Grethe Spongsveen
Sales Coordinator
Define your role within Nemko.
I work as a sales coordinator, which means that I am involved in and perform many different tasks related to sales-related activities in Scandinavia. We are a sales team of 10 people in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, where everyone is responsible for different geographical areas and/or industries, and my overall role is to assist the team and follow up on my own customers.
How did you choose this career path?
I have a background in sales in the construction machinery industry, where I worked for over ten years with similar tasks to what I do today. But I was looking for new challenges, and the position at Nemko was advertised as a role where you could actively influence content and work tasks. Now after six years in Nemko, I can confirm it is true. I have been involved in shaping content and tasks and have been able to influence the extent of my role in the organization.
What do you enjoy most about your job at Nemko?
First of all, I would like to highlight all my wonderful colleagues. They are skilled, have a high professional level, and are an important contributor to my well-being at work. In addition, I like that Nemko has a policy where you can get and take responsibility beyond your own position if you wish to. We also have short decision-making processes and a Scandinavian organizational structure where all employees are treated equally.
Are there any challenges that you’ve faced during your career that have taught you important lessons?
My background within construction machinery, in a male-dominated environment with a straight-to-the-heart culture, has made me better at dealing with direct feedback without taking it personally. As a woman, in some environments, you can easily be considered not to be competent enough or to be entrusted with important tasks. Fortunately, this is changing, and I, as a woman in Scandinavia, am treated exactly the same as my male colleagues.
What do you think the industry will look like in 20 years?
I see a strong increase in consumers wanting clearer and simpler ways to decide whether a product is sustainable or not, and this will probably affect our industry to a large extent. Both by requirements imposed by the authorities, but also by manufacturers wanting to show that their products both have a longer lifespan, are repairable, and are made from materials that can be recycled. In addition, I believe that we will see more and more products that span several different directives and thus become more complex and difficult to define from a requirements perspective. For a company like Nemko, there will be great opportunities to contribute with advice to a greater extent than we do today.
What are some market trends you’re keeping an eye on?
For the Scandinavian market, sustainability and low-emission products are mainly on the agenda. This will force established industries to rethink and use their expertise to develop products for tomorrow's needs. If we look at the oil nation Norway, we see an increase in product development in hydrogen, offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, green maritime industry, and also batteries. We also see that the difficult situation with ongoing wars opens up new opportunities for companies that develop military equipment. As long as the situation is as acute as it is, I, unfortunately, believe that this industry will grow in the coming years. All in all, a lot of global politics affect what kind of products are invested in further development, but also what is phased out.
When not working, how do you spend your spare time?
I love the big forests here in Norway and also the mighty mountains. Our dog is constantly taken on long walks, which I think he is very happy with. I am also passionate about gardening. I have two greenhouses and a large garden, and I grow my own vegetables in the summer. Last year I grew so many tomatoes that we still have tomato sauce in the freezer! The season starts indoors in January with extra lighting for those plants that have a long development time, and in April, all the windowsills in the apartment are packed. I think my family is happy that the sun and heat have finally arrived here in Norway!
What does the average day in the life look like for you?
My average working day can consist of client meetings, preparing quotes, providing internal training on how to use our sales tools, following up on leads, proofreading marketing materials, ordering giveaways for customer events, etc. Because my position is so varied, the days are never boring!
What is your favorite song, show, or book at the moment?
Oh, that was a hard question! After all, we live in a fast-paced age, and I'm unfortunately no longer good at taking the time to sit down and read a book. But I use my bicycle to and from work every day, and then I listen to podcasts about socially relevant topics and some garden-related content. When it comes to music, I must admit that I mostly listen to what was popular when I was younger, i.e. in the 80s/90s. My two sons, aged 18 and 20, think I am completely hopeless, but so be it.
