Turning Things Around at Biri
After 17 years at Rottefella, Torstein Myklebostad has taken on a new challenge: turning around one of Norway’s most iconic ski brands. As the new CEO of Madshus, he is putting the knowledge and tools from his Executive MBA at BI straight into practi
Turning things around at Biri
He holds the plank with steady hands. Two quick movements, a perfect ski tip. The man over by the milling machine is skiing legend Lars Berger, a world champion in both biathlon and cross-country skiing. It is no coincidence that he works here. Making good skis is a precision craft.
“Fingerspitzengefühl,” says Torstein Myklebostad, the factory’s new CEO.
He is standing in front of the ski press, a solid piece of machinery. Long arms extend from it like a carousel, each one pressing several layers of material together to form a ski. Along the arms are rows of large screws that the technicians fine-tune by hand, depending on the type of ski they are making – and who they are making it for. Madshus supplies skis and equipment to sports shops and elite athletes. And a large part of the production process is manual.
“You need Fingerspitzengefühl to get the right flex in the skis.”
Torstein Myklebostad knows a thing or two about skis after 17 years at Rottefella, where he led the company for the last ten. This summer, he joined Madshus as CEO and shareholder. At the same time, he helped the new owners with the acquisition: Czech-based ConsilTech, which has an industrial background and owns the ski brand Kästle.
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Photo: Tobias Willumstad
Affected by the post-pandemic hangover and Birken
The cross-country skiing market is facing an uphill struggle. Madshus is losing money. Torstein Myklebostad needs to get the historic company back on track.
“There’s no doubt that I’ve embarked on a restructuring,” he says, adding that he is hoping for a good winter.
The snow line is moving higher, but climate change is unlikely to be the main reason for the company’s losses.
“There was a real hangover after the COVID-19 pandemic, when everything was closed except the ski trails and people bought enormous quantities of cross-country skis – equipment they are still using,” he says, adding that the market is also driven by trends.
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Photo: Tobias Willumstad
“Interest in Birken in particular has been on a downward spiral, but now it is increasing again. That’s because young, active groups of friends are turning Birken into a social arena – a contrast to the Aker Brygge guys who competed to see who could ski the fastest. The growth among people in their 20s and 30s coming into the sport is fantastic.”
The skiing adventure at Biri has been given a new chance. The man tasked with cleaning things up has plans, but it will not be easy.
“It’s always easy to get rich in Excel, but there’s a big difference between solving something in an Excel spreadsheet and actually making it happen in practice,” he says with a grin, before adding:
“Madshus is a 120-year-old brand that is deeply rooted in the Norwegian national consciousness. That’s a little daunting, but at the same time I have a lot of experience, and with what I’ve gained from BI, I suddenly have a whole range of tools I can use in the process.”
Putting the entire programme into practice
Torstein Myklebostad has just completed an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) at BI. It took 18 months. In June, he submitted his final assignment in leadership, at the same time as he decided to leave Rottefella and take the helm at Madshus.
“BI has a fairly unique EMBA, with a strong emphasis on leadership development and excellent professors. Restructuring is demanding, and this will be like putting the entire EMBA programme into practice. The timing could not have been better for me,” he says.
The programme gave participants knowledge and tools in everything from HR and leadership to marketing. They travelled to Berkeley in the US to learn about innovation. Myklebostad completed the programme alongside his full-time job.
“It’s a major commitment, both financially and in terms of time; you have to decide that you’re going to manage it,” he says.
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Photo: Tobias Willumstad
A practical, hands-on person who started working at 19, Myklebostad took courses part-time and worked his way up through the ranks at Rottefella. The company makes ski bindings and was a good place to learn, as all its business functions are gathered under one roof. He had wanted to take the EMBA for a long time.
The leadership programme was not decisive in securing the role at Madshus, but the tools he gained meant that he was able to contribute more to the acquisition process. He has also brought with him up-to-date knowledge of AI from BI.
“I’ve always felt confident in the roles I’ve held, but I wanted to learn a range of tools and gain an academic approach to leadership.”
He is at the factory three or four days a week and works from home in Drammen. He walks the corridors and talks to people about how things are done.
“We need to make major changes on the cost side, develop a new strategy that enables us to make money from the skis, build a strong team and work incredibly hard. I genuinely believe that we will succeed, and I like getting properly stuck in. Feeling alive.”
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