Viking Life-Saving Equipment appoints new CEO

(Posted on 29/02/24)

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S, a global leader in maritime, offshore and fire safety solutions, has announced the appointment of Henrik Helsinghof as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1 June, 2024.

Henrik Helsinghof will return to VIKING as CEO in June to ensure a continuity of leadership.

The appointment of Henrik Helsinghof follows the sad death of former CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen in January following a short illness. Henrik Helsinghof had previously been identified by Henrik Uhd Christensen and the VIKING Board of Directors as a possible successor. Henrik Helsinghof´s appointment therefore ensures continuity while also bringing new perspectives to VIKING’s leadership team.

Henrik Helsinghof began his career in VIKING in 2006 as student assistant and remained with the company for 14 years, holding various positions, including Managing Director of VIKING Nadiro. He joins VIKING from Bramidan A/S, where he was CEO for three years, overseeing a period of continuous improvement.

Jens Lindholm, Chairman of the Board of VIKING A/S, comments: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Henrik to our leadership team as CEO. He is a dynamic leader with a proven track record and a passion for company development through people. He is also a true VIKING at heart. As such, he shares our values, culture and passion. With his past experience of VIKING and recent successes as a CEO, Henrik is the ideal person to take our company forward. He has the full backing of the Board and owner, the Claus Sørensen Foundation, and we look forward to working with Henrik as we build the VIKING of the future.”

In his new role, Henrik Helsinghof will continue VIKING’s positive development. VIKING is currently defining a new strategy – BP28 – that builds and expands on the success of its existing BP25 strategy.

Henrik Helsinghof is looking forward: "It is a great honor to lead VIKING and build upon the strong foundation of growth, innovation and industry leadership laid by my predecessor and leadership team. Together, with the talented leadership team at VIKING and our colleagues around the world, we will continue to innovate, serve our customers with excellence, and lead our company and industry forward."

VIKING is a privately held corporation, founded in 1960. In recent years, VIKING acquired the Norwegian company Norsafe, whose lifeboats have been used around the world since 1904, and Drew Marine’s FSR division, one of the world’s three largest providers of Marine Fire Service. Headquartered in Esbjerg, Denmark, VIKING products are manufactured in Denmark, Norway, Bulgaria, Greece, China, and Thailand.