VIKING Life-Saving Equipment

What makes your company an exciting place for students to kickstart their careers?

We truly believe in investing in young talent. Many of our employees, including both former and current CEOs, began their journey with us as trainees or student assistants—and have built all or significant parts of their careers internally.

We value the knowledge and experience gained from working across different departments, which is why there are abundant opportunities for personal and professional development with us. You get to grow in a dynamic environment where internal career paths and growth opportunities are a central focus.

How do you celebrate successes, big or small, within your company?

We’ve grown from a small local company into a large global organisation, so it’s important for us to communicate across the entire global structure—especially when there’s something to celebrate. The intranet is the place where we share those news items.

We mark major occasions by gathering in the canteen, and at other times there’s cake for all employees. Within individual teams there are many different celebration traditions; for example, in sales a bell is rung when a large order is secured.

What’s the funniest or most unexpected thing that’s ever happened in the office?

You never know what the canteen will look like when you come for lunch. Our creative canteen team is great at putting on theme days, and they can transform the entire space into, for example, street food stalls, a summer theme, or Gertrud Sand’s Christmas cottage. In December, there are generally lots of fun things happening across the different offices – for example, we’ve had an office completely wrapped in gift wrap. Nothing was left out!

What advice would you give to students who want to work with you?

1. Do your homework on us before applying; it shows initiative and leaves a strong impression when you understand what we do.
2. Say yes! Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way.

How can a new employee make a unique impact on your company from day one?

Seize the opportunity by saying yes to the tasks and projects that come up. The more you engage, the greater your chance to leave your mark on various initiatives and assignments. There’s always room to bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the table.

What’s the least glamorous part of working at your company?

We are a large, complex company with many products, divisions, and subsidiaries. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, and it may take some time before you stop feeling like a newcomer.

What are you most proud of when it comes to your company’s work culture?

We take pride in a culture where everyone is seen as valuable and where we believe each individual has something unique to contribute. Everyone has a voice and the opportunity to be heard—regardless of title.

How do you tackle challenges you meet?

We encourage open conversations about challenges and work together to solve them. We place strong emphasis on employee wellbeing, for example through the HjerneRo program, which equips our people to manage worries and prevent them from taking up unnecessary mental space.

If your company could collaborate with any famous person or organization (alive or dead), who would it be and what would you achieve together?

One possible collaboration would have been with the captain and shipbuilders of the Titanic, since the entire regulatory foundation for maritime safety sprang from the 1912 disaster. Working together on the ship’s safety standards could have had a significant impact on the outcome, so it would have been interesting for our safety experts to have been involved.