Tom: Groomed for mangement

Profile:

Name: Tom Engen Aslaksby
Age: 30
Position: Project manager,
Education: Data engineer from Buskerud University College, Bachelor of Management with project management from the Norwegian School of Management
Employed in KONGSBERG since 2002
Interests: Travelling, films, music, IT and cycling

Held a course after only two weeks

Tom Engen Aslaksby came to KONGSBERG at the age of 22 as a newly-qualified data engineer assigned to the submarine programme. Today he is the leader of the submarine portfolio and is a classic example of how KONGSBERG trains and develops its managers. After only two weeks in his new job he was asked to hold a course for German and Italian marine officers on KONGSBERG’s submarine system. Tom rose to the challenge. And he gradually realised that he liked talking to people and that he had both the talent and the interest for management.

From engineer to manager or specialist 

 “Most of those who start here are engineers, and at first they spend some years programming. But sooner or later nearly all of them have to make a choice: you can either continue with technology at a more advanced level and become an expert in a subject area, or you can choose staff management or project management,” Tom tells us. He chose the latter. With support from KONGSBERG he took a bachelor’s degree in management and project management at the Norwegian School of Management, and is now in the process of studying for a master’s in the same field. At the same time he took several of KONGSBERG's internal courses, and was given increasing responsibility within the various projects he was working on. Three years ago he was appointed to the position of project manager, and he currently leads various submarine projects.

Groomed for management

”KONGSBERG can offer huge professional and technological challenges. Many subject areas have to cooperate: hardware, software, cybernetics, economics, marketing, ILS. We have different experts for everything – and there aren’t a lot of other companies who work in this way,” Tom tells us. He feels that he is a different person from the man who started in KONGSBERG. “I was perhaps a bit more reserved then. Now I have no problems standing up and talking or leading a project. It’s a process that takes a few years, and I would never have been given this opportunity if my managers hadn’t decided to groom me for management.”

Would you like to know more about how we enhance out employees’ skills? Read here about competence and development.