Over the course of my more than 12 years at Aker, I have seen countless examples of the shared competitive advantage of companies across our portfolio – leveraging a 180-year track-record of building on the shoulders of existing capabilities, access to excellent industrial competence, financial strength, and a willingness to seize opportunities for value creation and long-term growth. In recent years, another advantage has become increasingly important as we build and grow as a group: the Aker collaborate advantage. Whether in financial transactions, strategic partnerships, or joint efforts for more sustainable growth, Aker’s ability to attract and sustain fruitful collaborative partnerships has never been more important, nor have the results been more apparent.

At a time when oil prices are rebounding, energy demand increasing, and sustainable energy simultaneously experiencing explosive growth, Aker is finding itself positioned for bilateral value creation. Aker Horizons and Aker BP are driving Aker’s growth during the first quarter. While addressing different energy segments, they have a shared competitive advantage: creating value in the most cost-efficient, sustainable manner, driven by industrial software and access to excellent industrial capabilities. For Aker, the result is a period with a value growth of nearly 17 percent.

Looking back on 2020, with all its surprises and challenges, it also turned out to be a year of opportunity in ways we could hardly have imagined as we entered into the decade. I am deeply imporessed by how Aker's portfolio companies, with employees, business partners and customers, weathered the storms and came toghether in an unparalleled effort. It turned into an extraordinary endeavour that led to a transformation of the Aker group through the most challenging times in recent memory. The year left us with learnings on which to build and drive further value creation in both existing and new parts of the Aker portfolio.