Designing a better

Tomorrow

DESIGNING A BETTER

TOMORROW

Reid Skjærpe

General Manager

After graduating as mechanical engineer (B.Sc.) in 1986, Skjærpe was hired by the Norwegian Army as an instructor. Leaving his service, he entered the Open Hole Well-Logging industry, first with Dresser Atlas, then CGG. Later Skjærpe joined the Cased Hole industry with Smedvig Petroservices (merged to Aker Maritime Well Service). Parallel to his career offshore as field engineer, Skjærpe attained a management position in lab & field-testing within Aker Well and Statoil. Training personnel also became part of Reid's work.

After nine years off- and onshore in the oil and gas industry, he was employed as department manager with Norwegian crane manufacturer T. Kverneland & Sønner (TKS). His main responsibilities at TKS were to develop new relations as well as designing tailor made crane solutions to the customers. Running the operations in his department, with focus on delivering complete turnkey systems, within given time and cost, was a keyword in his daily business. His most groundbreaking achievement was inventing and implementing a tailor made "service crane concept" for the international wind-turbine industry. He stayed with TKS for 17 years.

Reid Skjærpe joined Aarbakke Innovation as Techn. Sales and Marketing Manager in June 2013 and stepped up as General Manager in May 2015.

Hans Fjellanger

Commercial Manager

Hans started his career as a “schoolboy” at Aarbakke in 1997, during his 7 years at Aarbakke he became a skilled CNC operator, graduated from Stavanger Offshore Technical School as well as studying at BI – Norwegian School of Management.

In 2004 Hans joined as a partner in Årdal Mekanisk Verksted providing machining and welding solutions to the Oil & Gas industry. He worked with sales and project management and in 2007 the company was acquired by the IKM Group and became IKM Maskinering. At the time Hans stepped up and took a broader responsibility for sales on the manufacturing side of the IKM Group. During this period, he also held the role as Managing Director and partner of Axiom Engineering, a small engineering providing service to various startup companies in Stavanger.

After a short period in Malm Orstad selling their topside and subsea products, Hans returned to the IKM Group and IKM Subsea in 2012. Hans was responsible for business development, sales, marketing and tendering towards new and existing markets and clients. During this period, IKM Subsea turned into a well reputed subsea provider, with cutting edge technology.

Hans joined Aarbakke Innovation in June 2021 as Commercial Manager, responsible for commercialization of Aarbakke Innovations own products, technologies and services.

Elisabeth Karlsbakk

Administration manager

After finishing her period of apprenticeship at Stadion Trim & Bowling, Elisabeth Karlsbakk was hired full time in the company. She was then made responsible for the company’s economy, and moved on to become managing director of SATS Bryne.

Elisabeth moved to Bergen in 2002 where she worked for one year with the administration of Aarbakke Sina, a company owned by Inge Brigt Aarbakke. From 2003 to 2005 she was on leave, working part time as accountant for Mandalskameratene FK in Mandal.

In November 2005 she moved back to Jæren and started working in the Sports Club gym as receptionist. In 2007 she was promoted to group training manager, and moved quickly on to become second in command for the gym. In the period 1997-2014 she has worked as group instructor in various gyms.

Karlsbakk started her job as administration manager in Aarbakke Innovation in February 2014.

Tarald Gudmestad

Engineering manager

After finishing his Bachelor's Degree in mechanical engineering in 1980, Gudmestad joined Trallfa Robot as a CNC-operator. He continued his career as Project Manager for customizing robotic installations after the Trallfa was acquired by AESA Robotics.

In 1986 he joined Nodeco's engineering department for Liner Hangers. Later he was put in charge of this department. Weatherford International acquired Nodeco in 1996, and Gudmestad moved to Houston where he worked as a senior R&D Engineer in Weatherfords Technology and Training Center. In 2003 he moved back to Norway and took the Engineering Manager position at the newly acquired Bakke Oil Tools.

Tarald was part of the management team of Weatherford Norge AS until he left the company and started with Aarbakke Innovation in May 2013.

Henning Hansen

R&D Manager

Henning is a serial entrepreneur and inventor with a number of patents, and he started in the oil and gas industry in 1978 working 7 years in Norway as well as internationally on wireline, well testing and completions.

In 1985 he co-founded the company Lasalle Pressure Data in Norway, where the first permanent downhole electronic reservoir monitoring systems for the North Sea were developed. Also this company did slickline work. Lasalle was the basis for the permanent gauge business of Roxar and Baker. In 1992 he co-founded the company SubTech, where he developed more advanced permanent gauge systems and so called "intelligent" completion systems, and more. See http://www.hansenenergy.biz/activecompletions .This company was the basis for Weatherford intelligent completions group as well as their reservoir monitoring group, where he worked until 2002.

Thereafter, he co-founded several companies, as for example Seabed Rig (now Robotic Drilling Systems) which was established on the basis of his invention. In 2006 he co-founded the company Ziebel, which is today based on a invention he came up with with respect to logging high deviation wellbores by a semi stiff carbon "rod". The spin-off company Zilift in Aberdeen is based on his invention regarding permanent magnet based downhole electrical pumps.

Henning today have the company Hansen Downhole Pump Solutions, which are developing low complexity pumps for gas well dewatering as well as oil production. He joined Aarbakke Innovation in February 2014 to come up with new technologies and methods that will provide solutions meeting our clients needs.

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Jone Kalheim

Department Manager

After graduating as mechanical engineer (M.Sc) with specializing within product development at NTNU in 1993, Jone Kalheim was hired as manufacturing process engineer at Kongsberg Automotive AS.

Jone moved back to Jæren in 1995, and started in the R&D department of Kverneland Underhaug AS where he worked with development of agricultural equipment. Aarbakke AS was his next employer, and he was working with engineering and project management and responsible for the engineering department.

After 8 years in Aarbakke, he started at TKS AS in 2007, first as design engineer and later as manager of the R&D department. The company developed agricultural equipment, cranes and person lifting platforms. Oceaneering was his next stop, and where he got his experience with electrical subsea actuators.

Jone Kalheim started his job as Senior Design Engineer/ Project manager at Aarbakke Innovation in 2014, and stepped up as a Department Manager in September 2017.