Hennig-Olsen Is, the Kristiansand company behind Norway’s oldest ice cream factory, has a new chief executive from the fourth generation of its founding family. Paal Hennig-Olsen, 72, has formally handed the top job to his son Johan, 39, and moves on to become chair of Hennig-Olsen Holding.
The handover closes a 30-year chapter. Paal has led the business since 1996, following his grandfather Sven, who ran it from 1924 to 1960, and his father Otto Johan, who was in charge from 1960 to 1996. The company has made ice cream since 1924, which makes its factory the oldest of its kind in the Nordic countries. According to the press release, the family council took the decision on the generational change last summer, and father and son have spent the past year leading the company together before the formal switch this month.
The business Johan takes over is a significant one in its home market. Hennig-Olsen Is recorded revenue of nearly NOK 1.3 billion in 2025. It produces 32 million ice creams a year, plus frozen desserts, and the company says that adds up to almost half of the Norwegian ice cream market. Reaching a fourth generation is itself unusual: according to NRK, only three to four per cent of family-owned businesses in Norway survive that long.
Johan has worked his way through the company. He started with a summer job as a student, sold ice cream and worked on the production line before joining the board in 2020. He holds a master’s degree in economics and business administration, has spent the last six years as chain sales manager and also has experience from Orkla Foods and Natura. His father gave him a clear endorsement in the release. “Johan knows the company inside out and knows our customers,” Paal said, adding that his son has his full trust. Speaking to NRK, the outgoing chief said it is crucial to understand production and stay close to the people who work in the business.
Paal summed up the change in a single line. “We’re changing the boss, not the soul,” he said. As chair of the holding company he will remain close to the business, while Johan takes day-to-day charge of a firm that has stayed in family hands for more than a century and now has to keep its leading position in a market where it already sells nearly every second ice cream.
