FINANCE MONTHLY CEO AWARDS 2014
Winner... MORTEN SOLBAKKEN
Norway WHO IS CONAX?
A part of the Switzerland-based, Kudelski Group, Conax is a global specialist in content security solutions for digital TV services and content distribution over broadcast, broadband and connected devices; telcos, cable, satellite, IP, mobile and terrestrial and broadband operations. ISO 9001 & 27001 certified, Conax is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices in EMEA, the Americas and Asia and a Global 24/7 Support Center in India. Conax technology enables secure content revenues for 390 operators representing 140 million pay-TV consumers in 85 countries globally. For more information about Conax, please visit
www.conax.com.
EXECUTIVE PROFILE:
Morten Solbakken has broad experience from management, strategy/business development and sales, including 18 years of experience within the satellite sector and TV distribution business. From 2007 to 2011, he was Chief Strategy Officer in Telenor Broadcast Holding AS (owner of Canal Digital, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting, Norkring and Conax). In March, 2011, Solbakken was appointed COO at Telenor Broadcast Holding, and Chairman of the Boards of Conax, Telenor Satellite Broadcasting and Norkring. Solbakken holds a Master of Science, with additional Master of Management and Master of Business Administration courses. He joined Conax in September 2011.
CEO of Conax CEO INSIGHT...
Q
What are your most important professional achievements at your current company?
Conax has a long and proud history originating in the early 1990’s and including robust growth over many years – a true Norwegian technology success story. I took the helm of Conax in September 2011 in a period of strong and underlying changes in the global market for pay-TV and its supporting technologies like content revenue protection.
Putting together a new, energized management group, I placed 110% focus on initiating and fulfilling a process to reshape the company’s vision and long- term strategy. We refreshed our brand and organisational values to underpin and enable the changes necessary, re- positioning Conax for future media consumption scenarios and also for a future life outside of the then current owner.
In addition, I played a key role with our previous owner, Telenor; in the M&A process to find a new owner for Conax – with a successful outcome both for the previous owner and for our employees, customers and partners. Thus, Conax was acquired by the Kudelski Group in May 2014.
During my tenure, Conax has delivered strong growth, both on top line and on profitability. I am particularly proud of our engaged and highly skilled workforce. After all, it is the Conax global team who are in the end executing on management strategy and producing our consistent and strong results.
Q
How did you do that? What education or prior
experience helped you succeed at your current company?
From the start, I focused on people and organization, actively engaging with the managers and employees; learning from them and tapping their perspectives on the company and its position in our highly varied, regional and evolving global markets. With this very valuable input, a smaller team of key people helped me formulate a clear vision and an actionable strategy for taking the company to the next step.
As Chairman of the Conax Board of Directors prior to the previous CEO being headhunted to another position in the Telenor Group, I had a strong head start on forming a very clear view on what needed to be done. We have since spent a lot of time and effort communicating – both externally and internally - to ensure all stakeholders understood our new direction.
Additionally, it has been highly beneficial to tap my technology background to bring a broad understanding of product solutions to running a global technology tech company.
Q
Do you admire another CEO or a leader (current or
historical)? Why?
I must say I am extremely impressed by and fascinated by Elon Musk – arguably amongst the most disruptive and innovative business leaders today. He is showing, both with what he has done in the car industry and also in the space launch industry, that anyone with an established position must continue to innovate and change to avoid becoming a fatality as markets change and legacy-free players enter. Musk is proof-positive that real opportunities exist for those able to
Morten Solbakken, CEO of Conax Website:
www.conax.com
FINANCEMONTHLY 29
rethink how a need can be served in a new and different and better way in the future than it is currently satisfied.
Q
How do you compete in a global business environment?
Norwegian (and possibly most other Western European) export industries do of course face a competitive disadvantage being an extremely high-cost country compared to companies and competitors based in emerging-market countries. I have found, however, that we are able to more than compensate for this with a highly efficient and productive workforce, clever, innovative and highly scalable systems and solutions and a very credible and future-oriented roadmap. We are able to command a premium in our global markets in direct competition with new entrants and players with a clear, low cost position. The everlasting challenge of course is to sustain these key differentiators.
Q
How do you see the future of your industry?
The media and content distribution value chain is undergoing serious change, where incumbent providers and new entrants alike are fighting to maintain their relevance in the eyes of content- savvy consumers increasingly expecting a convenient way of exploring and enjoying content freed from any proprietary device or distribution medium. As a provider within this value chain, we need to follow and even actively engage in driving this change, enabling our current and future customers to succeed in a very dynamic and challenging environment.
EUROPE
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