At which time do you wake up in the morning?
It depends! I actually do not like to get up at the exact same time every morning😊 It depends on my schedule. But usually between 0600 and 0700.
What is the first thing you do?
One of the best life hacks I have been doing for years is having one liter of water with salt and lime first thing in the morning. That really gets you refreshed and awake.
Which news sites do you read (if any) in the morning?
Typically I scan the largest news sites in Norway and in Western Norway. Politisk Kvarter on Norwegian Broadcaster Radio at 0745 is a must. I also like to check out international sites like FT and The Guardian.
At which time do you go into the office (or start working remotely)?
I usually come into the office between 0830 and 0900. But I often do not make it to the desk before 0915. Always some people to catch up a bit with on the way in, or some necessary calls to be taken before kicking of the day properly.
How many times a day do you check emails?
Too many! But not after work hours. For me, not having a push notification is important for maintaining a healthy work-life balance. I expect urgent matters to be relayed thought text messages or calls. However, at certain times working on urgent matters, I am constantly checking.
When is your first meeting?
When I am hosting meetings, they start usually at the earliest at 9am. But in my company there is a culture for meetings also staring at 0800.
How do you plan your meetings across the week?
My meetings are usually spread through out the week. I prefer to have a mix of tasks and events throughout a day. Every Friday I will look at the coming week, see through my meetings and agenda, and make sure I am well positioned to deliver on the to-do list and meet deadlines internally and externally.
What is the split between internal and external meetings?
The power sector has traditionally had a culture of being more inward looking that engaging externally. Therefore, in this role, I strive to prioritize the external arena. However, whatever is being said and done externally has to be well founded within the organization. I would therefor say that I probably spend about 60 percent of my time externally and 40 internally. I hope, going forward, I will be able to spend more time externally.
How do you follow news development between meetings?
I have NTB push alert, then I know that the most important news will reach me. However, that is about the only push alert I have. It is so easy to get distracted by too many alerts. I try to focus on the tasks I am doing and be present in the meetings I am in. That saves me time I would claim.
How do you organize your calendar?
I am totally dependent on my Outlook calendar! If it is not in it, it is not happening😊 I am able to juggle different tasks through out the day, so I am not so strict about working on different types of tasks on different days. I just must make sure I have an overview and have made time for my deliverables. I love my to-do list and have always had one for as long as I can remember. I have continuously an overview over everything that needs to be done, from lobby plans, analysis to the board, what groceries are missing in the fridge and when I will work out.
How do you take notes?
Either on my phone (have learned that I need to let people know about that in advance, if not it can seem like I am being very rude by being on my phone), or old school small notebook which I can bring everywhere.
What is your relationship to Excel?
I like it! I have been using it a lot the last year to do financial analysis as part of an executive master in energy management. However, I do not use it much in my daily work. To log stakeholder interactions, I use Ulobby.
What is your favorite app & why?
Probably MINDBODY as you can easily find and sign up for different classes for yoga, pilates and beauty treatments wherever you are, all over the world.
How many external lunches do you have a week?
That depends! Not so often, but I love lunch meetings. In my experience there is not so much of a lunch culture in Bergen, where I have been living the last 4 years. Working in Oslo it was quite often. In my experience it also depends somewhat on the current focus of you organization. Currently at Eviny the focus is mostly internal.
Which time do you go to bed?
I like to go to bed at 10pm and get 8 hours sleep. But usually it is at around 1030pm/11pm.
Where do you keep up to date on Public Affairs?
I try to keep updated by keeping in contact with and discussing together with other PA-people both in the energy industry and in other businesses. It is always interesting to talk with those working and operating in other countries, to pick up on new ideas and approaches.
What is your best tip for managing work/life balance?
Do not have email push alerts after hours (except when specific issues being handled off course). That has de-stressed my life a lot. Make sure to log off, move in fresh air and take proper deep breaths.
What do you do to unwind?
I love being together with my 7 year old son and just hang out. I also like to do yoga, be outside in nature and to cook for good friends. Lebanese food is my favorite to make.
What is the biggest challenge you are working to solve right know?
Right now I would say the preparing and making plans for the implementation of a new organization. We are also preparing also preparing for the upcoming local election in Norway, which will most likely result in a lot of new important stakeholders for Eviny.
Do you answer emails on your phone?
Often. I really like to use my phone, as I am often on the go.
Name a PA pro in the industry you respect and why
I must mention two😊 Gine Wang-Reese, working at DNB. She was my boss when I was working in the PA-team Norway in Statoil (now Equinor). She was an amazing boss, inspirational role-model and supporter, and great at her job! The other is the PA-pro Gjermund Løyning at the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises (NHO). He has this amazing way of approaching this, with great success.
When you go on vacation, do you still answer emails?
Nope😊 If something is urgent, I expect a call. I always put up an out-of-office reply so people will know if I am not checking my emails.
Which book did you read recently or are you currently reading?
I recently read “Fedre og sønner -en familiehistorie fra tsarens Russland til den kalde krigen” by Dag Steinfeld. It translates to something like: Father and sons, a family history from the Tsars Russia to the cold war. It is a very powerful 4 generational, Jewish family history, described with the events in Europe taking place the last 100 years as a backdrop. A lot of it is set in Bergen, where also my family 3 generations ago came from. It has been fascinating to read the book and know that the Bergen being described is the Bergen that my family also was experiencing.
Which skills will PA pros need the most in 5-10 year?
I think that the ability to connect corporate strategy and the more long-term political outlook will be vital. Second, making sure that the organization, to the dree possible, expect the unexpected and are ready to act quickly if considered necessary to reach business strategic goals.
Do you prefer LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok, and why/why not?
I like LinkedIn for professional use. Facebook I am very tired of, but I do use messenger to stay in contact with friends.
How big is your PA department?
We are a team of two.
Where is the PA departments placed in your organization?
Eviny has recently launched a new organization. The PA-function is now placed as part of a larger staff function, together with HR, HSE, Communication and procurement. Previously it was placed within the department of Communication and PPA.
Where should the PA function ideally be based in an organization & why?
It is very fascinating (and sometimes a bit frustrating) how the PA-function is treated so differently in different organizations and also easily being moved between departments. And, that the same function can have so many different names, at least in Norwegian. I do believe that to get full and necessary use of such role, close cooperation between the CEO and the others in the executive committee and those working in the PPA-function is a must to secure alignment and have professionally PA-work aligned with strategic objectives.
About Benedicte
Passionate about green value creation in the energy transition. Head of Political and Public Affairs in Eviny. Background as political adviser at the Prime Minsters Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Mayor’s Office in Stavanger. Working with PPA at Statoil (now Equinor) and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprises (NHO). Master from London School of Economics and about to finish an executive Master in energy management from BI business School/IFP.