BJERRINGBRO, Denmark (March 20, 2017)—Fredrik Östbye is joining Grundfos to further strengthen the company’s ambitions of taking digitalization to the next level in its business offerings, according to a statement from Grundfos.
Östbye , 44, will be the new group vice president and head of digital transformation. He will join Grundfos on May 1, and will have his base at Grundfos headquarters in Bjerringbro.
“I’m extremely happy that a renowned digital entrepreneur and expert like Fredrik joins Grundfos,” said Mads Nipper, CEO and group president at Grundfos. “Not only is he a deep expert in his field, but he’s also passionate about making a difference on the global water and energy sustainability agenda. I’m convinced that Fredrik will help accelerate and orchestrate our digitalization journey for the greater good of Grundfos.”
In his new position, Östbye will collaborate with Grundfos Group Management and the business’s digital taskforce to further build digitalization as a lever for reaching the company’s strategic goals, according to the statement. This includes digital capability building across functions, identifying and establishing relevant partnerships with other companies, as well as driving and supporting selected digital projects. Östbye will report directly to Nipper.
“Digitalization is changing the game for most industries right now, enabling new opportunities previously not possible, but also disrupting the normal,” Östbye said. “As (a) digital expert with passion for sustainability, I'm excited to take on the role to orchestrate the digital transformation of Grundfos, with a clear mission to capture these opportunities.”
Östbye comes from a position as VP, Internet of Things, at the Telenor Group. Prior to that he was CEO at WaterVision AB. Östbye holds a master’s of science in electrical engineering from Chalmers University in Sweden.