Creating a common platform for project management improves our ability to operate globally and meet customer needs by ensuring consistency in service delivery and facilitating seamless Group-wide collaboration. This will put us in a strong position to pick up the most exciting projects.”

01: family trip to the al ain Zoo, about a 90-minute drive from abu dhabi towards oman. Jesper thomsen with his wife mette and their son William. mette is an assistant professor at the masdar institute of science and technology.02: the abu dhabi corniche (coastal road) towards the port of mina Zayed. the waterfront side has nice pedestrian and biking facilities along with viewpoints, cafés and more. some pleasant family parks line the inland side. 03: dune bashing in 4Wd followed by a trip to a camel farm and finally dinner and fun on quad bikes.

ramboll ProJect management

prepareS fOr full-SCale rOll-OuT02

03

are some tough lessons along the way, but every time you clear another hurdle, you learn something. That’s how you develop.”

Jesper Thomsen has always been ambitious, and those ambitions are why he now heads the Abu Dhabi branch office. “I’ve always had a huge drive to move ahead, and I haven’t been afraid to voice that drive. If you have ambitions, you have to make others aware of them. You can’t just sit around and wait for someone to pick you; you have to make yourself seen and then let management decide to give you that chance.”

would you like to move ahead and abroad? Jesper has two pieces of advice: make others aware of your ambitions. don’t be afraid to take on challenges.


climate changes and a newly gained autonomy have profoundly transformed greenland and, indeed, the arctic as a whole. this transformation is opening unprecedented opportunities in the fields of transport, oil and natural resource extraction, mining operations and energy. to realise this potential, ramboll’s new strategy is focusing on strengthening our arctic capabilities. the goal: to remain a leading consultant in the arctic.by christina tækker

Mercilessly cold and dark, the latitudes above the Arctic Circle embody the ultimate in extremes, and exceptionally innovative solutions are needed to work in a place with such low temperatures.

Nevertheless, the region is developing rapidly. Climate changes are unblocking the once impenetrable Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, thus enabling container ships to avoid the Suez Canal by sailing directly along the northern coast of North America. This option will save both time and money.

Additionally, a growing interest in rare soil types, minerals, oil and gems has shifted mineral exploration away from Europe and China to Arctic areas like Greenland. As a result, a new industry has sprouted in Greenland with its fledgling public authorities and institutions.

Ramboll’s new strategy ‘Stronger

STeppING up THe arCTIC aGeNda

01

background

INSIGHT #01 23

Together – Strategy for Profitable Growth’ identifies the Arctic 360 and Mining objectives as key strategic markets. Ramboll expects the market for raw materials, energy and environment alone to make up 40-50% more of turnover at the end of 2016. Neel Strøbæk, Ramboll’s Group Market Director, Environment explains how Ramboll is going to implement the strategy successfully. What’s new about this strategy?

“We turn the earth slightly and look at it from the North Pole. We see a desolate area around Greenland and the northern outposts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. We look, however, not from the perspective of

nations, but with a One Company approach. Ramboll has 15 offices and around 400 employees with vast knowledge about the unique natural environment and the special conditions that prevail when

people find themselves up there.”

“When I go to Russia and explain that we have several hundred employees

north of the Arctic Circle, they get interested. Their interest stems from the difficulty involved in performing tasks there. Things are tough and extreme. Competent experts are required to advise international companies about the harsh working conditions and a natural environment that must go unharmed. When it comes to the

01: the latitudes above the arctic circle embody the ultimate in extremes, and exceptionally innovative solutions are needed to work there.02: ”i hope that, when the strategy period concludes, we have attained a full 360-degree presence,” says neel strøbæk, ramboll’s group market director for environment.

mining industry, our ability to draw on both local know-how and the Ramboll Group’s global expertise gives us a major edge. It’s what makes us one of the world’s biggest consultants north of the Arctic Circle. Thus, the fact that we are Nordic and present in the Arctic is a brand in itself.”

we have a platform Why should we have an Arctic presence? “We have a platform and a history in the Arctic. In keeping with our role as consultants for Greenlandic society, we also have an obligation to help ensure that the radical changes underway progress smoothly. To this end, we can aid the authorities and organisations up there – and assist developers with their large building projects.”

“But there is also a flip side – it’s not all a bed of roses. In our capacity as consultants for a society

02

generally speaking, the organisation has responded well to arctic 360 – and a lot of people want to work in the area.neel strøbæk, group market director, ramboll

“


we might get projects that are unsustainable. Should that happen, we could wind up declining to participate in a project and have to pack our bags and go.”

Big multidisciplinary projects How will the new strategy impact employees?

“Employees will experience greater inclusion in big projects and get to use their competencies across more disciplines. This is interesting for junior and senior staff alike. Much of our development takes place through big projects like the Nord Stream pipeline, an undertaking that has given employees working with, e.g., offshore biological surveys a boost.”How is Ramboll going to realise its Arctic 360 strategy?

“It comes down to acquisitions, knowledge sharing and the willingness to listen to market demands. Today we are

geographically present in roughly 120 out of 360 degrees in the Arctic. We lack, for instance, a foothold in Canada and Alaska – a situation we can remedy through steps like acquisitions.”

“We also have to determine how employees can work across regions and exchange business unit knowledge. On the other hand, employee competencies must also be enhanced. We can achieve this either by providing further education and training or by hiring new employees with the knowledge we need. Generally speaking, the organisation has responded well to Arctic 360 – and a lot of people want to work in the area.”

Room for everyoneCan employees from any part of the Group get in on the action?

“Yes, the mining projects alone offer great potential for creating projects within environment, energy,

ARCTIC 360Ramboll has 15 offices and around 400 employees with vast knowledge about the unique natural environment and the special conditions that prevail when people find themselves above the Arctic Circle. We use the Arctic Council Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) as our geographical boundary for the Arctic 360 initiative.

02

03

04

05

06

07

01

oil, gas and transport. Constructing a new mine takes environmental studies and planning, energy and new infrastructure like harbours and roads – all multidisciplinary projects of interest to our employees.”What’s the objective of Arctic 360?

“The goal is to have satisfactory development and sustainable business units in the Arctic, including Greenland, so we can remain a leading consultant in the area. As the activity level rises, we, too, must be able to keep pace with and service our customers.”

“I hope that, when the strategy period concludes, we have attained a full 360-degree presence and generated growth in the business units. I will only be satisfied if we have the principal projects in each country. If Greenland has five major projects – then we have to be in on three of them.”

New Ramboll Russia (Moscow)Under construction

ROG Russia (Moscow)Staff: 3Cooperation with DIEM and NEC

RDK Greenland (Nuuk, Sisimiut)Staff: 20

Canada/Alaska (project-based partnerships)

RFI Finland (Oulo, Tornio, Rovaneimi)Staff: 150

RSE Sweden (Luleå, Boden, Kiruna)Staff: 150

RNO Norway (Tromsø, Alta, Bodø, Varanger, Narvik, Longyearbyen)Staff: 60

Iceland (project-based partnerships)

INSIGHT #01 25

Ramboll’s stRategic focus on aRctic 360

Ramboll serves customers within the following markets/market sectors:

oil & gaseneRgytRanspoRtminingenviRonment

02

03

0405

06

07

01

AMAP

Arctic Circle

(Source: AMAP, Arctic Council Monitoring and Assessment Programme)


we might get projects that are unsustainable. Should that happen, we could wind up declining to participate in a project and have to pack our bags and go.”

big multidisciplinary projects How will the new strategy impact employees?

“Employees will experience greater inclusion in big projects and get to use their competencies across more disciplines. This is interesting for junior and senior staff alike. Much of our development takes place through big projects like the Nord Stream pipeline, an undertaking that has given employees working with, e.g., offshore biological surveys a boost.”How is Ramboll going to realise its Arctic 360 strategy?

“It comes down to acquisitions, knowledge sharing and the willingness to listen to market demands. Today we are

geographically present in roughly 120 out of 360 degrees in the Arctic. We lack, for instance, a foothold in Canada and Alaska – a situation we can remedy through steps like acquisitions.”

“We also have to determine how employees can work across regions and exchange business unit knowledge. On the other hand, employee competencies must also be enhanced. We can achieve this either by providing further education and training or by hiring new employees with the knowledge we need. Generally speaking, the organisation has responded well to Arctic 360 – and a lot of people want to work in the area.”

room for everyoneCan employees from any part of the Group get in on the action?

“Yes, the mining projects alone offer great potential for creating projects within environment, energy,

arctic 360ramboll has 15 offices and around 400 employees with vast knowledge about the unique natural environment and the special conditions that prevail when people find themselves above the arctic circle. We use the arctic council monitoring and assessment Programme (amaP) as our geographical boundary for the arctic 360 initiative.

02

03

04

05

06

07

01

oil, gas and transport. Constructing a new mine takes environmental studies and planning, energy and new infrastructure like harbours and roads – all multidisciplinary projects of interest to our employees.”What’s the objective of Arctic 360?

“The goal is to have satisfactory development and sustainable business units in the Arctic, including Greenland, so we can remain a leading consultant in the area. As the activity level rises, we, too, must be able to keep pace with and service our customers.”

“I hope that, when the strategy period concludes, we have attained a full 360-degree presence and generated growth in the business units. I will only be satisfied if we have the principal projects in each country. If Greenland has five major projects – then we have to be in on three of them.”

new ramboll russia (moscow)under construction

rog russia (moscow)staff: 3cooperation with diem and nec

rdK greenland (nuuk, sisimiut)staff: 20

canada/alaska (project-based partnerships)

rfi finland (oulo, tonio, rovaneimi)staff: 150

rse sweden (lulå, boden, Kiruna)staff: 150

rno norway (tromsø, alta, bodø, Varanger, narvik, longyearbyen)staff: 60

iceland (project-based partnerships)

INSIGHT #01 25

Ramboll’s stRategic focus on aRctic 360

Ramboll serves customers within the following markets/market sectors:

oil & gaseneRgytRanspoRtminingenviRonment

02

03

0405

06

07

01

AMAP

Arctic Circle

(Source: AMAP, Arctic Council Monitoring and Assessment Programme)

INSIGHT #01 25

raMbOll’S STraTeGIC fOCuS ON arCTIC 360

ramboll serves customers within the following markets/market sectors:

OIl & GaSeNerGyTraNSpOrTMININGeNvIrONMeNT

02

03

04

05

06

07

01

amap

arctic circle

(Source: amap, arctic council monitoring and assessment programme)


equIppING GreeNlaNdIC COMpaNIeS fOr THe fuTureramboll will help greenlandic companies become subcontractors for global companies in quest of natural resources. this in turn will stimulate sustainable development for the people of greenland.

By Christina Tækker

A two-year project will equip Greenlandic companies to become competitive subcontractors for global companies in quest of natural resources in Greenland.

Interest aimed at the oil, minerals, gold and iron contained in the Greenland subsoil has triggered a boom in mineral exploration. Today, a few companies have received licences to conduct test drilling and before long will start extracting resources.

enhancing companies’ qualifications To help Greenlandic companies gain a foothold in the growing market, the Government of Greenland is enhancing qualifications in a number of sectors that engage developers, transport and security personnel, craftsmen, shipping workers and service as well as health care staff.

The project is spearheaded by Ramboll and Ramboll Greenland, which by virtue of its presence in Greenland possesses exceptional expertise regarding local conditions in the country.

“It is a super-important project perfectly in line with our new group strategy on Arctic 360 and Mining. We can only achieve success collectively and are therefore running the project from both Greenland, which is the contractor, and the head office in Orestad,” says Managing Director of Ramboll’s operations in Greenland, Niels Erik Hagelqvist.

further training and partnerships Ramboll is currently analysing the gap that exists between the competencies that global companies demand and the competency level Greenlandic companies offer. Subsequently, Ramboll will assess the specific initiatives to be implemented and select the companies to be included

in the training and partnership programme scheduled for 2013.

The intention is to develop companies’ skills in areas like cooperation and business development, consortium formation, tender monitoring, contract law and types of cooperation. This will be done via further training or concrete partnerships that put Ramboll on a one-on-one course to aid specific companies in their development.

“The project will hopefully help create employment, heighten the companies’ competencies and thus ensure sustainable development for Greenland,” says Henrik Rosenberg Seiding, Project Director in Ramboll Management Consulting.

one company collaboration

several ramboll employees are involved in the greenland project, including people from denmark, sweden, oil & gas, management consulting and the ramboll group. the exter-nal partner Kisserup internatio-nal trade roots is also part of the consortium.

Project

INSIGHT #01 27

IrON, COpper aNd GOld IN fINlaNdnorthland resources, an international mining company, is currently developing the hannukainen mine Project in northern finland – located around 100 km above the arctic circle. the aim is to produce high-quality iron concentrate, as well as copper and gold. the mine is expected to operate for about 17 years.

By Christina Tækker

Ramboll is carrying out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and land use planning in tandem with a so-called definite feasibility study (DFS) to be presented to market players interested in financing the project. The DFS report includes an environmental section that will comply with the Equator Principles, a set of standards that provides a credit risk management framework

the natural resource sector must be devel-oped in a manner that best benefits greenlan-dic society. the people of greenland must be ensured the highest possible competitive share of the profits from extraction, just as we must ensure that our activities incorporate local insight and know-ledge, one aim being to use local labour and local companies as much as possible.Jørn skov nielsen, minister for industry and labour, the government of green-land. for determining, assessing and

managing environmental and social risk in the financial transactions associated with a project.

uncompromising international standards“The DFS report will rely heavily on Ramboll’s EIA, so we are calibrating our assessment to the highest of international standards in addition to the requirements posed by the Finnish environmental authorities,” says Nathan Gaasenbeek, Project Manager at Ramboll Finland.

Ramboll’s services include carrying out environmental impact assessment and land use planning. We are also involved in planning the closure of the mine, a phase to be covered in the environmental permit application.

The EIA is due for submission to the environmental authorities in the first quarter of 2013. Land use planning will continue for another 6 to 12 months.

Project

TakING ON THe CHalleNGe TakING

ON THe CHalleNGe

interview

INSIGHT #01 29

for steve canadine the only way to command the market is to stay ahead of the competition. meet the new managing director of our uK business, a man who wants to push the boundaries of how we operate in the uK. By Karen Klarskov

He holds a degree in Architecture and Engineering from Cambridge and Bath Universities. He was also – as he puts it – foolish enough to do an MBA at London Business School ten years ago. The move hardly proved foolish. Today, that MBA gives him the solid background he needs to be in charge of close to 1,000 colleagues.

Steve Canadine (43) joined the Executive Board of Ramboll UK on 1 January 2012 as part of the integration of Gifford. He originally joined Gifford in 1996 as a structural engineer, and became Chief Executive in 2010. In his capacity as a newly appointed managing director in one of the toughest markets right now, Steve Canadine was asked how he aims to reboot the UK business.

“It is a very tough market; it has been for a while and will be for another couple of years. Therefore, we need to become smarter in terms of what projects we take on and how we actually do them.”

Ramboll UK is known for its strength in Buildings and is bolstering its services in the Transport and Environment markets.

“We cover a wide range of services in the UK, but, of course, the bigger Ramboll is absolutely vital to us,” says Steve Canadine, adding with a grin, “and we are going to shamelessly pinch good ideas from all around the company.” He is keen to work in new ways and energised at the prospect of approaching tasks from new angles. He likes to be at the forefront, pushing the boundaries of the possible.

What excites you about your new role and do you have any concerns?“The challenge excites me. We have great, talented people in the UK, and they deserve top quality management. That’s what I will strive to deliver, but it leaves the worry and excitement all wrapped in one.”

the group strategy and the ukHe is thrilled that the new group strategy takes maximum advantage of the Group’s potential. He is looking forward to working with the strategy in its entirety over time, but in the short run the mission for the UK business is clear:

“We need to get our act together,” Steve Canadine emphasises. “In the long term we can become the bridge between our home markets and the new regions that value what we offer, including Canada and North America.”

The UK expertise in spearheading international projects together with colleagues elsewhere in the Group will be an invaluable asset in this endeavour.

“The ‘Stronger Together’ strategy shows a determination to break down barriers between the different business units. Further is the backbone of One Company more or less in place with new common systems and shared platforms that support cooperation across the units. I am looking forward to working as a company of 10,000 people rather than a bunch of smaller businesses. That excites me.”

@want to know more?watch the video interview with Steve canadine at the executive blog on the intranet.


in october the city council of copenhagen gave the new waste-to-energy facility ‘amager bakke’ the green light. the facility will be an international icon of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. incredibly, it will also be located in the middle of copenhagen, surrounded by high-end apartment buildings. how is this possible?

By Karen Klarskov

wOrld-ClaSS waSTe uTIlISaTION

big/glessner group

Project

ipsam hitatur, odit eos sit odia corit et qui dolorrum volorrorero occusam quiscim odia corit et qui dolorrum volorrorero occusam qo qui ommolorit eruptate sit.

INSIGHT #01 31

A waste-to-energy (WtE) plant in Copenhagen is hardly breaking news. The I/S Amagerforbrænding facility has been in operation for more than four decades, but in that time the city has sprawled, bringing the plant deeper within the city limits. Despite the new plant’s location close to central Copenhagen, the City Council of Copenhagen has decided to back plans for building a new WtE plant ‘Amager Bakke’ (Amager Hill), a project designed by architects from the BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group.

a plant in an urban settingThe architecture of the plant partly explains why Copenhageners have accepted a new WtE plant so close to their city centre. The architects designed the sloping roof of the plant to serve as a recreational facility, initially a ski run. The ultimate recreational objective has yet to be determined, but will be a prominent part of the exterior design. New luxury apartments will also go up next to the plant, which

will be fully integrated into the urban setting.

energy efficiencyEnergy efficiency is another prime argument for locating the facility in an urban area. The power plant can be connected to the district heating network, thus generating not only power but also heat that can be used to heat homes rather than disappearing in the waste treatment process. The location also means the new plant can be directly connected to the existing district heating network and power grid.

Planning for the DKK 3.5 billion waste-to-energy plant started in October 2009, and the plant will begin operating in 2016.

Ramboll is providing consulting services for the electrical mechanical supply, its goal being to make the Amager Bakke plant among the world’s most energy–efficient, with a net total energy efficiency of 107%. Project Manager Inger Anette Søndergaard explains:

“This project has facilitated a comprehensive technology review process that allows us to explore many technical solutions. This ensures that we have developed a very high energy recovery profile and world-class flue gas treatment and has enabled us to meet the strictest wastewater discharge requirements in the world.”

innovative solutionsThe new plant can export energy for five different purposes: three separate district heating networks, as well as steam supply for a geothermal plant and electricity for the power grid. The facility will emit far less pollution to the air than the existing plant or other heat- and power-producing facilities.

Tore Hulgaard, Senior Chief Consultant, who is responsible for the flue gas treatment technology in this project and for the Waste-to-Energy Division’s Competence Team for flue gas treatment, says:“As a technical consultant, I find it satisfying and exciting to be part

of developing these processes. There has been room for innovation as well as challenging technical discussions both internally and with the customer. In future projects I’ll have more confidence as a result of our comprehensive studies for this large-scale project. Amager Bakke is an important reference for Ramboll in the world market.”

a one company approachThe Ramboll project team consists of about 15-20 people, primarily from Ramboll’s Waste-to-Energy Division.

Project Manager Inger Anette Søndergaard adds, “This large-scale project has also profited from the fact that Ramboll is a multidisciplinary company. Experts from other parts of Ramboll have closely collaborated with us, giving us excellent input in areas such as environmental impact assessment, traffic planning and the design of the district heating connections.”

ramboll energy

• ramboll energy has experts working with energy planning and strategies, production, transmission, distribution and consumption.

• ramboll’s Waste-to-energy division has a long track record of waste-to-energy projects in more than 30 countries and more than 35 ongoing projects.

• ramboll is internationally re-nowned in the offshore wind energy and waste-to-energy sectors and dominates the scandinavian market within district heating, bioenergy and thermal power.

• ramboll energy has offices in denmark, sweden, norway, uK, germany, Poland, switzerland and usa.

faSt factSi/S amagerforbrænding capacity: 480,000 tonnes per yearcontract fee for ramboll: eur 10 million project period: 2009-2016architect: big - bjarke ingels group.

aG

eN

da

local neWs With a global reach

CONTRIBUTORS:Susanne Wellington, Martin Christiansen, Helen Barfield, Louisa Hales, Yvonne Ronnerfors, Anna Aatinen, Anne Törmä, Winnie Hegel, Helle Prisum, Nina Kristin Amdahl, Espen Nikolaisen, Marie Marvits, Louise Lyngaa, Christina Tækker and Karen Klarskov

PEOPLE

Happy bIrTHday raMbOll fINlaNd!This year marks the 50th anniversary of Viatek, the Finnish engineering company that later became part of Scandiaconsult, now known as Ramboll Finland. Viatek was established in 1962, but the roots of Ramboll Finland go as far back as the 1930s through the companies with which it later merged. on 14 September more than 150 venerable customers joined their Ramboll hosts in celebrating ramboll’s 50 years in finland. The participants were treated to a gourmet dinner accompanied by moving speeches from long-time partners. The night continued with entertaining performances, terrific music and elegant dancing.

Mikko Leppänen, Technical Director of Ramboll Finland, has been with us through the Viatek, SCC and Ramboll years, over 20 years in all:

“Ramboll Finland has expanded in recent years, and we currently have almost 1,400 experts working for us. Today we are stronger than ever,” says Mikko Leppänen.

IT

MaNaGING Hr wITH wOrkday

Workday is the name of our new global human resources system that will unite all Ramboll employees in one common IT system. The system keeps employee data up to date and will be used worldwide as a tool for managing organisation and positions, recruitment, talent development, performance management and succession planning.

In line with the strategic objective of achieving excellence in people management, Ramboll’s new global Performance and Development Process (PDP) will be initiated with Workday as a central tool in the beginning of 2013. Workday enables employees to view and edit their own data while also providing an overview of the organisation they are part of. For people managers, the system helps them manage teams better and with more insight, and provides the tools to make strategic HR decisions in a timely manner.

currently implemented in denmark and finland, the system will bring employees in norway, Sweden, the uk, Qatar, uae, india and germany onboard the joint hr platform on:

PeoPle

ProJect

one comPanY

innoVation

Processes

technologY

business

it

1 December 2012

INSIGHT #01 33

Ramboll specialists from Copenhagen and Gothenburg received the prestigious ‘Svenska Ljuspriset 2011’ (the Swedish Lighting Award 2011), accepting the prize at a ceremony in Stockholm.The lighting designers garnered the prize for the innovative lighting solution they designed for Götapladsen Square, one of Gothenburg’s most prominent public spaces. The jury awarded

He has presented the building to architects, builders, engineers, estate agents and new recruits. To Indians, Koreans, Germans, Estonians, Italians, and the list goes on. Senior project director kaare k. b. dahl from Buildings at Ramboll Denmark has given 100 presentations about Bella Sky, the Danish hotel whose towers lean at some of the world’s most precarious angles – a mind-boggling 15 degrees to each side. And the presentation requests keep coming.

“It will never be playback. The building is just so fascinating – and, so far, the highlight of my career,” Kaare K. B. Dahl says.

@Interested in knowing more? Contact: kaare k.b. dahl at [email protected]

ONE COMPANY

raMbOll wINS preSTIGIOuS SwedISH lIGHTING award

PEOPLE

100 preSeNTaTIONS abOuT bella Sky HOTel

Ramboll the prize because the designers succeeded in combining the need for safety, function and experience with beautiful lighting design.@More info: vladan paunovic [email protected] Read more at www.ramboll.com/news


The coming years will see Ramboll united in one global plug-and-play infrastructure. That is the

ambition and one of the top priorities of the group strategy for 2012-16. The new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) IT system, which is currently making its way into the organisation, is part of the process of strengthening the connections between us and making it easier to work across borders and disciplines. It is a vital component of the information backbone that allows us to operate with flexibility and greater financial awareness in all of our projects, while at the same time enabling us to improve our competitive platform and positioning us for growth in the coming years.

When fully in place, the ERP alignment will mean that we will all, regardless of location, be able to use the same system for time

registration, financial transactions and project management and follow-up.

deeper insight for project managers For project managers, the shared ERP system offers new and improved possibilities for keeping track of a project’s financial progress. By providing transparency in the project economy, the global ERP system will help project managers navigate their projects and make it easier to keep a watchful eye on the project’s profitability.

The new system was implemented across Markets and business units in Denmark and Finland in July and in Belgium in October of this year. It will be rolled out to Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Middle East, Greenland and India during 2013, and will reach the UK, the USA, Romania, Poland and Switzerland after that.@Find out more on your local intranet.

IT

GeTTING ON THe SaMe paGe wITH New erp

Ramboll Norway hired the Airport Express Train to take everyone to Stokke, a small town on the southern edge of the Oslo Fjord. The trip was occasioned by top management’s desire to focus on strengthening cooperation between the 27 Norwegian offices, a key objective in 2012. Managing Director Ole-Petter Thunes explained that bringing people from all over Norway together for some fun gives top management a perfect chance to reinforce how important cooperation and knowledge sharing between sectors and offices is for Ramboll Norway’s continued positive development.

PEOPLE

1,000 eMplOyeeSGaTHered TO CelebraTe SuSTaINableGrOwTH IN NOrway

first imPression of erPgeert stryg, senior Project director at ramboll energy and part of the team that tested the new system before its implementation in denmark, is looking forward to the global implementation:“as a project manager, using the system means that i am fully empowered and have insights into the finer details of the project. i am in a position to avoid any financial surprises, and i can see the impact of the decisions we have made in the team directly in the project. to me that’s a motivating factor. i get a kick out of being a part of the entire process, being able to work on both the technical details and also keep track of the business side. it makes me feel a stronger ownership of the project,” he says.

INSIGHT #01 35

Ramboll is involved in the largest ongoing biomass conversion project in Europe. Power plants in Western countries are switching from fossil fuels to biomass to reduce CO2 emissions and ensure sustainable energy production. In Denmark DONG Energy has commissioned Ramboll’s assistance in this endeavour at the Avedøreværket and Studstrupværket plants. This is a major project for Ramboll and a crucial project win for our new power division. @More info: peter heymann andersen, [email protected]

Together with transport consultancy Vectura, Ramboll is a key stakeholder in one of Sweden’s largest and most complex rail projects – the west link project in gothenburg. Ramboll is taking on three pivotal sub-projects, encompassing traffic-related construction requirements and conditions, route planning, overall technical railway design and the detailed design of the line, its connection points and Haga Station. Work on the project is slated for completion by end-2014, and the order is valued at about EUR 11 million.@More info: annika holmquist Read more at www.ramboll.com

PROJECT

COMplex raIl prOjeCT IN SwedeN

PEOPLE

INNOvaTIve brIdGe SpeCIalIST GeTS kudOS

BUSINESS

frOM COal TO bIOMaSS

One of Ramboll’s Swedish specialist bridge engineers, tore lundmark from the Luleaa office, was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty of Science and Technology at Luleaa University of Technology in Sweden. Tore received the accolade for his consistently innovative approach to bridge design throughout his 45-year career. He has previously been awarded the ‘Silverbalken’ from the Swedish Institute of Steel Construction. Among other notable achievements, he worked on the tender documents for the Oresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark.


PEOPLE

INdIa TOday coPenhagen tomorroW

‘India Today Copenhagen Tomorrow’ is the single-largest event about India ever held in Denmark. It runs in Copenhagen from August 2012 to January 2013 and is aimed at boosting the exchange of culture, science and business between the two countries. Ramboll is playing a key role in supporting the initiative.@Read more at www.ramboll.com

andrew darlington building information modelling (bim)manager received the construction week Qatar ‘engineer of the year’ award. The awards seek to recognise and reward individual excellence, corporate prowess and project success. During this last year, Andrew Darlington, has helped RME to reach its goal of getting local partners, customers and employees to understand and realise the benefits of implementing a single model environment through BIM. Ramboll’s submission detailed the efforts in this field that won him the prestigious award. Andrew’s work on Ramboll’s Doha Marina Mall project showcased his digital design expertise, an expertise acknowledged by the project architect, HOK.

PEOPLE

eNGINeer Of THe yearaWard in qatar goes to andreW darlington

ONE COMPANY

INTerNaTIONal GeOTeCHNICal SeMINar IN fINlaNd

Committed to becoming world-class together!Ramboll’s versatile geotechnical knowledge coalesced at the Ground Engineering Network’s bi-annual seminar, held in Finland 20-22 September. The packed seminar schedule emphasised the challenges posed by deep excavations in various circumstances, stabilisation and tunnelling as well as the expertise required to meet those challenges.

The aim of the seminar was to share the strengths of Ramboll’s group of 500 Ground Engineering experts across the organisation. Lars Lønstrup Nicolaisen, Head of the Ports and Geostructures Department and chairman of the Ground Engineering Network, explains:

”Every business unit has its own areas of expertise, and combining this knowledge lets us offer in-ternationally competitive ground engineering services and thus more value to our customers. We are working hard to raise the profile of our ground engineering exper-tise and highlight the fact that we provide more than just support for other services. The offshore wind power market is particularly rich in opportunities to sell a wide range of ground engineering expertise in our European home market.”@More info: eero timonen, Head of Geotechnical Engineering Unit, Ramboll Finland [email protected]

linn Karlsson age: 27, location: Gothenburg, work: Geologist specialising in bedrock geology, leisure: Climbing, cycling, skiing, playing handball. Spends as much time as possible outdoors.

INSIGHT #01 37

PROJECT

ramboll Wins maJor Jeddah enVironmental and social imPact studY ProJect

Ramboll has been awarded the role of Environmental Consultant for the Jeddah Environmental Impact Assessment and the Jeddah Environmental Social Master Plan. We will report directly to the Jeddah Storm Water Drainage Programme team and the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. This is the largest environmental project ever won in the Middle East region and will require the support of a 40-strong ramboll team until the end of 2013.

“On the heels of our success in securing the Fujairah Strategic Master Plan earlier this year, the Jeddah Environmental Assessment and Environmental Social Master Plan represent another landmark project for Ramboll in the Middle East. The project will not only help to expand our presence and profile across our core markets, but also has the potential to support positive societal change and environmental improvement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” says Adrian Palmer, Executive Director, Ramboll Middle East.@More info: wael khalil, Director of Environment, Ramboll Middle East [email protected]

PEOPLE

MakING a lIvING frOM Her paSSION

Swedish linn karlsson, 27, couples her job as a geotechnical engineer with her passion for rock climbing. A trained geologist specialising in bedrock geology, she did her in-service training at Ramboll while studying at Gothenburg University and was offered a full-time position at the Gothenburg office after graduating two years ago. At Ramboll her passion and her profession unite.

“Not many geologists in Sweden

are certified climbers, but it takes at least three people to do a climbing job. Since I climb privately, I was asked if I wanted to work in the field, which is naturally a dream position for me,” says Linn and continues: “Working at Ramboll is very rewarding. Everybody is happy to share their experience and knowledge, which is really helpful when you’re a young engineer new in the field.”

86%of all employees

participated in this year’s Employee Satisfaction

and Engagement Survey (ESES)

PEOPLE

eSeS reSulTS are ready!

ONE COMPANY

CHaNGeS TO raMbOll’S webSITeS

The highest number of employees ever – 7,575 employees to be exact, equal to 86% of all employees - has participated in this year’s Employee Satisfaction and Engagement Survey. This provides us with a very strong foundation for the continuous follow-up process.

The overall result shows a satisfaction and engagement index of 3.9 on a 5-point scale, which is the same as last year. Scores on “Management” and “Development” move in the right direction, and “I care about the future of Ramboll” is 4.4 out of 5.

Though we see a small increase in elements of “One Company”, we still score rather low on this theme. What the survey also shows is that what really differentiates high and low scoring units on the general score are the scores on themes such as “One Company”, “Feedback” and “Development”. As such, going forward we need to focus on these elements, and we will learn from those conducting best practice.@To read more about ESES and the follow-up process please visit the hr portal on the intranet.

In line with our continuing focus on the customer perspective, Ramboll’s new web strategy also entails simplifying the website structure: We are closing the current Global Practices websites (e.g. www.ramboll-oilgas.com), whose content will be moved to the country sites (e.g. www.ramboll.no) and ramboll.com.

From year-end all our country websites will be full-service, thus giving our customers access to all services and sectors as described on ramboll.com. This meets user expectations, but also supports our One Company approach. After the launch, the homepage design and layout will change to accommodate the migration of content and the need for all markets to be visible in the new setup. With a focus on engaging users, we are also adding a new section to the sites, the aim being to communicate our role as a society consultant more strongly. As part of the new web strategy, we are also providing mobile-device access to Ramboll’s websites and sharpening the focus on website recruitment. Local communications departments and the Group functions will continually roll out these changes throughout 2013.read the web strategy http://intranet.rambollgrp.com/rsitemenucorppol?item=87608.@Group Webmaster espen nikolaisen, [email protected] and Project Manager peter nissen [email protected]


PROJECT

evaluaTION Of THe berlIN eNvIrONMeNTal relIef prOGraMMe II

After finalising the climate plan for the City of Dresden, Ramboll Management Consulting (RMC) Germany captured its next project in the field of environmental and climate policy. The City of Berlin hired RMC Germany to evaluate the impact of the Berlin Environmental Relief Programme II over the last five years and make recommendations regarding the future EU funding programme (ERDF) in these contexts. We were chosen for our knowledge of both environmental and climate policy and EU financing instruments. The project is valued at EUR 100,000 and will run for six months, starting in October 2012. @More info: guido [email protected]

PROJECT

MajOr prOjeCT fOr SwedISH TraNSpOrT GIaNT SCaNIa

ONE COMPANY

SHared STudeNT INITIaTIve ready fOr rOll-OuT

Ramboll in India is breaking new ground with a major project for transport giant, Scania. The 22,000 m2 facility we are developing provides a stepping stone for other Nordic companies looking to make India part of their business setup.Ramboll Director in India, Mukesh Pritamdasani, hopes that the Product Centre in Bangalore will serve as a strong reference and encourage other companies to consider the business opportunities in India.@More info: mukesh pritamdasani, COO, [email protected] Read more at www.ramboll.com

A new initiative targeting university students is ready for roll-out throughout the organisation. The activities to date have primarily been part of a Danish initiative focused on raising awareness and strengthening Ramboll’s employer branding among students in Denmark. The strategic focus and initiatives have enhanced awareness and improved our rankings in image surveys. To streamline our efforts and work smarter it has been decided that all student activities will be in English from 2013. @To learn more and find inspiration for student activities, please contact marie marvits, Communications Consultant, [email protected]

INSIGHT #01 39

A formal research department is in the works at Ramboll Management Consulting’s Attractor unit. The department will be headed by Morten Ziethen, who recently submitted his own industrial PhD project at the University of Aarhus regarding the relation between subjectivity and language in meaning creating processes. Strategically, the research department is aimed at enabling us, as consultants, to deliver research-based consultancy and our customers to buy customised research activities as a service. The department will focus on expanding the current volume of industrial PhDs, extending our academic network and preparing a business model for customised research consulting services.@More info: morten ziethen [email protected]

INNOVATION

a fOrMal reSearCH deparTMeNT ON ITS way

INNOVATION

CuTTING-edGe laSer SCaNNING aNd SurveyING prOCeSS

Ramboll Oil & Gas, UK and Buildings are at the forefront of 3d scanning and laser aided modelling® techniques, revolutionising how engineers generate 3D models of existing building environments. The techniques facilitate visualisation and help designers and developers better understand each other. Specific benefits include accelerated decision-making, improved project efficiency and greater time and cost certainty.

Our having an in-house surveying team gives our customers a real boon. Our surveyors and engineers can continuously share knowledge, thus fine-tuning our surveying approach to meet the needs of each project. Documentation is also easy to transfer, thus eliminating manual check procedures.

The 3D images we produce are compatible with all CAD programmes, user-friendly and easy to comprehend for both engineers and customers. @lau Jensen, Survey Manager [email protected] and carl [email protected]

Get more info at www.ramboll-oilgas.com/our-services/survey

www.ramboll.com

today we are geographically present in roughly 120 out of 360 degrees. We lack, for instance, a foothold in canada and alaska – a situation we can remedy through steps like acquisitions.neel strøbæk, group market director, environment, ramboll

Insight #1 - November 2012

Documents

Transcript of Insight #1 - November 2012