We were not looking for the next big thing. We have been here all along.
General Oceans operating company founders have one thing in common. At some point early in life, they found a way to turn excitement into career. They were educated enthusiasts turned technology users who saw needs and opportunities to do things better. They were product developers who went on to build companies and inspire brilliance.
General Oceans seeks to make a difference in the world of ocean technology by leveraging the combined knowledge and business acumen of a group of innovative companies with a successful track record of bringing pioneering technologies to market. The group is structured to enable rapid funding and execution of greenfield projects to quickly respond to market needs.
We grew up in ocean technology. General Oceans’ trailblazing crew boasts lauded contributors with decades of industry knowhow working side-by-side with fresh talent eager to bring new ideas to the table.
Forward movement is our culture. Scientific integrity, an unparalleled user experience, and sustainable business practices have been embedded in our companies from the start. We do not just see the ocean as a resource to save. We look to explore further, grow understanding, and genuinely excite generations to come about its rich possibilities.
General Oceans central leadership team’s mission is clear. Maintain a lean group of experts in their fields who support operating companies in scaling faster, developing the best talent, funding and organizing collaborative projects, and integrating the knowledge and business acumen contained across the group.
Atle founded multiple companies in the oceanographic sensor space and from 1999 onward, focused on growing the last one, Nortek, into a global technology leader.
Under his leadership, Nortek opened subsidiary offices in eight countries, launched technical expertise centers in Europe and the United States, and established a global network of representatives. Most recently, Atle founded Hefring Engineering, a subsea vehicle company, in the United States.
Atle received a Master of Science in Physical Oceanography and Applied Mathematics from the University of Oslo and holds several pivotal patents in the industry.
Anton joined General Oceans as CFO in June 2022 and brings over 20 years of international financial experience. Immediately prior to joining, Anton was the CFO at Tquila Group, a privately held investment group investing in property and disruptive technologies. In the past he was Finance Director of the European Division of the K2 Group, a large technology and talent placement agency. Anton also worked as Group Controller for Deep Ocean Group, a subsea services provider, where he gained experience preparing the group for listing.
Anton brings a wealth of experience successfully managing finance teams from incubation to maturity. His sector experience includes subsea services, staffing, consulting services, property, renewables, and telecommunications. Anton holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool, degrees in accountancy, and is a registered Chartered Accountant with SAICA.
Freda began her career with the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a coastal design engineer.
In 2008 she joined The Nortek Group to grow business and customer connections in the Southern United States. She went on to lead Nortek’s North American business, expanding the talent base, revenue, technical offerings, markets served, and office locations before moving on to lead Nortek’s global marketing program. She is now focused on Boston startup, Hefring Engineering, delivering a new autonomous subsea vehicle, along with building the General Oceans organization.
Freda holds a Master of Engineering in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering from the University of Florida and an MBA from Boston University.
General Oceans is set up as a partnership structure. Partners are appointed based on leadership in their respective operating company. They routinely engage in meetings of the minds to set the course for the group, allocate resources, and conceive collaborations.
Finn Ivar was appointed CEO of Nortek in 2019 following over six years of service as the Chairman of the Board. He brought over 25 years experience in corporate leadership and finance, including senior global positions in offshore energy, M&A and social impact investment.
Immediately prior to joining Nortek, Finn Ivar was EVP at Norfund, where he oversaw investments in developing nations to drive sustainability and improve quality of life. His successful track record of scaling global businesses is vital to Nortek’s current strategic growth initiatives.
Finn Ivar holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and International Relations from Concordia College and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University.
Paul Phillips has had a passion for engineering from a young age. After studying mechatronics at the University of Sydney he began is career in Aerospace designing camera systems for UAVs.
Co-founding Reach Robotics (formerly Blueprint Lab) in 2016, he lead the R&D team to develop a series of innovative products to which the company owes its success.
Omer Poroy was appointed CEO of Strategic Robotic Systems in January of 2023. He brings over 25 years of ocean technology experience to the group, spanning the Oceanographic, Offshore Energy and Naval Defense industries with extensive background in maritime autonomy, undersea robotics, integrated ocean sensors, naval systems engineering and manufactured products.
Immediately prior to joining SRS, Omer led enterprise-level strategy and business development initiatives encompassing Undersea Warfare, Maritime Autonomy and Distributed Maritime Operations at General Dynamics Mission Systems. Prior to his tenure at General Dynamics, Omer held various leadership positions at Bluefin Robotics, a designer and manufacturer of unmanned undersea vehicles, and at Teledyne Technologies, a provider of maritime sensors and systems.
Omer received his MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, and holds a BSc. and a MSc. degree in Ocean Engineering from Florida Institute of Technology.
The Board was elected in 2022 and provides effective and entrepreneurial leadership of General Oceans. It is collectively responsible for promoting the long-term success of the group, by ensuring the creation and delivery of sustainable stakeholder value under its guidance.
Beatriz Malo de Molina has been appointed Chair of the Board of General Oceans. She has held various management and advisory positions in Norway, Germany and the U.S. including Head of M&A at Orkla ASA, Investment Director at Kistefos Private Equity, Associate Principal McKinsey & Co., Executive Director and Business Unit Manager at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Analyst at EY. Beatriz currently chairs the board of Crux AS a privately held investor relations company, and is a member of the board of Nel ASA, Horisont Energy AS and Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA, all publicly traded companies based in Norway. Ms. Malo de Molina is Founder and board member of the Oslo Philanthropic Exchange, a foundation promoting more efficiency in capital raising for charities and NGOs.
Ms. Malo de Molina graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and holds a Master of Philosophy from the University of Oslo’s Faculty of Law. She is a Spanish citizen and a longtime resident of Norway.
Hanne Blume is the Chief HR and Sustainability Officer at DOVISTA.
She has more than 20 years of executive management and leadership experience as Chief HR Officer, senior vice president in QHSE, and different management positions in international companies within the energy, renewables sector, and telecom. This includes being CHRO of the global green energy leader Ørsted for more than ten years.
Hanne has significant experience in business and people transformation and development, organizational capability building and global expansion. She currently chairs the Board of Insero, a Danish fund investing in energy and IT, and is a member of the Board of Directors and chair of the Remuneration Committee in Nel ASA. She has management and board experience from listed and private companies and as well many years in the Danish Cycling Federation.
Hanne holds a Master of Business Administration and Commercial Law from Aarhus School of Business and Oregon State University, and Executive education from IMD and INSEAD.
Stein Dale is an independent board member and executive advisor.
Stein has more than 20 years of leadership experience from Norwegian and International energy companies as former CEO of E.ON International Markets, SVP of Corporate Strategy in E.ON SE, CEO of Multiconsult and CFO in Statkraft. He is currently the Chair of Oslofjord Varme AS and Vice Chair at Gasum OY, board member of Nettpartner AS.
Stein has worked extensively with leadership, strategy and M&A issues, and has been a central figure in leading large-scale transformational projects.
Prior to entering the energy industry, he worked for more than ten years within telecom.
Stein holds a Master of Science in Business from the Norwegian School of Management, Executive Education from IMD, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
