Norstat Hires for New CIO Role

Norstat has appointed Olav Nistad in the new role of Chief Information Officer, with a remit to oversee the technical integration of acquisitions and the implementation of unified operations, tech and systems across the company's global footprint.

Norstat was established in Norway in 1997 and now has a presence throughout the Nordics and Baltic countries, as well as Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Ireland. The firm has been highly acquisitive of late, buying Brazilian agency Offerwise, Prague-based National Sample and Swiss company DemoSCOPE in the first quarter of 2026.

The creation of the new CIO position means CTO Siv Rønstad, will adjust her role to focus on initiatives driving product and technology development, including digital solutions like Norstat Express and Norstat Studio. She will also manage the continuous development of Norstatpanel, which now has a total network of 14 million respondents across 45 countries.

Nistad (pictured) brings to the role more than seventeen years of experience in technology roles for FMCG companies and consultancies. He joins from Orkla Foods Norway, where he was CIO for the past seven years, with strategic and operational responsibility for the IT function, including digital transformation initiatives across ERP, IT/OT and cloud data platforms, and repositioned IT from a cost centre to a strategic partner to drive competitiveness. Prior to this he was a senior consultant at Bekk Consulting, delivering software engineering and project management for clients across the public and private sectors in Norway.

His new role includes supporting growth through operational excellence and scalable infrastructure, ensuring that all employees have access to the technologies best suited to delivering high-quality data collection services and running projects efficiently.

He joins in the autumn, and will report to CEO Erling J.B. Eriksen, who comments: 'I'm delighted to welcome Olav to the management team. Creating this new role reflects Norstat's ambition to operate as one company across all our markets, and Olav's track record leading digital transformation makes him ideally placed to deliver it. Clients should see long-term benefits as we implement enterprise technology and best practices to improve efficiency and project delivery, while freeing up resources to develop our panel and digital products with greater intensity.'

Web site: www.norstat.co .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.