"My first job in Hydro involved the remote control of hydroelectric power plants. The technology used was new and it fascinated me. It was possible to control a large power plant from a computer monitor many hundreds of kilometers away. That was more than 25 years ago.
Since then Pål Thorud has had a number of management positions, but always within the energy sector. The focus areas have varied from hydropower to hydrogen and wind turbines.
“I can simply say that the assignments have been - and are - exciting. No two days are the same. This is one of the privileges of working for Hydro” he says.
Safety first
“I have twice experienced that the sector I manage has won the "President's HSE award" but I have also experienced all of what it means to be struck by a fatal work accident within your own organization. I have twice led emergency efforts related to accidents in which lives were lost.
Accidents make me very, very motivated to work on safety. In the midst of a tragedy, I have also experienced how colleagues are there for each other and make an effort above and beyond what could be expected.
We carry these experiences with us in several ways: First and foremost, we realize that it is always possible to be even better on safety. We strive even more with this because we so desperately want to avoid experiencing something similar again. Second, the experiences also contribute to us being better equipped to handle serious accidents properly.
