After three months of screening the market, the Norwegian design specialist HAV Design has found a new managing director: Richard Schiefield will succeed Stig Magne Espeseth.
HAV Group, listed on Euronext Growth in Oslo, announced today that Schofield is to take up his position at the subsidiary HAV Design by January 1, 2026 at the latest.
Schofield, a British engineer, has over 20 years of management experience in the maritime industry. He has held management positions at the maritime suppliers Kongsberg Evotec and Vard Electro, the aquaculture industry supplier Optimar and the ship design company Ulstein Design & Solutions. He began his career at defense supplier BAE Systems. He is now moving from his position as Head of Industrial Competitiveness at the cross-industry cluster organization NCE iKuben to HAV Design.
The appointment marks the end of a search lasting around three months. In June, HAV announced that Espeseth would be leaving the position. He had led HAV Design for the past 20 years and will now act as Senior Vice President Design. The move is apparently part of a larger restructuring, as the strategy is also likely to be adjusted. In his new role, Espeseth will further develop the company’s design department to develop new ship designs “to be offered to the market in line with a revised business development and sales strategy”. He will also lead the development of design tools and the evaluation of new technologies.
Gunnar Larsen, Chairman of HAV Design, was very pleased with the outcome of the selection process: “Richard brings extensive experience from the maritime industry, including ship design, engineering, project management, operations and technology development. He has supported clients on projects in various marine segments where HAV Design has a strong market position. We look forward to welcoming him to our company.”
