New CEO: Ambitions for 2024 are sustainability, growth and how to create an attractive workplace
First of November a new CEO - Karina Topp took office at Aarhus Vand. Sustainability, continued growth and ensuring that Aarhus Vand is an attractive place to work are key ambitions in 2024.
A new CEO came into office at Aarhus Vand 1 November 2023. Karina Topp was recruited from within the organization from a position as Divisional Director. She has 25 years of experience from the water sector. And since childhood she has been occupied with water as her father was a facility manager at a wastewater treatment plant.
When she studied to become an engineer and was to work with the dimensioning and other technical aspects of wastewater treatment, she fully understood how to appreciate the experience that derived from her childhood.
Now, Karina is at the forefront of one of Denmark’s largest water companies herself and is drawing the lines for the future.
The newly appointed CEO is looking forward to 2024 and to fulfill her new role. Karina Topp has already three main ambitions for Aarhus Vand:
Firstly, I want Aarhus Vand to be a sustainable and climate-neutral water company. I also wish for Aarhus Vand to be a company with continued growth and lastly it is important for it to be an attractive workplace.
Sustainability ambitions in 2024
Since 1990, Aarhus Vand has focused on reducing CO2 emissions and has obtained a 67 % reduction. However, there is still need for more initiatives.
Karina Topp explains that own production of energy, green transition to electric drives, focusing on sustainability and circularity within construction projects are among the targets for sustainability in 2024. Regarding construction projects, Aarhus Vand will together with other utilities develop a tool to calculate CO2 burdens of projects enabling easier identification of CO2 reduction potentials.
“It is important for us to focus on measures that bring us closer to being a climate-neutral water company for the sake of both Aarhus and Denmark in terms of being a pioneer in the green transition,” says Karina Topp.
Growth can also be within activities and partnerships
The second ambition is to continue to be a company in growth. Karinas perception of growth entails both the economy, but also growth within tasks, activities, and partnerships.
In 2024 we will continue to engage in joint venture companies and startups. Entering partnerships is also on my agenda, as we together can accelerate the road to a sustainable water cycle and green transition as for instance in our NetZero partnership with Melbourne Water and Severn Trent with the common goal to reduce CO2 by one million tonnes.
Aarhus Vand should be an attractive place to work
The third ambition is to make sure that Aarhus Vand is an attractive place to work. Employees have the possibility of cooperating across disciplines and also engage in international projects in Ghana, South Africa or India. That way employees have a unique possibility of making a difference beyond daily operations in Denmark. Being locally engaged but having international relations and impact is also within the DNA of Aarhus Vand.
But Karina Topp stresses that most importantly all employees work for the common purpose which is to create health through clean water for people and the planet.
“Every day, we collaborate and develop across all our disciplines at Aarhus Vand - drinking water distribution, climate adaptation, wastewater treatment, IT, digitization, finance, strategy, innovation, and much more. And always with our customers in mind.”
With these words Karina Topp has a wish ambition for everyone:
I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year