After nearly a quarter of a century of leadership and pioneering work at Andøya Space Defence, Gunnar Jan Olsen is passing the baton – stepping into a new role with his sights set on the future defence market.
After 25 years at the helm of Andøya Space Defence AS, Gunnar Jan Olsen is now handing over the reins to new leadership to focus on a new role within the Andøya Space group.
“When Gunnar joined us in 1999, he was the sole employee of what was then called the Nordic Sea Test Range,” says Ketil Olsen, CEO of Andøya Space. “Thanks to Gunnar’s tireless efforts, he now leaves behind a division with 22 employees, including four apprentices, and a multimillion turnover. It’s been a fantastic journey.”
Nordic Sea Test Range (NSTR) was established as a subsidiary of Andøya Space in 1997. In 2005, it was renamed Andøya Test Center (ATC), and later became Andøya Space Defence in 2020.
“I remember back in 2005, when we were just starting out with firing range exercises from Nordmela using NASAMS,” Gunnar recalls. “At the time, those were the largest operations we had ever conducted. Now, we consider them among the smallest. Both the Norwegian Armed Forces and allied forces quickly saw the value of having a European test range where they could trial their most advanced systems.”
Gunnar will continue within the group as a dedicated business developer, with a primary focus on the defence-related market.
“I’m very happy about that,” says Ketil. “Gunnar’s expertise and vast network will remain incredibly important for Andøya Space going forward. Key areas include the spaceport and dual-use technologies, the national drone centre, and not least, the ability to look ahead and see what’s coming over the horizon.”
“It’s been an fantastic experience to help build the national resource that Andøya Space Defence has become,” says Gunnar. “It feels good to hand over the helm to new forces, while also getting the opportunity to sharpen my focus on some key strategic areas for Andøya Space.”
Chief of Staff Tony Klæboe will step in as interim leader of the subsidiary while a new hire is being sought.
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