Sidsel Norvik on Nor-Shipping's record-breaking year and where the industry goes next

0:02Hi and welcome to the Port Podcast. In today's episode, we're joined by Sidel Norvik. Sidel is a a key a key figure in in the maritime industry, especially in Norway, where she heads up the um North Shipping. It's an event that runs every two years, and more recently, they've started a new event called um Oslo Ocean Days. Sid's got a career that spans um over 30 years in the maritime space including energy obviously um and it's a really interesting chat. We had a bit of a notification battle at the start of it and but we got there in the end. So I'm sure you'll enjoy this if it's something that you're thinking about and getting into the commercial aspects of of the maritime industry. There's definitely a lot in it for you. So enjoy.

0:47So, thank you very much, Sidel, for for joining us today on the Porttoport podcast. As I said, I've done a slight intro for you. Um, I'm not going to do you justice. So, if you want if you can give us a a kind of short brief on on who you are and and what you what you do. Yeah, I certainly can. Uh, thank you for inviting me. It's exciting to have have this chat. Um, I am Sisil Norvik. I'm director for No Shipping. No shipping is uh one of the well we say the most important but it's one of the the leading uh maritime uh meeting places um collects the whole global maritime industry uh for a week of uh conferences and uh and fun and uh exhibition.

1:31Excellent. Awesome. So you obviously I really want to dive in. So we just before we obviously started um recording you were saying about ocean days as well. Obviously, you're launching a new event, but before we get into that, you obviously looking through your um your your profile. You've you started off in sales and marketing way back when. Was that energy related initially or or did you just end up finding your way into that? Well, actually, I started my career in a business daily in Norway, uh the biggest business daily in Norway called Doggin. Uh, and I thought at the time that, okay, I'll um I'll do this while I'm trying to get a really cool marketing

2:15job. Uh, I'll I'll I'll just try with um subscription sales, you know, and and uh just yeah, while I was looking and then once I got into that media house, um it was focusing on maritime and oil and gas and everything under the sun because I mean, of course, there's a lot of ocean industries in in uh in Norway. So, so that was a lot of it. So and selling a business daily I needed to obviously understand the personalities. This was a business the business newspapers. So, so uh sort of the business leaders of uh all the business sectors in Norway and I I just found it so fascinating uh to to

2:54learn about um of course myself all these different individuals and the different uh industries. Um and um so I'll just turn and see if I can turn off the messages. I was like is that mine there? must be some good sales going on. Yeah. Yeah. You're doing well. You're obviously doing better than me. Yeah. Um No, but but what I thought was was a job that would, you know, take me,

3:25you know, through the next year. I stayed there for 26 years. Wow. So, uh initially it was the business daily in Norway. Um and then um it was also Tradewinds which is a shipping publication the the most important shipping publication in the world and um they uh their marketing director she was going on a maternity leave and I got that job for a year. Nice. Uh so uh and that was really really exciting. I I got super into the shipping industry. Uh I got to organize

3:58the the big um trade winds party during no shipping. So that was sort of my first intro to to no shipping, right? Um but then a lot of different sort of jobs at the on the house and then uh our founder he wanted to launch an oil and gas newspaper uh which basically become became my baby. It was like 20 years of building from nothing to to becoming um the most important oil and gas newspaper uh called Upstream, right?

4:33Um and that was a Yeah, that was a really really fun fun time. Yeah. Did you how did you obviously I mean it was hard to kind of cover 26 years in in a in a sentence, but what from from your perspective what were the challenges? You said obviously trying to get to know the personalities and the types of people. what the kind of challenges for you to to to overcome initially or what what personalities did you find that were easier to sell to if that makes sense? Yeah. Um, of course it was easier to sell to to Norwegians being a Norwegian.

5:05Uh, so so the Norwegian market was sort of the first uh the first market capture, but then we we uh almost from the beginning had a had an office in Houston. Uh and then we built an office in Singapore. Uh and then we had several different offices. And um so for me it was uh the I think the the the steepest learning curve was that uh you know the same position in the same industry could be totally different in Houston compared to Norway and and and uh and and Singapore and Japan or you know wherever you went. um to really um have a step

5:44back and and sort of uh learn the the people first before I burst out with the who I am kind of thing. Yeah, I think that was one of the most challenging and uh but also the most interesting. Yeah, this this global industry is just uh filled with so many different uh cultures and characters and and and it's the the complexity of the world that makes um you know the both the oil and gas industry but also the the shipping industry which is the one industry maybe that is the most global because it connects kind of all Yeah. Yeah. Connects everyone else. M what do you what do you think are the

6:25main differences between selling in um in the likes of Houston compared to to Norway? Um well I think uh um it's it's well bigger everything is big in Texas and and uh uh so so it's it was always a bigger accounts so you could talk to the biggest oil and gas company here in Norway Ecuador and then we were talking these accounts but when you went to Chevron or Exxon it was like these are giant corporations and and accounts and

7:01And uh you really needed to be uh somewhat more professional. Uh here in Norway, you could you like call and say, "What do you say?" And then you just you really had to be super prepared to uh from Yeah. Um all prepared for any kind of question really. Right. Okay. Yeah. That's interesting. It's interesting. I'll use this as a coaching a coaching lesson rather than anything else I think. So obviously from there then so 26 years were you doing you doing quite a bit of traveling then I take it were you

7:35obviously getting around the world did did you do Asia as well then you said Singapore were you traveling everywhere or Yeah I I mean I was pretty much on the road every every three weeks right so it was a lot of a lot of traveling um I love traveling uh so it's uh and and my my body doesn't have any sort of um I guess clock. So, so when I go to sleep, I sleep and then um I wake up and the clock rings and even though the time might change by seven hours and it it doesn't it doesn't affect me. I think maybe it's because of all the traveling that it's it's given up. My body has

8:15given up on Okay, she's she's down. We'll wake up we'll wake up when we have to. Yeah, that's brilliant. that is I mean I've got a few so obviously I don't do as much traveling after co so we used to do a fair amount um but a few of my friends like different different jobs that they've got they do a lot and it you can see them really really kind of getting tired of it and whatnot did you did that did you get to a point where I've had enough of this I'd rather be more more focused in one area or were you were you

8:48talking not really because because my my job was really all over the place uh I had to sort of work with the team in Houston, in Singapore, in Rio, in um in New Delhi. It was it was all over the place. So, so um and I just wanted to be try to spread my my time equally around. Um and also I had to follow the biggest uh events. So, um now I'm in the events um area, organizing events myself, but I used to go to all these events all over

9:23the place. Um, yeah. So, yeah, it's nice now that I I travel maybe once every two months, which is really nice. Um, so so that's that's like perfect. But, uh, but now my team is here, so so that's natural. So, obviously you once you left there, you spent some time I can't remember the name of it. I forgot. So, please forgive me. Was another newspaper. Was that correct? Or was that upstream? Yeah. Oh yeah.

9:55Gas. And then um 10 years into upstream we launched recharge which is um renewables. Uh we started off by focusing on on um waves wave and tidal. It was solar. It was uh offshore wind and onshore wind. Um and then eventually it turned into a more of a a wind publication. it was much tougher um to break into that um I think we were ahead of ahead of the time uh with renewables and trying to make that a business. Um but um still the the editorial quality was excellent uh but it was hard to get um commercial spending and and so forth.

10:42So it was um quite is that is that down to the it largely being um startups I suppose if you look at the kind of PTO effect like 80% are going to be smaller businesses where the money's in R&D or yeah a lot of that and uh you know we knew that eventually they will have money but u they didn't at the time and still we had to of course write about them and uh and follow the industry really really good uh publication uh and it's it's now it's is really um is making money and is is doing quite well. So I think it was a good investment. Um the owners had um had the opportunity to

11:21uh to spend money for some years. So um so I think at the end of the day it's it's good and and that they're uh they will I hope you still have shares in it. Well, I don't have any share I have some shares in the group. Um but I have a lot of friends in group. And then obviously after that so you um you left upstream and and you went into the event space. How did you find the transition? Um it it was really really interesting really and um I guess more than anything going back to maritime full-time that was I really love the maritime industry. Uh and I didn't sort of think about it as much

12:05until I actually came back to it. Um and uh oil and gas is fun, but it's big corporations, very very corporate. Um but the maritime is is, you know, it's uh a lot of the the owners are private. It's fun. It's it's vibrant. It's uh yeah, it's uh more exciting industry, I think. Uh and more global as well. So more what sorry more global more global is of course global but is global in a different way. Yeah. It's it's regions.

12:41No I I I can't I can't explain how how lucky I feel every day just working in the in the maritime industry. It's filled with it's filled with some amazing people and there's so many there's so many and I think there's a there's almost a zest for life that I've not really seen in a lot of different industries where people especially those that have that spent time at sea they really they really get and they get the value of the smaller things in life. Yeah. So, so obvious how did you I've never I've I've never done events um and such like that other than events where you're putting acts on. What What are the main challenges like really to try and build

13:21an event and and get a following and and obviously you you went in um I suppose it's it's different for you you had nor shipping going already. What would you say are the kind of key challenges to building an event? Well, um you need the right people at top level to to attend the event because it's it's like the top people that will make the others follow. Um and um of course Noriing has an amazing brand. It's 60 years old and um my predecessors have done an amazing job to build that brand. Um and um so so a lot of the key players they they know that they have to go to no shipping because that's where

14:06everybody will be first week of June. Um but to to actually get them to uh attend the uh our events uh our conferences they have to be top-notch. You have to have the right people on stage. You have to have the right agenda. You need to really be topical and relevant. Um so so I think that's where we uh focus the most. Um and and of course which is the biggest challenge. There's a lot of conferences all over the world. I mean you can go to conferences absolutely every day. Yeah.

14:39Um so to be the the ones that sticks out the one that have to go to that one is um is a challenge but it's also what really makes it rewarding when the when the house is full and and um it works. So yeah. How hard is it? So obviously nor shipping so it's June next year isn't it? Y yeah. So in terms of setting an agenda, how quickly the rate of change at the moment in the world is is is insane. Can you or at what point can you actually reliably set an agenda and then because obviously it's you need to try and book people in Elliot I imagine.

15:15Well actually we we gather our advisory board on 8th of April. That's when we will set the overall sort of theme for no shipping. Um is uh we always try to find that one word that describes uh the sort of the most important word we can work with. Uh last year that was future proof. Um and that worked extremely well with the all the discussions going on pre you know IMO meeting and uh and everything else that didn't really uh work that well but um and a year before that it was partnership uh a year before that or two years before that it was action uh so so

15:58so that overall theme sets sets the course and then all the other conferences will sort of build around that. So after a of April, I'll tell you. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Curious. I'm really curious. It must be how long. So when you have how many people are on the board, the advisory board? It's 13 14. Right. Okay. Yeah. So it's it's going to be quite hard to get get everyone together to to pick one, I suppose.

16:27But um we've only of course done quite a lot of leg work. Uh so we will present quite a few options and then um there is my favorite. So and then we will have a have a voting and uh so um yeah. Yeah. Right. Brilliant. Okay. That's that's do you know I've never really kind of thought of that in terms of how you how you set an agenda and especially now how how you can set an agenda and so we can obviously touch on the the new event. So ocean days if you want to tell us a bit bit about ocean days.

17:02Yeah because um I mean two years is a long time and it's it's um basically becoming longer because uh things are happening so much faster and faster and faster. So um I mean one we always ask our exhibitors and partners and and visitors a set of questions and one question after 2023 was how important is it for you that no shipping focus on sustainability? So and uh on a scale from one to six 100% said uh six. So we wow okay for us to focus on sustainability is really really important. Um but after 2025

17:48asking the same question the uh the score was down to 50%. Of course, a lot of them went from six to five. And it's not that I think the core um no shipping uh visitor uh they're obviously um they will go for sustainability. I mean sustainability is actually surviving your business and thriving in your business basically. Yeah. Um and but with the current geopolitical landscape, it's so complicated to maneuver that uh there

18:23are just other things that are uh more important right now uh and more um uh yeah unreliable. So so I think uh that was that was quite a uh quite a surprise. So we figured we need to do something in between these two years because this you know so many things are happening and then um it was actually trade winds that knocked on our door and said should we do something together um in the midyear and uh then it made sense because they

19:01they are extremely good at doing the ship owners forum all over the world. they know the the how to set the agenda and and get the right speakers to come. We are experts in actually organizing it, having the platform and being the arena. So together I think we're dynamite and that Oslo Ocean Days um will become another really really big uh and important global meeting place and is is there a specific focus for the demographic what who you're going after or is it uh investors and ship owners cargo owners top level right okay in any particular cargo or

19:42just just across across the board just across the board yeah and and it's it's uh It will not be an exhibition. I mean that is the main core for for worshipping. Uh but this will be downtown Oslo and not uh include the exhibition at Lilam. Right. Yeah. So more speaking events, speaking events and also um partner events. We want to sort of make Oslo into a maritime week um where um you know the ship owners association can have their event where the bank can have

20:16their events you know the whole week will be a set of maritime events or ocean events right okay that's quite cool how so it's as you said it's a completely different setup so from from nor shipping is is there any of them that are that are more challenging. Is it more challenging to do this side of things where you're planning speaking events all over kind of all over the the city or is it I think that we uh since we will have our headline conference and we will have

20:52a few social activities that will be sort of our uh we will organize all the other events they will just hatch on to uh to the program. So we will just just be a a platform. So then all the other events they will that will be up to the associations or DMV or DMV or or whoever to organize their own events. We help them by putting it into the program and being a marketing platform. Uh but um yeah making sure that the world knows that this is the ocean week happening. Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. Personally for you then, so what would you say that you've had?

21:32It's an incredible career. There's no there's no two ways you can actually say it. What would you say are your kind of biggest challenges that you had to overcome that you might not have realized that were that were ahead of you? Um I think my my role has always been a little bit bigger than me. Um, I've always, um, you know, from when I started on subscription sales, you know, I was like, I can't do this, you know, uh, so I need to to learn how to do it. And then I, I got the marketing manager at Tradewinds. I can't do this, you know, how do I and and I always had to sort of figure it out. Um, uh, so it's

22:09always been a bit of a challenge, but, uh, I guess that's what's been driving me, uh, to to always have a job that I don't really know really. Uh, okay. Of course, I knew quite a good part of it, but it was I always felt that there was things that, oh, this is bigger than me. I just went for it. And um, so I think that's that's been sort of a challenge all the time. Um and and that's what I would urge anyone who's who wants to enter this industry is is like just go for it. It's Yeah, it's it's uh it's it's really really fun when you when you go for something and that you don't really know

22:54how and and then you succeed and it's like wow I I did it. uh you know um and um I guess one other challenge is that I I've always been in a male oriented industry. Yeah. Is um we work with Vista, you know, women in in shipping. Yeah. Um to to try to put uh and and urge more women to take leadership positions and and um yeah because uh I think it's it is an advantage to be a woman in this industry when if you know your business but if

23:29you if you don't know your business then it could be an absolute hell. So, so you really I I think that for for for women, you really need to know your business more than than the guys because they can get away with whatever in a different way. Yeah. So, but um it's you joined Vista when you were younger then. Did that did you did you feel felt that that helped you in your career or I I actually didn't know about Vista until I came back to to Norshipping and then I was already old. So, um No. So, so there there wasn't anything like that for oil and gas and and it's been energy and oil and gas until I came back to it.

24:13So, uh but but it's it's I think it's a really really good uh to be part of Vista. they do a lot of good uh stuff and I think the industry is is has become extremely um when you talk to the the ship owners or the investors and and everything else they really want to have more uh women in their leadership positions. So it's it's just about that the women need to to have the confidence in themselves and just go for it. um you know when we put together our conference programs we try to have at least 40% women um and we can go to uh a CEO who is a

24:52woman and say well we want you to have um you know to speak at this conference like I'm not sure if if I'm I'm good enough or you can probably find somebody better. We we often can get that kind of response, but if we ask uh a male CEO, that's never a response. They're like, "Okay, okay, I'll do it." So, it's it's like the women need to do to just go for it. And don't be shy. The funny thing is is even when so this is obviously this is really small in comparison but when we ask people on

25:28onto the podcast I would say well I think we've only had I think have we had well we three we've recorded three podcasts um with with women um but I would say we've probably got a a 90% no I don't really know why why I would what my story or my story would be important. Whereas in my head, it's so much more important because there's there's so many I mean, there's some really really cool people that are that are coming through that are sailing that that I know of in in the industry that are they're they're so vocal on social media um and and obviously in in

26:09improving the the conditions for women in the industry right across the board. And so it's good. It would be good to see. I know for a fact probably about four or five of them are going to go right to the top just because they are they're quite they're bullish and it's like good on you. But yes, but I also know a few people that have that have had hardship um and not necessarily been treated correctly at different points in in their career in the industry that they then it's it's kind of softened them a bit and not softened them. Sorry, it's made them kind of go, well, I don't really want to put myself out there too much or put into a new role. But I suppose

26:46you could al obviously just join Vista and and really try and surround yourself by ballers essentially because there's some amazing women in there, isn't there? Let's be honest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. There really is. And um and I and my urge to to um women in maritime is is is just like really go for it because there's a huge need for for female leaders in the industry. Um and um they are equally good or better. So yeah. Yeah.

27:16And you need the mix. That's that's what what makes um makes it makes a team ideal is to have the mix. So do you mind if I do do you have children? I do. I have a son. Awesome. And how did like so obviously within the leadership thing because even just because we're talking obviously talking on this point, how did you how was it for you? How was the experience? Obviously amazing having a kid and and all that. It's unbelievable. Yeah. Coming back into it, did you feel as if you had to rush your maternity leave or did you and then when you came back in, how how was it for you?

27:50Well, I mean, of course, I'm I'm fortunate to to live in Norway where it's uh you have really really good state conditions. Um so I could be home for 9 months. Yeah. And then my uh my husband had to take three months uh at home. So, it's it's uh it was super easy. And then by the time he was nine months, I mean, he was crawling on the door to get out, you know, he didn't when I put him in kindergarten, he was just like, "Byebye." Yeah. So, that that was not a problem at all.

28:20He's going to be Is he Is he in sales now then? No, he's actually in forestry. He's Oh, wow. A lot of that, I suppose, in Norway. Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of forest here. So, so he's he's got a good business going for him. Yeah. Good, good, good, good. And then obviously so coming back into the into your what where were you where were you working when you came back from maternity leave at at dog. Yeah. Yeah.

28:45So that was quite quite early. Uh then I um it was after the trade winds uh trade job and then um yeah so I I worked for the business daily again for some time and then uh then it was upstream. Yeah. Right. Awesome. So what what's next for you then? So you've got a lot going on. Yeah. You I I have no idea how you how you manage your time to be honest. Your board member your board member of two

29:12two entities CEO director. What's I know you're going skiing tomorrow. Yes. You put it all in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. you know, and I have a I have a small boat here in the harbor that I go out on when the after Easter, then I'll put the the boat on the water and I'll I'll be I'll be seen in in my little boat. Um, no, what's next for me? I I think I mean Oslo Ocean Days is is a really really fun new adventure. It's uh I are really really uh excited about that uh to to bring the

29:47no shipping uh brand sort of more relevant throughout the whole uh year really year in year out. Um, and then it's it's to to grow my my my team and and to make uh to really set noting as the the most important uh maritime week uh and then set my my uh team colleagues in positions to eventually take over from my position. I mean I'm I'm uh turning uh in a year less than a year turning 60. So uh I can't be here forever.

30:20So um still young. Well that's still young then. Yeah, but it's it's you know, as long as I I love what I do, uh that's I've always been driven by passion. Um and uh that started as soon as I started to call on sales. That's when I realized I said, gee, I I really love to to make business, to to grow business, to to find new business opportunities. And uh and that's still driving me. And as as long as I'm driven by that, I will hang around here and and uh continue to um develop no shipping and also ocean days.

30:57Awesome. Awesome. So the the I would say largely the whole point of this podcast is to is to open people's eyes to the different careers that they might have within the industry. So for for anyone that might be listening that's currently sailing but has always had maybe an interest in the commercial side or the sales side what what advice could you give to them because a lot of people obviously they come ashore and there's a lot of sales roles within the industry right across obviously the event side the um as you say the publication side but obvious within the suppliers within the the shipyards everything what what advice would you give on that?

31:36Well, I mean, uh, eventually if you're a female sailor, then then you might want to work on shore, uh, after some time. Uh, you know, there there's a huge number of opportunities, uh, and and, uh, a lot more coming, especially in the autonomy world. you know there there's not I don't think that there will be uh deep sea ships going uh fully autonomous uh for as long as we live but uh but there will be a lot of need for for technicians and and uh on land uh positions in business in um across the insurance world or um if you want to go go to law school you can always do that.

32:19There is so many opportunities in the maritime industry uh that you don't really think of as as maritime as well. I mean any kind of business has is needed in the in the maritime industry. If you have that passion for for the sea then uh there's endless opportunities to uh to have also on land. I'm going to do you know I'm I'm not sure if I should ask this because I'm going to put you in the spot in your team. How many people in your team are are ex sailors? None of them. You edit that out.

32:54But we would welcome one if if Sure. I'm so sorry. I was in my head. I should ask that. But then I'm like, I could catch you here. Okay, cool. Well, say it's been it's been an absolute pleasure. One of the last questions I always ask is and um what your your first memory of the industry of the shipping industry whether you're on a boat or or seeing something you're just like wow can you think of that? Um maybe it was uh the first time we organized the um uh the party for the

33:30doing nor shipping uh where I don't know how many ship owners were on board but Yon Frederickson and some of the really really big guys were on the on this and I was on that same ship. I was like this is such a small uh industry and even though it's it's truly truly global uh and everybody sort of knows each other and it's it's sort of a family business you know so it's um I think that's that's one of the first times I was really like wow I really love this uh this business. Yeah. Awesome. Well, Sizzo Norvick, thank you so so much for been a pleasure and as I say, enjoy your skiing tomorrow.

34:12Yes, thank you so much. I look forward to that. It's going to be Sunday, so it's going to be good. Yeah, I know we we've got sun for a change as well here, so thanks. Thank you so much for having me.