‘How We Innovate’ podcast – with Sven Richard Magerøy Tønnessen

This time, we’ll be talking with Sven Richard Magerøy Tønnessen, Head of Emerging Technology at Posten Norge  – Norway’s largest postal and logistics company. Get to know him better 👇

About Sven

Sven Richard Magerøy Tønnessen is the Head of Emerging Technology at Posten Norge, Norway’s largest postal and logistics company. With a passion for technology and innovation, he has been instrumental in driving the company’s digital transformation, helping to streamline operations and improve customer experiences.

Sven has a diverse background, with experience in software development, project management, and strategic planning. Before joining Posten Norge, he held various leadership roles in the tech area.

As Head of Emerging Technology, Sven is responsible for identifying and implementing new technologies that can improve Posten Norge’s operations and services. This includes exploring the potential of emerging technologies like AI and IoT and finding ways to integrate them into the company’s existing systems and processes.

Few Questions for Sven:

1. What was your first job, and what was the most important thing you learned from it?  

My first “job” was that the first home page I made as a 13-year-old in 1999 developed into a website for downloading mp3s (this was way back when – before Napster, Bittorrents, and Spotify). I sat in my bedroom with my ISDN connection (my parents were complaining about high internet bills!) and grew the site to over 100k page views per day. Growth continued until the Recording Industry Association of America threatened a lawsuit. Even though I did nothing illegal (I only linked to mp3s hosted other places), the web host of the page shut me down. I learned that curiosity, passion, naivety, and fearlessness can lead you to do some pretty crazy cool stuff.

2. Given the choice of anyone in the world, who would you have dinner/beer with? 

I am lucky enough to enjoy dinner regularly with the person in the world I’d choose – my wife!

3. How do you start your day / What does a typical day look like for you? 

Haha, normally I start my day stressed and tired, but happy helping my kids get out of bed, get dressed, have breakfast, and be in time for school and kindergarten. The last few weeks I started doing push-ups before showering – first hot and then three minutes ice cold. I read somewhere that it works wonders for your energy levels. I have no idea if they’re right 😂

4. What are three apps you can’t live without? 

Boring answer: Outlook, LinkedIn, and the communication apps for school and kindergarten

5. Most influential book or movie? 

The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen

6. The first word that comes to your mind when you think of Poland?

Circular Economy! We recently had a delegation from Poland visiting Norway to discuss it.

When can you expect the episode?

The episode will be published on the 20th of March, 2023. Don’t miss it – follow us on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube, where you can also check our previous episodes!

🎧 Listen to the episode here 🎧