Petter Fafalios is Equity Partner at Kingbird Executive Search and Country Manager for AltoPartners Norway. His main areas of focus include CxO and board member placements across leading industry sectors.

Where were you born, and where do you live now?

Drammen, a city of just over 100,000 people, less than an hour’s drive southwest of Oslo. Now, I live with my family close to the fjord at Vinterbro, population approx. 8,000.

What did you study and why?

Bachelor’s degree in Export Marketing (Norway & Germany). I wanted to combine my multicultural heritage with a degree that focused on people. My father was Greek, my mother is Cypriot and I was born and grew up in Norway. And since I already spoke English fluently, I wanted to learn German as well.

First car? Current car?

My first car was a prehistoric Lada (from the old Soviet Union) and now I drive an Electric Jaguar.

First job?

Export Marketing representative at Benthin Sonnenschutz GmbH (the world’s biggest manufacturer of vertical blinds and awnings).

What’s the biggest surprise about your job?

Just how much we need to know about our client’s industry and how their business functions. This enables us to attract ideal candidates within the industry but also to widen our client’s options by providing candidates from ecosystems outside their perceived hunting grounds.

Biggest risk you ever took?

I started mountain climbing to cure my fear of heights. The climbing is done and the fear has gone…

What makes you feel better on a bad day?

Changing my focus to the right mental attitude. Bad days are only a result of letting someone or something impact me negatively. It’s up to me, only, to decide if I want to have a bad day.

My most redeeming quality is…

The ability to handle challenging situations rationally: understand the root cause to avoid repeating the experience - and then move on.

I have learned to come to terms with…

Accepting or avoiding the things that I’m unable to have an impact on.

Best gadget you own?

My Amok - a combination of a hammock and tent.

What’s the thing that people are most surprised to learn about you?

Despite my line of work (which I love) – I’m an introvert at heart.

In the last month, what is the most interesting conversation you have had?

I followed up with an IT director that we had recruited for a scale-up portfolio company owned by private equity. Nine months after her start, they got a new CEO from the UK, who decided to move all top management positions from Oslo to London. Despite being barely 30 years old, the IT Director impressed me with her rational approach to the situation.

Last (or most loved) holiday?

Santorini. We headed to the north end of Santorini, where you get this awesome mix of blue seas, towering cliffs, and a blend of old-school charm with some fancy new touches. The village of Oia, which hangs on the cliffs, treated us to jaw-dropping sunsets and some seriously good Mediterranean food in a sublime setting.

Charity/ cause closest to your heart?

Besides always contributing to charity collectors knocking on our door, I don’t have any specific commitment.

Best book you’ve read in the past year?

Machines that think - the secrets of algorithms and the road to artificial intelligence, by Inga Strümke. A fascinating and accessible must-read if you’re interested in the challenges and opportunities that artificial intelligence presents.

Your binge-watch series?

Fauda on Netflix. A challenging, sensitive, nuanced take on the conflict between Israeli special forces and Palestinian militant groups.

My go-to way to relax & rewind?

Packing the sea kayak with my sleeping bag and Amok and paddling off between islands on the outskirts of the Oslo fjord.

I have a collection of…

Our two teenage sons and their friends love to fix boats and cars in our garage. Over time, we have acquired a serious collection of specialist tools and machinery beyond what you would expect to find in a well-stocked DIY garage.

In my fridge you will always find…

Fresh fruit and vegetables.