Barbro’s story within the maritime industry started when she was a young girl knowing about a local product that was well-liked in the market, the Sperre compressor and tube coolers. She changed careers and started in Hydroniq Coolers in 2013 after several years in the fashion industry.
“Hydroniq Coolers is a company with an incredible work environment. There is no limit to what you can learn, and you are given endless opportunities if you are willing to throw yourself out there,” says Barbro Giske, aftermarket and logistics manager at Hydroniq Coolers.
If you are a customer of Hydroniq Coolers, Barbro is one of the people who make sure that everything runs smoothly from the order is placed to final delivery.
She grew up at Ellingsøy, which is an island outside Ålesund and home of Hydroniq Coolers. Barbro has always known about the success story of Sperre compressors, and the tube coolers developed on the island.
In 2012, Hydroniq Coolers was formed, dedicated to exactly this, cooling. Barbro started as aftermarket and logistics manager in the company in 2013, with a great feeling of reward as she was given the opportunity to be with the company from almost the beginning.
In her father’s footsteps
Barbro is 41 years old and lives at Ellingsøy outside Ålesund. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, innovation and management. She followed in her father’s footsteps in terms of her education, as he has been involved in the sale of dried salted cod fish worldwide.
“In addition to the compressors and coolers, dried salted cod fish is also a local product we are very proud of. The French call it morue and the Italians baccala,” she says with a smile.
Even though she was interested in the maritime industry, it took a few years before she pursued a career in Hydroniq Coolers.
“I previously worked as a store manager and purchaser for Vero Moda in Ålesund. Fashion and good design are one of my interests, so the path towards the maritime industry was a big change for me, but at the same time very exciting,” she explains.
Barbro is a person with a lot of energy and enjoys a varied, high-speed work environment. She says that her colleagues are a group of people with strong technical backgrounds and complement each other very well as each person has their own field of expertise.
An active family life
Today, Barbro lives in Hovlia at Ellingsøy together with Sindre and their two girls, Ella and Mia. During the winter they spend most weekends at their mountain cabin at Overøye in Stordal in the Sunnmøre region. They are an active family that likes cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and snowboarding. Living in an area with such fantastic nature, she loves to go on hikes and spend a lot of time outside during the spring and summer.
“When going on long hikes, we often bring our tent to sleep outside and enjoy nature to its fullest. One time when camping during the winter, we experienced minus 16 degrees during the night and a fantastic northern light,” she tells.
When she is not out hiking or skiing, Barbro and Sindre like to travel and enjoy a good dinner with friends.
“Sindre is incredibly skilled at cooking, so one of our favorite things to do together is to enjoy delicious food and a good wine,” she concludes.
