Catharina Bjerke has been appointed Veidekke's new sustainability director, with
responsibility for strategic development of the group's sustainability work. Up
until now, Bjerke served as EVP in Veidekke ASA and CEO of Veidekke Industrial.
Sustainability is high on the agenda in Veidekke. The company has set ambitious
climate targets and is working purposefully to find sustainable solutions for
the construction and civil engineering industry. Examples are low-temperature
asphalt, where the company is Norway's largest, fossil-free construction sites,
including the world's first fossil-free tunnel project, and circular economy
solutions, such as reuse of concrete slabs and asphalt.
Over several years, the company has also held a leading position in
sustainability reporting. For the second consecutive year, Veidekke's climate
reporting was awarded top rating by the international organisation CDP, and the
company has been referred to as among the best on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
"Veidekke's work on sustainability issues is gaining an increasingly central
place on the group's agenda. Climate change is the most urgent challenge of our
generation, but issues related to diversity and compliance are also integral to
the sustainability agenda. Veidekke set ambitious goals early and is currently a
frontrunner in the field. We want to strengthen and further develop this
position, and the appointment of Catharina to lead the group's sustainability
efforts is an important step in that direction, says Jimmy Bengtsson, group CEO
of Veidekke ASA.
Sustainability is about meeting present needs without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their needs. Awareness of sustainability issues is
increasing among customers, authorities and job seekers, as well as the
financial industry and investors, who, in addition to companies' impacts on the
environment, are also particularly concerned about climate risk. Together with
PWC and Footprint, Veidekke Industrial recently conducted a climate risk survey
to assess how climate change will affect the business.
"In recent years, sustainability has gone from being a reporting issue to
emerging as a key aspect of companies' strategy. In Veidekke, sustainability is
central to the business model and touches on everything from how we should
contribute to the green shift, to ethics and compliance in the construction
industry, work safety, and how to address diversity among our own ranks.
Sustainable operations are the foundation for future competitiveness. I look
forward to working with the operational units to come up with good solutions for
tough challenges," says Catharina Bjerke, who takes up the position as the
group's sustainability director from 1 May 2020.
For more information, please contact:
Jimmy Bengtsson, group CEO, ph. +47 984 70 000, jimmy.bengtsson@veidekke.no
Catharina Bjerke, sustainability director, ph. +47 400 11 410,
catharina.bjerke@veidekke.no
Lars Erik Lund, EVP, ph. +47 413 31 369, lars.lund@veidekke.no
Veidekke press photos (https://veidekke.fotoware.cloud/fotoweb/archives/5028
-Pressebilder-Veidekke/)
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Veidekke is one of Scandinavia's largest construction and property development
companies. The company undertakes all types of building construction and civil
engineering contracts, develops residential projects, maintains roads, and
produces asphalt and aggregates. The company is known for its involvement and
local knowledge. Its annual turnover is NOK 39 billion, and half of its 8,600
employees own shares in the company. Veidekke is listed on the Oslo Stock
Exchange and has always posted a profit since it was founded in 1936.