Håvard Klafstad has never been drawn to what is obvious. He is motivated by situations where the path is not clearly defined, where adjustments have to be made along the way. This is an approach he now brings with him into Group Management at Lerøy.
From April, he takes on the role of Chief Procurement Officer. In his new position, procurement will become even more visible across the group.
– It’s a great vote of confidence, and an opportunity to bring a function that has long been in the background more to the forefront.
An active life beyond work
Håvard has always been active. Swimming and football have played a major role throughout his life, and especially in the pool, it was all about structure, discipline and fine margins.
– Back in the day, I was very good, he says with a smile.
While sport is now more of a hobby, his competitive instinct remains. These days, snowboarding takes up most of his time, and he spends a lot of it with his family in Myrkdalen. There, he seeks out terrain that is less predictable and moves away from the groomed slopes. It is the challenge and the sense of mastery that appeals to him.
The same mindset shapes how he works.
– You’ll usually find me off-piste. It’s about reading the conditions and trusting the decisions I make then and there, he says.
More than one way of doing things
His path to Lerøy has taken him through Australia, Copenhagen, Italy and Oslo. The experience he has gained along the way has given him a clearer perspective on how decisions are made
across different situations and cultures, and what actually creates results.
– I quickly learned that there isn’t just one right way of doing things.
His partner, Irene, is now Managing Director of Lerøy Seafood Italy, and together they have built a life closely connected to both Norway and abroad.
At the same time, not all decisions have been driven by work. When their first child was born, Håvard took eight months of paternity leave, and the family temporarily relocated to Bergen.
– I didn’t really think too much about it. It just felt natural, and it’s a time I’m very grateful for.
At the same time, it allowed Irene to stay closely engaged with her work during an important phase. Today, they both hold demanding roles, which requires careful coordination in everyday life. These are experiences he also brings into his professional role.
A long-term perspective
As part of Group Management, Håvard will have greater influence on procurement across the group. He wants to make the function more visible and more closely involved in decision-making. For him, procurement should not only support the business, but play an important role in how the company is managed and developed.
– We need to set clear expectations, but we also have to understand the people we work with, whether they are external suppliers or internal stakeholders.
Looking ahead, it is the long-term perspective that matters most to him.
– It’s one thing to reach your targets. It’s another to make them last.
His ambition is to unlock more value from existing supplier relationships and to create stronger alignment between internal operations, suppliers and customers.
By building a professional procurement organisation, Lerøy aims to achieve the lowest procurement costs in the industry and develop a cost culture that strengthens its competitiveness.
– If we succeed, procurement will play an important role in helping Lerøy reach its ambitious goals.
