Flere trenger og ønsker seg høyere utdanning - vil du være med å bidra?

Sonans gruppen har nylig kjøpt Bjørknes Høyskole som kan vise til en meget vellykket og lønnsom vekst siden oppstarten i 2007. Høyskolen har nå nærmere 2000 studenter fordelt på en rekke studieretninger. Nye eiere ser stort potensiale for videre vekst og søker derfor etter ny CEO.

Som ny CEO vil du lede nærmere 100 dedikerte og meget kompetente medarbeidere som både er stolte over hva de har fått til, men samtidig gleder seg til videre vekst og faglig utvikling. Vi søker derfor en utviklingsorientert toppleder som evner å realisere en slik ambisjon.

Vi tror derfor du bør ha ledet kunnskapsvirksomheter i en vekstfase og kan vise til gode resultater. Din lederstil kjennetegnes sannsynligvis av engasjement og åpenhet, samt evnen til å tenke strategisk langsiktig samtidig som du er operativt synlig. Du motiveres også av å ta et aktivt samfunnsansvar.

Ta gjerne konfidensiell og uforpliktende kontakt med Arne Gunnar Dokken, mob nr. 900 46 689.

ENGLISH VERSION:

The Company
Sonans is Norway’s leading provider of preparation courses for exam re-takes through its Sonans Utdanning (Education) brand. It has nationwide presence and operates a centre-based model, with 14 sites in the main metropolitan Norwegian areas. It is the clear market leader in Norway, ca. 4x larger than its nearest rival, having consistently increased its market share over recent years. Sonans also operates a smaller counselling and courses business, for unemployed individuals or other groups in need of support, through its Sonans Karriere (Career) brand. The business is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and is private equity owned. Sonans generates total revenue and EBITDA of approximately NOK 500m and NOK 100m+ respectively and has begun its next phase of growth.

As a part of the next growth phase, Sonans recently acquired a medium sized University College (UC) which offers different Bachelor degrees and one year programs within health and social sciences, both on campus and online. The University College operates from Oslo but has a national presence online. The UC has approximately 1,800 students, revenues of 111 MNOK in 2018 and EBITDA of 32 MNOK. The track record of growth and profitability has been excellent in the college, but we are now entering a new phase of growth which requires a first-class CEO to partner with the existing management team and the Sonans Group CEO and executive management team to develop and execute a new business plan for the college. Excellent management capabilities and extensive experience with growth companies are a pre-requisite for the role. The successful candidate could either be an established CEO or someone with an outstanding track record as a dynamic and driven director, ideally combining education and commercial experience, who is looking to step up to a CEO role. Experience with private equity is an advantage but not a must-have.

The senior management team are all Norwegian nationals but are fluent in English (board reporting and discussions are in English). The Group’s strategy foresees continued growth and there is a large opportunity for an incoming CEO to make an impact, create value, and be part of an exciting multi-year journey.

Funds advised by EMK Capital LLP acquired Sonans in December 2017. The business has started implementing its commercial strategy, which involves the acceleration of site openings for its exam preparation courses business (two sites in Sandvika and Fredrikstad have been opened in 2018, three sites in Bodø, Hamar and Lillestrøm are opening in 2019), identifying and developing potential expansion opportunities via organic expansion, and completed this acquisition.

The Role
The UC CEO will have the overall responsibility the day to day operations of the College, but most importantly develop and execute a new growth plan. The CEO will team up with the existing management group but will also be a senior member of the executive management team in Sonans. The role will report directly to the CEO of Sonans. The management team in the College consists of principal, head of administration, head of research and finance director.

The new CEO will be expected to add energy to the UC. The primary objective is to drive the growth journey for the UC and secondly to further improve the existing offering. The right candidate must be highly commercial, have the capability to transform the organization and company to a high-quality and modern college with a clear growth strategy, both in Norway and possibly internationally.

Responsibility: 
• Leadership of the college, assuming responsibility for all aspects of the company’s operations
• Together with the group CEO and the rest of the management team develop and execute a new growth strategy
• Secure high quality in all operations, especially the outcome for the students
• Take lead in developing new and attractive study programs
• Secure profitability in the operations

Requirements: 
• Experience as a CEO or director ideally but not necessarily in a private equity environment
• Experience from private education is an advantage, but a broad management background from growth businesses is mandatory
• Ability to interact with different types of stakeholders (commercial, academic, political, in Norway and internationally) is important
• Highly commercial
• An energetic moderniser with strong leadership skills
• Evidence of making a significant contribution to strategy development and the overall direction of an organisation
• Strong communication and presentation skills