The Management Team
John Arne Ulvan was the CEO until May 2024, when Arne Roland took over the position. He is joined by six directors in the group management. In 2023, we appointed two new division directors and a dedicated technology director.
John Arne Ulvan
CEO until May 2024
John Arne Ulvan holds a degree in civil engineering. He was the CEO of Mantena from 2021 until May 2024. Ulvan is a former Group CEO of Felleskjøpet, and prior to that, he held various leadership roles at Yara International and Norsk Hydro. He also has extensive experience as a chairman and board member, both nationally and internationally, and currently serves on the boards of Borregaard and CO2 Capsol. Ulvan's core competences are leadership, business strategy and development, logistics, and sales.
LinkedIn
Arne Roland took over as CEO in May 2024. View his resume under the BoD chapter.
Vidar Leirvik
CFO
Vidar Leirvik holds a degree in Management Control and an MBA in Business Administration and Management. He has been the CFO of Mantena since 2018. Prior to that, he was the Financial & Admin Manager at Esko, CFO at Mesta, and a consultant at Deloitte. Leirvik's core competencies are business strategy and development, change management, financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.
Tone Sande
Chief HR & HSEQ Officer until February 2024
Tone Sande has an education in economics and administration, as well as in personnel development and management. She has been the HR Director since the establishment of Mantena in 2002, and also took over responsibility for HSEQ (Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality) in 2020. Prior to that, she worked with organizational and competence development at NSB. Sande's core competencies are leadership and organizational development, labor law, negotiations, culture, and change management.
In February 2024 Alva Kjellén took over the position as Chief HR & HSEQ Director, as Sande retired.
Silje Holestøl
Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Silje Holestøl holds a Master of Science (MSc) in economics and business administration with a specialization in finance. She has been leading the Strategy, Communication, and Sustainability department since 2022. Holestøl previously served as a partner and CFO at the consulting firm Beyond Strategy Consulting (formerly Bene Agere and TPX Impact), and she has ten years of experience in management consulting. Her core competencies include strategy, business transformations, project and program management, business development, and organizational development.
Tore Løveid
Division Director Product and projects
Tore Løveid holds a bachelor's degree (Diplomøkonom BI) in economics, with a specialization in marketing. He also has several LEAN certifications. Løveid has been the Division Director for Product and Projects at Mantena since 2023. He previously held the position of Operations Director at Volmax and has had several leadership roles in the IT industry in Norway and the Nordic region. Løveid also has experience from various boards. His core competencies are leadership, sales, marketing, business strategy, and development.
Erik Nilssen
Division Director Fleet Services
Erik Nilssen holds a master's degree (MBA) in economics and a master's degree (MBA) in management. He also has a bachelor's degree in industrial automation. Nilssen has been the Division Director for Fleet Services at Mantena since 2023. Prior to that, he has been the CEO at Eskoleia, Plant Director at Luxo/Glamox, Product/Operation Manager at Ibas/KrollOntrack, and Project Manager at Autronica Fire & Security. He also has board experience from 25 different companies in industry, real estate, trade, business, and cluster development. Nilssen's core competencies are transformation, change management, efficiency, digitalization, growth strategies, and acquisitions.
Ramnath Falch Ambathy
Technology Director
Ramnath Falch Ambathy holds a Master of Science (MSc) in Energy and Environment from NTNU in Trondheim. He was appointed Technology Director at Mantena in 2023, coming from the position of CEO at Envac. Previously, Ambathy held leadership roles at Statnett and Mesta, among others. He is also a board member of the Railway Directorate's Advisory Innovation Board and a member of the Impartiality Committee of Certifier Nordics. Ambathy's core competencies are leadership and organizational development, technology management, and digitalization.