Morten Fon, CEO and President of Jotun since 2005, talks to Protective Coatings Expert
Morten Fon has been CEO and President of Jotun since 2005
Jotun started with marine coatings from its very beginning in 1926. Founded in Sandefjord, Norway, with a shipyard just across the fjord, the company first supplied coatings to the local whaling industry. As shipping patterns changed and Norwegian shipowners increasingly transported oil, Jotun’s role evolved alongside them, gradually extending its reach well beyond Norway. Shipping has never been static, and neither has Jotun. Over the decades, both regulation and technology have driven significant change, often requiring rapid adaptation. Reaching a 100-year milestone naturally invites reflection. For Jotun, it is also about looking forward – anchored in a strong corporate culture that has remained consistent through decades of growth and change.
Q. Jotun is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary. How does Jotun compare now, with then?
Morten Fon. In the beginning Jotun was a small Norwegian company that focused on the Norwegian marine coatings market. Today it is a global paints and coatings company focusing on four segments: marine coatings, protective coatings, powder coatings and decorative paints. Jotun has built strong positions in the four segments globally, but Scandinavia, the Middle East and Asia are strongholds where Jotun holds a very strong position. The majority owner throughout the 100 years has been the Gleditsch family, with Orkla as the partner since 1972.
Q. What do you think has been the biggest change Jotun has seen since 1926?
Morten Fon. The biggest change has been from going from a small Norwegian company to become global and to hold the Number Seven position globally within the overall paints and coatings market, and the leader within marine coatings. Today Jotun is developing based on a strong reputation and delivering advanced products and solutions of high quality delivered by an excellent organisation worldwide
Q. You have been CEO and President since 2005. What were your main aims when you first took the job?
Morten Fon. From the beginning I focused on two elements that have been very important over the last 21 years: First to continue to build a solid corporate culture, based on strong values – respect, boldness, loyalty and care. Secondly, strengthen the organic growth strategy and make sure we focused on the four selected segments to grow the company organically and continue to adapt to markets around the world. This has proved to be successful: Jotun has grown faster than the competition and we have been creating value for shareholders.
Q. Do you think you have managed to achieve all of these, or do you think you still have more to do?
Morten Fon. I believe that we can do more of the same based on the same factors, but we also have areas that we need to develop. Growing the company is important and growing organically is our Jotun way. The best way is to deliver products, solutions and services that are better than our competitors. At the same time, we must become more efficient day by day.
Q. There always seems to be consolidation going on within the paint industry. Is Jotun looking to expand in this way in the future?
Morten Fon. Jotun will stick to our organic growth strategy; hence we will not be part of any consolidation or restructuring of the industry. We will continue to develop organically. There is one exception to this, and that is to buy companies that have technology that we can fit into our portfolio, and within the four segments.
Q. What do you think are the biggest challenges for Jotun going forward, and what plans are you putting in place to meet these challenges?
Morten Fon. Jotun must be in the forefront of technology, and we must continue to invest in R&D within our focus areas and develop new products, solutions and services that are bringing the industry forward. One example is the HullSkater, a part of our Hull Skating Solutions, where we have been thinking “outside the box”, and developed robotics for cleaning hulls today and in the future.
HullSkater, a part of Jotun’s Hull Skating Solutions
Q. What about Morten Fon outside Jotun – what do you do to relax and what hobbies do you have?
A. My family and my social life outside Jotun have always been important to me, and I have been playing golf for many years in addition to some sailing.
Q. Is there anything you would like to add?
A. Jotun has been giving me lots of opportunities to develop and I would like to see that other penguins (we call our employees penguins) have the same opportunity. I hope I have been a good role model when it comes to career development after 37 years in the company.
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