Gaute Krekling, Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Bulk Infrastructure since November 2019, is a financial expert with a remarkable journey in the corporate world that spans over two decades. With a diverse career that includes senior leadership positions at notable companies like PwC, Telenor, and NextGenTel, Krekling brings a wealth of experience in financial management and investor relations. However, there is much more to Krekling than his impressive professional background.
One defining aspect of Krekling’s professional and personal journey is his interest in sustainability. This is evident in his current role as Group CFO, where he is responsible for overseeing the company’s investments and managing relationships with investors across its three primary business sectors: data centers, fiber networks, and industrial real estate. But his responsibilities extend beyond the financial aspects of the business: He ensures that investment decisions and stakeholder relationships at Bulk Infrastructure are aligned with the company’s core principles:
- Enabling a fundamentally more sustainable global society: Bulk Infrastructure is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and society by promoting sustainable practices in all their endeavors.
- Focusing on scalability from the ground-up: Scalability is a fundamental aspect of Bulk’s strategy and allows the company to adapt and grow in an ever-changing business landscape.
- Leveraging Bulk’s Nordic system value: The Nordic region offers unique advantages that Bulk utilizes to create innovative and efficient solutions.
- Building society-critical infrastructure: Bulk plays a pivotal role in developing infrastructure that supports modern society’s connectivity needs.
“Bulk’s four core principles—targeting new opportunities that speak to sustainability, scalability, Nordic market advantages, and modern society connectivity needs—are not only central to our investment strategy: They’re the foundation of our mission statement. Without being guided by these principles—and actively seeking partnerships and products that enable them and bring these concepts into our pipeline in new and magnified ways—we won’t be able to build the sustainable digital future we’re all looking to construct.”
Beyond the commitments of his specific role in the company, Krekling played a pivotal role in developing Bulk’s Green Finance Framework, which reflects a significant step in aligning the company’s financial solutions with its sustainability objectives. This framework supports the company’s transition towards a low-carbon economy and underscores their commitment to environmental responsibility. Additionally, Bulk joined the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative, which further reaffirms the organization’s dedication to ethical and sustainable business practices.
The Impact of University
To understand Krekling’s professional journey, we can look back to his university days. He pursued his education at the Norwegian School of Economics, which is widely regarded as Norway’s premier business school. This esteemed institution provided him with a strong foundation in finance, economics, and business management, laying the groundwork for his successful career in the financial sector. While academic excellence is often a common thread among accomplished professionals, Krekling’s time at the Norwegian School of Economics convinced him that finance and corporate leadership could be a force for positive change.
Beyond the Boardroom
From a sustainability perspective, like many Bulk employees, Krekling strives to pursue sustainable practices and has an appreciation for nature. He finds both solace and inspiration in the outdoors—as well as reminders about why our care for the natural world is so crucial to society at large—by spending time in nature and making active use of it through activities like long hikes and cross-country or alpine skiing.
