Mintra – a specialist provider of digital learning and HR software for the energy and maritime sectors – has appointed Kevin Short to the role of CEO. Mr Short, who has been chief commercial officer of the Norway-headquartered company since 2018, takes over the leadership role from Scott Kerr following his decision to join the firm’s board of directors.
Mr Short was previously CEO of Atlas Knowledge – a company acquired by Mintra in 2018 that developed award winning digital learning solutions, including the OPITO Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST) course for offshore energy workers on the UKCS.
He will spearhead Mintra’s ambitious growth strategy, centred on further expanding its footprint in the maritime sector and diversifying the customer portfolio to include a wider range of highly regulated industries across more geographic regions.
Prior to making the move to Atlas, Mr Short held several senior management positions in the financial services sector, including vice president sales and marketing with Pitney Bowes in London and managing director of both Hays DX and Meridian in Ireland.
The son of a coal miner turned health and safety officer, Mr Short has always been acutely aware of the important role learning has in keeping people safe at work. He said: “The thing that attracted me to the learning sector was the ability to do something – albeit not public service – to keep people safe. Whether its energy or maritime, people are working in really hostile environments and it’s satisfying to be able to play any kind of role in keeping people out of danger.
“In these post-Covid times and as we slowly return to a world that can be considered more normal, there are tremendous prospects for both digital learning and human capital management software. We know that how things worked before – people constantly travelling to training facilities – will not be the same going forward. Not everything is going to switch to online, but there will be a blended approach to getting the training you want, when and where you want it.
“With HCM software, there will be even more impetus to help our customers ensure that they have the right people in the right place at the right time. Mintra is known for being agile, open and for diversifying and those are the qualities that are needed as we move out of the pandemic and embark on our growth plans.
“We are very proud of our Norwegian heritage but we have a real opportunity to become an international player with a bold strategy to grow organically and through acquisitions. What we intend to do is to look at companies that are multipliers rather than additions. We want to bring companies into our portfolio that will first and foremost make a real difference to our customers and their people.
“I am proud to be taking the baton from Scott and to have been part of his senior leadership team over the past four years. His direction and guidance has helped to make Mintra the organisation that it is today, and I am delighted that he will continue to provide that steadying hand as a member of the board.”
Mr Kerr, a former petroleum engineer based in Norway, held the CEO post since 2016, during which time Mintra carried out three acquisitions. He previously held a number of senior management roles including managing director of BP Norway and CEO of both Norwegian Energy Company and Sevan Drilling. Mr Kerr led Mintra to its initial public offering on Euronext Growth Oslo in October 2020.
Mr Kerr said: “There comes a time when it is best to move over and let others lead the company, and for me that time is now. I have been fortunate enough to be able to work with a talented and skilled group of people and I am looking forward to continuing that relationship from my new position on the board of directors. I know that Mintra will continue to go from strength to strength under Kevin’s leadership and that he will steer the company towards continued success in future.”
Mintra is a leading provider of digital learning and HCM systems for safety-critical industries worldwide. Mintra develops and deploys software solutions that enable its clients to develop and deploy their people, readily demonstrate compliance and maximise operational efficiency. From its headquarters in Bergen and offices in Oslo, Stavanger, Aberdeen, Dubai, Cyprus, India and Singapore, Mintra serves the training, HR, payroll and workforce management needs of organisations operating in the maritime and energy sectors. Trainingportal – a learning and competency management system – provides an online portfolio of over 2,000 eLearning courses to over 1.7 million workers, while OCS HR crew management system supports the operations of more than 1,800 vessels worldwide. For further information, visit www.mintra.com
