13.3.2023 07:31:33 CET | Nordic Unmanned | Additional regulated information required to be disclosed under the laws of a member state

The CEO and co-founder of Nordic Unmanned ASA ("Nordic Unmanned"), Knut Roar Wiig, has agreed with the Board of Directors that he will step down from his leadership role. The Board has, with immediate effect, appointed experienced industry leader Arne Roland as interim CEO.

"It has been a true privilege to build and lead Nordic Unmanned as CEO and co-founder since we founded the company in 2014. The company’s talented employees deliver professional flight services to some of Europe’s most professional customers, and partner with global defense majors as well as civilian drone pioneers. Recent acquisitions have strengthened our offering with high-potential world leading proprietary and differentiating drone technologies which will make considerable revenue contributions already this year. All of this, and our 89 million EUR strong backlog, is testament to the remarkable development we have behind us since we started the company. I have been with the company for more than eight years and it’s a natural time to step down as the company is entering a new phase of operations. I look forward to supporting the company’s transition to new leadership in the short term, and in capacity of being a very active shareholder in the long run.”, says Knut Roar Wiig.

Nordic Unmanned is a European leader within unmanned aerial vehicles, with its two strong business units: Nordun (flight services) and NUTech (drone products). Nordun is an experienced operator of advanced BVLOS drone platforms, with nearly 3000 hours flown in 2022 for European government departments and defense agencies. NUTech subsidiaries AirRobot GmbH & Co. KG (DE) and DroneMatrix NV (BE), represent attractive niche products in the military-grade lightweight drone market and the productivity-focused drone-in-a-box market, respectively. As the company is entering a new phase of industrialisation with a backlog approaching NOK 1 billion, focus is shifting towards profitability with lean production processes and further commercialisation of the company’s core products and services.

Arne Roland (b. 1967) is a Norwegian citizen with 30 years of industrial experience
from aviation and industrial engineering industries. He was CEO of CHC Helicopters Norway from 2012 to 2017 and served during this period for four years as a board member of the Federation of Norwegian Aviation Industries. Prior to this, he spent 20 years with various Aker companies. Over the last few years, Roland has held interim CEO roles and consultancy assignments through ARTerra AS. Roland is an economist by education and holds a degree in Finance and Project Management from the University of Agder, Norway. Roland has followed Nordic Unmanned closely since the listing on Euronext Growth Oslo in December 2020, as member of the Nomination Committee and will as of today step down from the committee.

"I am impressed with what this team of competent and engaged people has achieved in less than a decade. Nordic Unmanned’s services and technologies are saving lives, improves productivity, drive data-based decision making and not least materially contribute to reduced emissions. I believe unmanned technologies are becoming a natural part of industrial as well as government toolboxes in Europe and the Americas, and that Nordic Unmanned is well positioned to capture attractive niches both within flight services and drone technologies. Nordic Unmanned has a great future, and I am extremely motivated to contribute to the company’s success in the role as interim CEO”. says Roland.

"It is a pleasure to welcome Arne Roland to Nordic Unmanned, who has followed the company for several years. On behalf of the Board, I would like to recognize Knut Roar as a visionary CEO of the company and industry profile, and wish him the best for the future", says Nils Johan Holte, Chair of the Board.

Disclosure regulation

This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation, is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Euronext Growth Oslo Rule Book - Part II section 3.10 and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Contacts

  • Arne Roland, CEO, +47 911 94 667
  • Nils Johan Holte, Chair of the Board, +47 930 43 872

About Nordic Unmanned

Nordic Unmanned is a leading provider of high-end drone and data capture products and flight services. Its NUTech business unit is an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the drone, sensor, software and launch product lines AirRobot and DroneMatrix, serving primarily defense, security, and productivity improvement markets. The Nordun business unit holds industry-leading regulatory and operational expertise as an operator of rotary and fixed-wing drone systems, providing flight services for pollution monitoring, fishery control, surveillance, and logistics services. The largest customers of the company’s flight services are government agencies, including coast guards.

Nordic Unmanned has one of the world's most comprehensive permits to fly beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), through its EASA-approved Light UAS operator Certificate (LUC). The company is ISO 9001-2015 and AS9100 certified for operating, maintaining, selling, developing, and producing unmanned systems and sensor technology.

Founded in Norway in 2014, Nordic Unmanned has offices in Sandnes (NO), Molde (NO), Odense (DK), Cranfield (UK), Hasselt (BE), Arnsberg (GER) and Baltimore (US).

For more information visit - https://nordicunmanned.com/

Attachments

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