After working in the Ministry of Finance and Laerdal Medical he was hired in the Norwegian State Oil Company (Statoil) in 1973. He started as chief financial officer, moved on to other capacities and remained in the leadership of Statoil until 1995, with shorter tenures elsewhere. From 1978 to 1982 he was the chief executive officer of Sandnes Acuderverk; in 1987 he was the acting chief executive officer of Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk for half a year and in 1988 he was appointed to clean up after Statoil's own Mongstad scandal.
