19 January 2008 - The management and organisation of the Orkla Branded Consumer Goods business area are being consolidated.
The new business area will be named Orkla Brands and will be organised into four business units, all to be headed by Executive Vice President Torkild Nordberg. Furthermore, Bente Brevik has been appointed Managing Director of Stabburet and Inger Johanne Solhaug Managing Director of Nidar.
Both will also be members of the Orkla Group Management Team.
In order to more closely align units with similar strategic and operational challenges and increase the possibilities of further developing individual companies, the present Orkla Foods will be split up into three business units: Orkla Foods Nordic, Orkla Food Ingredients and Orkla Brands International. Orkla Brands will retain its current structure, but will now be named Orkla Brands Nordic.
The new management team at Orkla Brands will, besides Torkild Nordberg, consist of Atle Vidar Johansen (Orkla Foods Nordic), Jan Ove Rivenes (Orkla Brands Nordic), Jørn Unneberg (Orkla Food Ingredients), Paul Jordahl (Orkla Brands International), Harald Ullevoldsæter (Finance), Anders Berglie (Human Resources) and Håkon Mageli (Corporate Affairs).
These changes will be formally implemented on 18 February 2008.
The businesses in the new Orkla Brands reported sales of NOK 21.4 billion in 2006, and had a total of 15,450 employees as of November 2007.
After this reorganisation, Orkla will comprise the following business areas: Orkla Brands, Orkla Aluminium Solutions, Orkla Materials, Orkla Associates and Orkla Financial Investments.