A Christmas letter from Itera

As 2022 is at its end, we would like to reflect on this year's happenings together with our employees, clients, and partners.

Last year, we stated that it had been a year out of the ordinary. As much as we hoped it would not be the case for 2022, that did not turn out to be the case. After two years of the pandemic, the world was shocked by the invasion of Ukraine in February.

The invasion of Ukraine

2022 has been emotionally stressful for our company and our brave Ukrainian colleagues. The first days of the invasion were chaotic, and during this time, the basic need to ensure our people were safe came first.

We, and especially our Ukrainian colleagues, gradually adapted and learned new habits and formed new routines. The challenges since then have been many, but we are incredibly proud of the way our people in Ukraine have managed to carry on working despite the war.

Arne Mjøs has visited Ukraine three times, in order to meet our people and to experience their daily life and working environment after the invasion. He has met with ministers, written articles in the Norwegian newspaper "Dagens Næringsliv", and raised the topic of the importance of business collaboration with Ukraine on several occasions. For this, he was named "Leader of the Year" by Virke (The Federation of Norwegian Enterprises) and Konsulentguiden in September.

As a company, we are deeply engaged in supporting Ukraine from all locations. Most importantly, we have not suffered any casualties. Today, our Ukrainian colleagues are talking a lot about the future and are making plans – both professional and personal - for next year.

– This year, we confirmed and proved once again that we are united by the same values and goals despite the distance. The whole team really makes a difference through everyday work, supporting Ukraine and its resistance. This difficult year made us even braver and closer.

Yulia Protsko

Communication and Employer Branding Manager

A growing company

Iceland

At the beginning of the year, we officially opened an office in Iceland. Alongside this, our new head of Itera Iceland, Snæbjörn Ingólfsson, started in February.

Krakow

Expanding the geography, we’ve also opened an office in Krakow, Poland, which has grown to 25 innovative and passionate team members in place as of the beginning of 2023.

Brno

This August, we officially opened an office in Brno, part of the Czech Republic, in one of their most modern co-working space. Since then, we’ve established a great team of 14 professionals and a few others are starting soon. Our plan is to grow fast, attract great local talents, continue to build a name for Itera in the Czech Republic and move from the co-work to our own premise. 

Žilina

Bratislava is not the only Slovakian location where Itera has an office. This year we also opened up an office in Žilina. It has opened up a whole new range of possibilities. The fact that we are enlarging teams on many projects makes it crucial that good and skilled people work on them. The search for them can now also be extended beyond Bratislava.

People

Our office in Fredrikstad (NO) grew from 5 to 16 people in 2022 and moved into brand new offices - with an ocean view!

They have a focus on the local market and signed two local clients. With an aim for many more in 2023!

In Slovakia

100 new talents joined Itera this year.

And in Bergen

we have had a growth of 64 % in people.

Itera Sweden

Itera has appointed Joachim von Ekensteen as our new CEO for its Swedish entity with the aim of capturing market share and building a local organisation in Sweden that is close to our customers.

– I see exciting partnerships, solid services and a genuine drive to make a difference. Itera is what I call a “people company” where people grow together with customers and the company. Itera is customer focused, of course, but also very much people-focused.

Joachim von Ekensteen

Head of Itera Sweden

Joachim von Ekensteen

In Oslo, our design and user experience unit has taken a pole position by developing and hiring the top talents in the market. Despite a demanding talent market, the unit has increased by 20% year to date and now counts more than 50 generous and talented people.

Customers and sectors

Aerial view of scenic mountain road with car, sea and waterfall in Norway

Energy

This year, Itera has built a solid customer base within the energy sector. Here we find customers such as DNV, Eviny, Glitre Energi, Hafslund and Entelios.

Finance

We have a long tradition of assisting customers in banking and finance, customers such as Storebrand, Gjensidige, Mastercard and Santander.

Young girls enjoying being together on a vacation in France

Public

This year we have gained a more extensive customer base within the public sector, customers such as the Norwegian Tax Administration, IMDi and NAV.

Customers

One of our new customers in Iceland has been Laki Power, a company that provides power grid operators with world-class solutions for monitoring, analysing and optimizing their grid infrastructure. This is excellent preparation for 2023 when our Icelandic office already has booked more than 40 meetings with 40 different companies.

Enabling data-driven transformations as the market matures

Our team within Data, AI & Analytics have seen a significant increase in the demand for solutions across the "data value chain", From identifying high-level use cases on an enterprise level, to generating PowerBi-reports.

This underpins the notion that data-driven business is an increasing focus in the market –for companies of all sizes and across sectors. This is exciting as the culprit of achieving sustainable digital transformation lies within the use of data.

Colleagues in a meeting looking at a screen

Into the clouds

All of Itera has gone full cloud this year, starting with the Danish Office in January and the Norwegian offices 1. April.

Cloud is a key enabler for innovation and digitalisation. Throughout 2022 we have helped several clients make the case for their cloud transition and enable successful transitions to capture the full value of the cloud, regardless of maturity and where they are on the journey.

Sustainability

In a report, the World Economic Forum stated that 70 per cent of the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals can be achieved using technology. That is why we say that digitalisation and technology are our main contributions to increased sustainability. We have prioritised the following UN Sustainability Development Goals (UN SDGs) where our core business can make a positive contribution:

5: Gender equality

"End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere".

9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

"Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation".

11: Sustainable cities and communities

"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".

12: Responsible consumption and production

"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns".

Each year, we report our sustainability numbers to Ecovadis. In 2022, we went from 60 to 66/100 points (a 10% increase in score), which gives us a new silver medal in sustainability. We are only 2 points from moving up to gold medal, which will be very realistic next year. This means that we have a score that places us among the top 6% within our industry – worldwide.

Series premiere from Itera!

We have launched our very own series, "BITS from Itera", which you can watch exclusively on our YouTube channel. In this series, you meet the people who are digitizing Norway. Get an insight into the technology industry, how we work, and how we make a difference every day.

Watch the first two episodes of BITS here

To all, we wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous new year! 

And to all colleagues and partners in Ukraine, We know you might be having a difficult time this year, more than ever. Wishing you strength and peace in these challenging times.