Viking Life-Saving Equipment has appointed Henrik Helsinghof as its new chief executive, effective from 1 June 2024.

Helsinghof’s appointment follows the death of former CEO Henrik Uhd Christensen in January following a short illness. Helsinghof (pictured above) is a former Viking employee who previously held the role of managing director at Viking Nadiro.

Founded by fishermen in Denmark in 1960, Viking has grown into a global firm that manufactures marine safety equipment for the commercial and leisure marine sectors.

Helsinghof had previously been identified by Henrik Uhd Christensen and the Viking board of directors as a possible successor. Helsinghof began his career at Viking in 2006 as a student assistant and remained with the company for 14 years, holding various positions, including Viking Nadiro MD. He joins Viking from Bramidan A/S, where he was CEO for three years.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Henrik to our leadership team as CEO,” says Jens Lindholm, chairman of the board of Viking A/S. “He is a dynamic leader with a proven track record and a passion for company development through people. He is also a true Viking at heart. As such, he shares our values, culture and passion.

“With his past experience of Viking and recent successes as a CEO, Henrik is the ideal person to take our company forward. He has the full backing of the board and owner, the Claus Sørensen Foundation, and we look forward to working with Henrik as we build the Viking of the future.”

Viking is currently defining a new business plan – BP28 – that builds on its existing BP25 strategy.

“It is a great honour to lead Viking and build upon the strong foundation of growth, innovation and industry leadership laid by my predecessor and leadership team,” says Helsinghof. “Together, with the talented leadership team at Viking and our colleagues around the world, we will continue to innovate, serve our customers with excellence, and lead our company and industry forward.”

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