Magnar was met with digital open arms during the Covid-19 pandemic and loves the marine environment despite sporting a 30-year-old largely unused scuba diving certificate.
He grew up at Måløy, an island in Vågsøy municipality on the west coast of Norway, and moved to Ålesund to study engineering after high school. After finishing his studies, he moved to the Oslo area and lived there for 13 years working for several companies such as Alva Laval and Norsk Hydro. At Alva Laval, he worked with similar products as the seawater cooling systems that Hydroniq Coolers is known for, which is where his interest in the company first started.
When the oldest of his two daughters reached school age, Magnar and his family moved back to Ålesund. He got a job at Kongsberg Maritime, previously known as Rolls-Royce Marine, and worked as a project manager for nine years before joining Hydroniq Coolers in 2021 in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The culture at Hydroniq Coolers is unique. One should assume that starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic is challenging, but I was met with open arms and felt part of the team from my very first day in the company”, says Magnar Kvalheim, sales manager at Hydroniq Coolers.
From Asia to Europe
During his career, traveling has always been an important part of his everyday life. Before joining Hydroniq Coolers, Magnar worked with sales support in several regions in Europe and in Korea.
“I have been told that one of my most valuable qualities is to build strong relations, both with customers and in general. After many trips to Asia in my previous jobs, I now get the chance to travel to countries in Scandinavia and meet new and exciting people. That is one of my favorite things about working within sales,” Magnar explains.
An active family man
Magnar has been with his girlfriend Eli since they were 19 years old, and they have two grown-up daughters together. Their oldest is working as a teacher in Ålesund, but their youngest followed in her father’s footsteps and became an engineer, now working at Havfram in Stavanger.
“After my daughters moved out, Eli and I have the house to ourselves and all the time in the world. During the last few years, I have spent many hours maintaining the house and fixing things at home,” says Magnar.
Magnar and Eli both love to be active and hike in the mountains around the Sunnmøre region. They also try to spend as many weekends and holidays as possible at their cabin in Stryn.
“One thing that my colleagues don’t know about me is that I have a 30-year-old scuba diving certificate, but I haven’t been diving since before my daughters were born. Even though I spend most of my spare time in the mountains, the scuba diving certificate is proof that I was once active in other areas as well,” Magnar concludes with a smile.
