Leif Johan Sevland, the head of ONS, the oil and energy fair held in Stavanger, will step down in 2027 after about 15 years in charge. The departure was announced in a press release on Wednesday, and no successor has yet been chosen.
Sevland has led ONS since 2012. Before that he served as mayor of Stavanger from 1995 to 2011, which made him one of the city’s best-known public figures long before he took over the fair. He insisted that his decision had nothing to do with a loss of drive. “I am motivated, and feel neither discouragement nor tiredness,” he said, adding that he draws energy every day from working with ONS. The deciding factor was his age: in two years he will turn 67, and he said that made this the right moment to announce his exit. Speaking to Stavanger Aftenblad, he put it simply: “Sometimes you just have to make a decision.”
He leaves an event that has grown considerably on his watch. The most recent ONS took place at the end of August and drew just under 70,000 visitors. In the press release, Sevland pointed out that the programme has expanded from around 90 speakers in 2012 to 1,400 in 2026. He also told Aftenbladet that experts now travel to Stavanger from all over the world to share knowledge and look for solutions. In 2024 he received the then Crown Prince Haakon at the fair, a sign of the event’s standing in Norway.
Sevland argued in the release that ONS has never been stronger. He said the organisation has thought differently, shown courage in its choices and has an unusual ability to deliver on the goals it sets itself. He said he will hand over the organisation in excellent condition to his successor next autumn.
The search for that successor has not started yet, and the announcement gave no hint of who might be in the running. ONS says it will begin the process of finding a new leader early in 2027, giving it several months to recruit before Sevland leaves. Whoever takes over will inherit a fair that now attracts tens of thousands of visitors and well over a thousand speakers, and will have to keep that momentum going as the energy industry it serves continues to change. Until then, Sevland remains in charge of preparations for the next edition.
