User:PCM1964/sandbox

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  • Comment: Articles on living people (WP:BLP) need to be referenced using inline citations, with every material statement, anything potentially contentious, and all private personal information clearly supported, so that we can see which source provides what information.
    Also, it is pointless 'citing' website home pages, you need to point at the specific URL of the source that supports statements made in the draft. DoubleGrazing (talk) 09:21, 19 September 2023 (UTC)
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Jan-Olaf Willums, a Norwegian entrepreneur, environmental advocate, and author, has marked the global sustainability landscape for over 50 years. He effectively combined his academic background with purpose-driven entrepreneurship and influenced global environmental practices.

Early Life and Educatony[edit]

Jan-Olaf Willums (born 5. August 1946 in Hamburg, Germany), a Norwegian business pioneer and founder of several enterprises, environmental advocate and author, grew up in Switzerland as son of the first international head of the US oil company Phillips Petroeum.

During his mechanical engineering and industrial management studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) 1966-1970, he invented a radically new method for environmentally friendly deep ocean mining, that was later patented world-wide, and received the 1970 ETH gold medal for his work on industry and environment.[1]

He obtained the King Haakon and Fulbright Scholarship for continuing studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he led the MIT Ocean Mining Project and became a Fellow of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In 1975 he earned MIT’s first joint Doctor of Science degree between the Department of Engineering and the Sloan School of Management.

He joined Saga Petroleum in Norway as head of business development, where he established and led OILDECO, the first joint entity between the 6 leading Norwegian offshore technology companies that worked with emerging nations to develop their offshore business in a responsible way.[2]

Environmental Advocacy[edit]

In 1980 he was asked by Volvo’s Chairman Pehr Gyllenhammar to build up Volvo Energy in Gothenburg, who later also assigned Willums to help create the European Roundtable of Industrialists. One result was the creation of EuroVenture, a network of seed capital partnerships to create new sustainable high tech companies across Europe, and he created the first seed capital entity, Nordic Technology Corporation, in Oslo.

In 1990, he was asked by Peter Wallenberg, the chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, to set up the International Environmental Bureau (IEB) of the ICC, establish the 1991 World Industry Conference on Environmental Management, and lead the industry delegation to the UN conference on Environmental and Development in Rio de Janeiro 1992. At that event the World Industry Council for the Environment (WICE) was decided, and later became the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in Geneva.

He was elected to the Advisory Board of the Worldbank[3], and Chairman of the Bellagio Forum for Sustainability.[4]

Career[edit]

After having founded together with DNV Norway’s first AI company, Computas, Willums became Director of Environment for Storebrand, Norway’s largest financial entity. With the backing of Storebrand, he then created his own sustainability investment entity Inspire, and founded with Alf Børseth and Eric Sauar SolEnergy, the first company focused on PV module manufacturing and rural electrification in Asia and Africa. It merged with ScanWafer in 2000/2001 to form REC, where Willums remained on the board for 6 years. He and his REC colleagues invested in Think Global, the world’s first fully certified electric car, where he served as the CEO until 2009.

In recent years, Willums has turned his attention to impact investing through Inspire Invest.[5] The firm focuses on backing companies that champion eco-friendly initiatives in the energy and mobility sectors. when he spun out and founded Move About, the world’s first electric car-sharing company, and ZEM, a company developing solutions for electric propulsion for boats and ships.[6] Volvo Penta invested in and acquired 60% in 2021, when Willums spun off and founded Nordic Batteries, focused on "bridging the gap" in the European battery value chain by developing and building highly efficient and agile assembly plants for battery modules and packs.  

Additionally, his involvement with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, an organization that support companies in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the targets of the Paris Agreement, further cements his dedication to pragmatic environmental solutions. Jan-Olaf became the first director of the World Industry Council on the Environment (WICE), which was created after Rio as part of the ICC.[7] Under his leadership, WICE and later the WBCSD played a crucial role in promoting sustainable business practices, influencing policies, and fostering collaborative efforts between businesses and environmental initiatives globally. His influence in shaping the narrative and practical implementation of sustainable development at an international level left an indelible mark on the intersection of industry and environmental stewardship. He is the longest serving member of the Social and Environmental Advisory Council of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Authorship[edit]

Jan-Olaf Willums became Industrial Professor at the Norwegian School of Management (BI) in 1998, and is also author of 7 books and numerous scientific articles. His writings delve into the intricate nature of sustainability, blending research with practical insights, offering a balanced perspective on environmental challenges and solutions. His first books were "New Concepts in Air Pollution Research: Interdisciplinary Contributions by an International Group 20 Young Scientists”[8] (published 1973), where “From ideas to action: Business and sustainable development”[9] (Published 1992), and "The Sustainable Business Challenge: A Briefing for Tomorrow's Business Leaders"[10] (Published 1998) have been translated into several languages.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "How do foundations invest their endowments? The challenge of "walking the talk"" (PDF). Bellagio Forum. October 2005. Retrieved 2023-12-11. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  2. ^ "Think blant de hundre fremste". www.dn.no. 24. March 2007. Retrieved 2023-12-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  3. ^ Willums, J. O.; Bradley, A. O. (1974-05-05). "M.I.T.is Deep Sea Mining Project". Offshore Technology Conference. OnePetro. doi:10.4043/2138-MS. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  4. ^ "Shipping solutions with zero emissions - LØRN.TECH" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  5. ^ "Inspire Invest AS - 960 115 473 - Høvik - Se Regnskap, Roller og mer". www.proff.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  6. ^ "Team". zemenergy. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  7. ^ "Annual Report: Enhancing Capacity for Development" (PDF). THE WORLD BANK. 2003. Retrieved 2023-11-25. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  8. ^ Willums, J. O. (1974). New concepts in air pollution research: Interdisciplinary contributions by an international group 20 young scientists. Birkhauser Verlag AG.
  9. ^ Willums, J. O. (1992). From ideas to action. International Chamber of Commerce.
  10. ^ Willums, J. O. (1998). The sustainable business challenge: A briefing for tomorrow's business leaders. Greenleaf Publishing.
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