“Birthe was a board member of Sparebank 1 SR-Bank ASA from 2008-2020, where I was the chair from 2016. During the time we worked together, Birthe was also the chair of the Audit Committee. Being a board member of a bank is a demanding and sizeable task, requiring solid financial, risk and regulatory knowledge.
Birthe was always well prepared, focused and engaged in the meetings. She has the ability to quickly grasp the essence of the large amount of information that a board duty in a bank requires. Her experience from business, especially capital intensive businesses and finance, was useful knowledge to draw upon. She focused on what was essential, offered good observations and questions, and shared things from her experience where it could have been useful. She has a professional approach combined with good interpersonal skills that contributed to good cooperation and atmosphere between the peers within the board, as well as with the group CEO and the administration. Birthe was always “on” with regards to events that could have had effect on the bank, and was proactive and alert, also outside of the scheduled meetings. To summarise, Birthe is a highly knowledgeable and reflective board member, and I recommend her for future board positions in listed as well as unlisted companies.”
– Dag Mejdell, Chairman of the Board of among others Sparebank 1 SR-Bank ASA and
Norsk Hydro ASA
“Our company was in a critical phase when Birthe came in as a mentor. She has exceptional analytical skills, great at setting priorities, and worked closely with us to move forward, especially with regards to finance and professionalisation. We received applicable help and advice about building a company, receiving capital and professionalisation of the board. With Birthe’s help we issued shares and raised funding from Innovation Norway. She was very dedicated and followed us up closely.
On a personal level Birthe is dedicated, efficient and professional, which was beneficial to us. She shared also personal experiences on the topic and put us in touch with people in her network, in particular our new chair of the board. Cooperation with Birthe was
instrumental to achieve progress in our company.”
– Kristine Askvik and Silje Katrine Robinson, founders of weCare Family AS
“Everybody needs someone to talk to about their career. It’s good to take a break in your daily life and discuss things about your career with an external party. Having a mentor is a great way of discussing everything from smaller events to bigger topics about your career path, values and personal development.
Birthe’s mentoring has been beneficial for my career. In our conversations Birthe both challenged me to think long-term and work on personal development short-term. With her solid experience from the business world in general and mentoring in particular, Birthe can help to gain better insight and awareness. I can highly recommend mentorship through Cebima.”
– Rune Tovsrud, Bank Manager BM Sparebank 1 SR-Bank ASA
“Birthe Cecilie is a creative driving force with infectious positivity and energy. With her professional gravity and experience she is a constructive challenger who is easy to discuss things with. She is down to earth and solution-oriented, and is of a great value as a mentor for me in my challenging life as a founder.”
– Atle Lothe, Founder of Offshore Power Plant AS
“After having worked with Birthe over several years, I have experienced valuable contribution and progress in different areas. Her uniqueness lies in a combination of solid expertise and experience from finance and business management, especially from board positions in bigger companies, combined with her experience as a coach, her personal traits, knowledge in psychology and interpersonal relationships.
Birthe sees the bigger picture and offers input from different angles that expands “the room of opportunity”. At the same time she is good in wrapping up the sessions with bringing things down to the specifics that ensures progress with clear priorities and an action plan. As a real estate developer and founder I have had a great benefit from working with her both as a mentor and a coach, and later also through the Advisory Board along with Katrine Trovik.
In addition to professional growth I have also experienced personal growth through her coaching. The life of a founder with highs and lows can be demanding and intense, and personal coaching has been very useful for me to be able to perform well under pressure over a long period of time. Birthe is pleasant to work with, has been flexible and available when I needed it, and has always adapted her delivery to the current need. Based on my experience with Birthe, I would highly recommend Birthe to others.”
– Aleksander Meidell-Hagewick, CEO and co-founder of Quantik AS (fintech), and real
estate developer
“Birthe has a rare combination of professional expertise within traditional finance and more typical coaching and mentoring areas. Together with her ability to observe and adapt the shape to the context, it makes her a valuable contributor as an advisor/
Advisory Board member, as well as executive board member and mentor. I have personally had the pleasure and benefit of sparring with her when building up my own board portfolio, and worked together with her to develop a concept for Advisory Board. In my experience we compliment each other ver well in such occasions, and I am open to
take on Advisory Board roles together with her in future.”
– Katrine Trovik, Advisor & Board Professional