Aker Solutions’ Board of Directors has appointed Paal Eikeseth as the company’s new President and CEO with effect from 1 September 2026. Eikeseth succeeds Kjetel Digre, who has decided to step down after six years as CEO.
“Aker Solutions has a track record of planning ahead and acting at the right time. We have a strong market position, a solid project portfolio and robust financial results. When Kjetel Digre shared that he wanted to step down as CEO, the Board and Digre agreed that now was the right time for a change in leadership,” said Leif-Arne Langøy, Chair of the Aker Solutions’ Board of Directors.
Digre became President and CEO in 2020 and has overseen a period in which Aker Solutions broadened the scope of its energy services business, improved profitability and expanded its project portfolio.
The company said Eikeseth’s financial, commercial and operational experience would support its continued transformation, with a focus on productivity, project execution and expanding the use of its expertise across different markets.
“Aker Solutions has a strong foundation for continued transformation, and the board is confident that the financial and commercial experience of Paal Eikeseth will help drive this change. As leader of Aker Solutions’ Life Cycle business segment, Paal has pushed a highly effective and sustained customer-focused change agenda. His experience will be valuable to achieve our targets on productivity and execution, scale our expertise, and expand the reach of Aker Solutions’ capabilities,” commented Langøy.
Eikeseth has headed Aker Solutions’ Life Cycle business since 2022 and has previously held responsibility for operations and growth in the UK, Angola, Canada and Asia.
His previous work has included project and business performance improvement, restructuring operations and developing businesses in established and emerging markets. Eikeseth holds a master’s degree from the Norwegian School of Economics and previously worked for PwC.
“I will build on Aker Solutions’ strengths to create greater value for our customers and shareholders as we continue to develop energy solutions and strengthen our competitiveness. Together with our 11,700 colleagues around the world, I look forward to further improving project execution and making greater use of our expertise through standardization, reuse and data,” Eikeseth said.
“We have already started this journey. We are reducing project costs, standardizing deliveries and using digital and autonomous solutions to deliver measurable gains, while expanding our customer base and market reach. The opportunity now is to scale these improvements across the company and continue evolving our capabilities to meet our customers’ needs in a changing energy landscape.”
Commenting on his departure, Digre said: “During these years, we aligned the company behind a clear purpose – to solve global energy challenges for future generations – and we have shown that Aker Solutions can turn that purpose into tangible results for our customers and society. I’ve spent a lot of my time as a leader building the culture that holds us together, and I care deeply about the people that make this company what it is. And perhaps more than anything, I’m proud that we’ve built a culture where curiosity is encouraged, learning is continuous, and we challenge each other to reframe what’s possible.”
“The company is in a strong position for its next chapter, and I am confident that Paal and the team will continue to build on this foundation,” added Digre.
