What it does: We are the independent expert in assurance and risk management.
Mission: To safeguard life, property, and the environment.
Size and presence: Around 11,600 people work at DNV, headquartered in Høvik, Oslo.
The good bits: Work-life balance is something the company cares about. Flexible working conditions, positive contribution /Support from management
The not so good bits: Sense of disconnection from Senior Management
The history of DNV goes back to 1864
Det Norske Veritas (DNV) was founded as a membership organization in Oslo, Norway in 1864. Norway’s mutual marine insurance clubs banded together to establish a uniform set of rules and procedures, used in assessing the risk of underwriting individual vessels. The group aimed to provide “reliable and uniform classification and taxation of Norwegian ships”.
At the time, the Norwegian shipping industry was experiencing rapid growth and breaking out of its traditional local boundaries. An emerging, nationwide market for marine insurance was needed. Three years later in Germany, a group of 600 ship owners, shipbuilders, and insurers gathered in the great hall of the Hamburg Stock Exchange. It was the founding convention of Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a new non-profit association based in Hamburg.
In 2013, DNV and GL merged to form DNV GL, which was renamed DNV in 2021.
Social drivers
Society became an increasingly demanding stakeholder in the predominantly private, liberal maritime industry. Load lines developed by Samuel Plimsoll became compulsory on every British ship from 1891, saving the lives of seamen along the British coasts. Load lines became mandatory in Norway in 1907.
The Titanic disaster in 1912 brought safety at sea to the forefront of public concern. International classification societies played an important part in discussions on ship safety. Nevertheless, GL’s managing director Carl Pagel and Johannes Bruun from DNV were the only official classification industry delegates at the adoption of the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS).
After WWI, the transition from sailing ships to steamers brought a fundamental change in technology and skills needed for the classification industry. The outdated classification rules for the construction of ships were no longer in harmony with the shipbuilding methods of the time. Between 1920 and 1940 DNV was technically independent and established a new culture prioritizing engineering, construction, and design.
New vision
When Georg Vedeler was appointed DNV’s managing director in 1951, he introduced a more scientific approach to ship construction. His vision was to build safer ships more efficiently, using scientific competencies and skills. New rules based on an analytical and theoretical scientific approach were introduced, and a significant step was taken toward establishing a dedicated research department. This provided opportunities for DNV in the more demanding segments of shipbuilding, which initially involved the new supertankers and later extended to gas and chemical tankers. The fleet was still predominantly Norwegian, but internationalization was taking off.
GL also took a scientific approach in developing the organization after WWII. This led to the introduction of high-powered computer analysis, enabling the design and construction of larger and more modern ships. GL’s research investments resulted in new construction rules for container ships, and the company soon dominated this segment within international shipping.
North Sea oil boom
DNV was well prepared in terms of competence and impact when commercial oil was discovered in the North Sea. The firm came to play an important role in this new industry within Norway as an advisor for both authorities and oil companies. DNV used its experience and technological competence within the maritime industry to develop and introduce oil and gas verification, inspection, and risk management services.
The world’s first pipeline rules were published by DNV in 1976, setting a global standard. From the early 1970s, DNV was offered most of the building supervision and inspection assignments on the Norwegian continental shelf. Offshore floating rigs and supply vessels also became a strong new segment for DNV in traditional ship classification.
Emerging industries
In 1977, wind energy was introduced as a new business segment. This, and other climate-friendly service areas represented new opportunities for organizational growth from a strong, research-driven technology base. New rules were developed, and certification of land-based and offshore turbines became an important growth area for DNV.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the new industry of management system certification based on ISO standards emerged, and both DNV and GL took global positions in the expanding Testing Inspection and Certification (TIC) industry.
Age of alliances
Alliances, mergers, and acquisitions became a strong strategic driver in the late 2000s. The acquisitions of Advantica (UK) in 2008 and Trident (Malaysia) in 2009 broadened GL’s service scope to consultancy services in the oil and gas sectors. The merger with Noble Denton in 2009 further expanded its activities in offshore technical services. This was supported by the acquisitions of PVI (Canada) in 2007, MCS (US) in 2008, and IRS (Singapore) in 2009, which advanced the inspection business.
In 2009, GL acquired the world’s largest wind energy consultancy, the UK-based Garrad Hassan. GL had already acquired the Canadian wind energy consulting and engineering company Hélimax and the German company WIND TEST, experts on measurements for wind turbines and wind farms. This, coupled with the offshore wind expertise of Noble Denton, meant that GL was able to deliver a full-service approach with a comprehensive service portfolio in the wind energy sector.
In 2005, DNV acquired CCT (US), a specialist in corrosion control and pipeline and plant integrity analysis. It followed up with the acquisitions of US-based Global Energy Concepts in 2008 and Behnke, Erdman, and Whitaker (BEW) in 2010. To support prevailing strategies within the new climate-friendly service fields, DNV established its Sustainability Centre in Beijing in 2009 and a Clean Technology Centre in Singapore in 2010.
In 2012, DNV and KEMA joined forces to create a world-leading consulting, testing, and certification company for the global energy sector. KEMA was established by the Dutch electrical power industry in 1927 and subsequently developed into a high-profile international brand that provided services to the global energy sector. These included renewable energy, carbon reduction, energy efficiency, power generation, transmission, and distribution. The company operated several state-of-the-art laboratories, including high-power and high voltage labs, one of which was extended in 2017 to become the world’s first facility capable of testing ultra-high voltage electrical grid components.
On September 12, 2013, DNV and GL merged. GL was owned by the private equity firm Mayfair, which became a minority owner (36.5%) of the merged company, while the remaining 63.5% was owned by the Foundation Det Norske Veritas, an independent, self-owned foundation. In 2017, the Foundation Det Norske Veritas became the 100% owner of the merged company, which in 2021 changed its name from DNV GL to DNV.
Today DNV is a globally leading quality assurance and risk management company operating in more than 100 countries. With over 100,000 customers across the maritime, energy, food, and healthcare industries, as well as a range of other sectors, DNV empowers its customers and their stakeholders with facts and reliable insights so that they can make critical decisions with confidence.
We have almost 12,000 employees worldwide who represent the face of DNV towards our customers and other stakeholders. Our people are central to the relationships we have with our customers, helping develop trust through their technical ability, integrity, and personal conduct.
Our values – WE CARE, WE DARE, WE SHARE – are beliefs that shape our performance. These ideals are the behaviors expected of all of us and are important for achieving our purpose and vision.
Attracting, retaining, and developing people who are committed to our purpose, vision, and values is fundamental to our success.
Diversity within our workforce supports our goal of delivering excellence, and we recruit the best people regardless of their background. This is backed up by an attractive employee value proposition and varied development and career opportunities. By continuously developing our people’s competencies, we enhance the expertise we offer to our customers.
The selection process typically begins with the preliminary interview; next, candidates complete the employment application.
They progress through a series of selection tests, employment interviews, and reference and background checks. The successful applicant receives a company physical examination and is employed if the results are satisfactory.
Several external and internal factors impact the selection process, and the manager must take them into account in making selection decisions.
Typically selection process consists of the following steps but it is not necessary that all these steps depending on the requirement of the organization some steps can be skipped while performing the selection process.
As a knowledge-based company whose main resource is our employees, we depend on cooperation, teamwork, and knowledge sharing. DNV remuneration systems are set up to support this, with a profit share scheme based on company and business area performance. Our annual salary review and remuneration process is the same for all employees, including management, and as outlined in the DNV management system. Our collective agreements with employee groups do not include voting on remuneration policies.
External remuneration consultants are used to benchmark remuneration in our markets. For the largest countries in which we operate, this happens through country-specific salary and benefits databases covering thousands of people. There is no relationship between our management and the remuneration consultants.
For the Executive Committee, the review procedure differs slightly. The Board’s Compensation Committee conducts a review and makes recommendations before the procedure is concluded. The final decision on remuneration for the Group President and CEO is taken by the Board of Directors, using input from the Compensation Committee.
At DNV, we work to make an impact on creating a better future in two ways. Firstly, we work to make our worldwide operations as sustainable as possible. Our second, and far greater, the impact is through the services we provide to our customers.
In each of our business areas, our products, services, and expertise help customers become more efficient, improve their performance, and operate safely and sustainably. This enables us to deliver on our unwavering purpose; ‘To safeguard life, property, and the environment. Learn more about our Purpose, Vision, and Values here.
We have identified the economic, social, and environmental risks, opportunities, and impacts that are most important to our customers, employees, and society. Our important topics are outlined in detail in our latest annual report.
DNV reports by the Global Reporting Initiative Standards at the Core Level, and a third party has conducted a limited assurance of our report.
Sustainability is embedded within the DNV management system and we seek continual improvement through certification to external standards, such as ISO 14001 for the environment and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety. Our operations are guided by the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and our Code of Conduct. We also expect our suppliers to adhere to our Supplier Code of Conduct.
DNV works closely with customers, industry associations, and international organizations such as the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in pursuit of change to a more sustainable world.
We are a resolute supporter of the SDGs. Through our business activities, we contribute to the SDGs, with a particular focus on Goals 3, 7, 13, and 14, areas where we believe we can contribute most.