THE CEO of Norwegian infrastructure manager Bane Nor, Thor Gjermund Eriksen, has resigned with immediate effect after just 16 months in post. He announced his resignation following a board meeting on February 27.
Bane Nor has appointed executive vice-president, Jon-Erik Lunøe, as acting CEO while a replacement is sought.
Eriksen joined the state-owned organisation from public sector-owned gambling company Norsk Tipping in November 2023 and is understood to have found regular government intervention difficult. On the day he resigned he told local media that while he felt he had done the best he could at Bane Nor, he did not have the freedom to exercise full leadership.
In a statement, he said: “For the past year and a half, I have worked together with good people at Bane Nor to establish a new corporate structure, recruit new managers and put together a new corporate management team. I am pleased with the work we have done together in these areas.”
Eriksen joined at a time when Bane Nor was facing increasing criticism over worsening punctuality due to signalling failures. Despite promising to improve the situation, Eriksen was unable to arrest the decline in punctuality, which reached a record low during his tenure.
“In light of the situation facing Norway’s railways, it is only natural for us to work closely with Bane Nor to ensure that the electorate’s money is spent wisely,” says Jon-Ivar Nygård, minister of transport and communications. “I have taken several steps to clarify the division of roles and responsibilities and make management clearer.”
