Kongsberg Geospatial President Gives Closing Remarks at Pivotal Symposium on Arctic Security and Sovereignty
Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) November 16, 2016 -- Kongsberg Geospatial, an Ottawa-based company that develops geospatial software for defence applications, was one of several companies representing the Canadian defense industry at a joint Canada – Norway symposium on Arctic sovereignty and security that took place at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa on November 7th.
The symposium was attended by over 100 government and industry representatives from both countries, and featured speakers from the defense industry, government, the military of both countries, and academia. HRH Haakon Magnus, the Crown Prince of Norway, was in attendance for part of the day.
The event was the first of its kind and was organized by Innovation Norway - Norway’s state-owned international business development bank - in cooperation with the Norwegian embassy, to mark the occasion of HRH Prince Haakon’s state visit to Canada, and in the hope of fostering new opportunities for the two counties to cooperate on addressing the challenges of maintaining sovereignty and security in the high Arctic.
Per Otto Dyb, Chairman of the Board at Innovation Norway, said that he hopes this event and others like it can lead to increased trade between Canada and Norway: “Norway is a small country”, he explained “For Norwegian companies to succeed, they have to go abroad. Kongsberg is an excellent example of how you can grow when you grow internationally”. Kongsberg Gruppen employs 7,688 people worldwide.
Mr. Dyb expressed his gratitude for Prince Haakon’s support of the event “We are very appreciative of the Royal Family’s involvement to help create awareness and interest. It’s really extremely positive for us.”
Ranald McGillis, president of Kongsberg Geospatial, gave the closing presentation at the symposium, speaking on the topic of the Norwegian defense industry and its approach to the Canadian market. Mr. McGillis is uniquely positioned to understand the defense industry in both countries: Kongsberg Geospatial is a Canadian company, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kongsberg Gruppen.
“Events like this are very valuable to both nations”, said Mr. McGillis. “This symposium created an opportunity for both countries to share information on projects of interest and shared concerns in the Arctic, and for defense companies in both Norway and Canada to learn a little more about conducting business with our northern allies.”
While both countries will continue to work together on areas of shared concern in the Arctic, Innovation Norway has no immediate plans for a follow-up event.
Christopher Ivey, Kongsberg Geospatial, http://www.KongsbergGeospatial.com, +1 (613) 271-5501, [email protected]
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