The former Veolia Nordic CEO will spearhead the electric vehicle charging revolution as leader of the world’s most experienced charge point operator.
The electric vehicle (EV) revolution is well underway throughout Europe, especially in the Nordic countries. Fully electric cars has an unprecedented 80 percent market share in Norway and 30 percent in Sweden. There are no signs that the electric revolution will halt, and charging networks play an increasingly vital role in supporting the transition to electric mobility. Taking on the challenge is Håkon Vist, who will be stepping in as the CEO of Recharge, the largest charge point operator in the Nordics, on the 15th of August.
Vist is leaving his role as CEO of Veolia Nordic to join Recharge.
As millions of electric vehicles are expected to roll out from the factories, and onto European roads in the coming years, the need for efficient and accessible charging infrastructure is expected to grow fast. Recharge is aiming to keep its leading position as the preferred choice of EV drivers.
“I’m delighted to be joining Recharge at this exciting point in the company’s growth journey. It’s a business with a strong track record and great potential. I believe the aims of the business to grow the network and provide a seamless experience for the consumer are what the market needs. I’m greatly looking forward to working with the Recharge team to achieve those objectives,” says Håkon Vist.
“We are delighted to be bringing Håkon in to lead this exciting business. We have high growth ambitions for Recharge and Håkon has the skills and experience to scale the business efficiently while ensuring we constantly strive to provide the best customer experience in the market,” says Roy Williamson, Chairman of the board at Recharge.
“Recharge is already the largest public charge point operator in the Nordics, and we are growing rapidly to satisfy increasing demand with a focus on faster charging solutions. We have a unique market position in being able to deliver a widely available, reliable and easy to access solution which can provide a seamless customer experience,” says Williamson.
About the new CEO, Håkon Vist
“For me, purpose is everything. Throughout my career, I have been dedicated to developing infrastructure and services that contribute to the environmental transition and the fight against climate change. The EV revolution is one of the most promising change initiatives, and I could not resist the opportunity to contribute and prepare Recharge for the future,” says Vist.
Prior to his role as CEO of Veolia Nordic, Vist has held roles such as Business Development Director and Development Project Manager at Veolia. He holds an MA from Sciences Po in Paris and an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Vist is a citizen of Norway, and currently resides with his family in Stockholm. He will share his time between the Recharge offices in Stockholm and Espoo, Finland, as well as the head office in Moss, Norway.
About Recharge
Recharge is the Nordic region’s largest fast charging network that is open to all electric cars. The company has more than 10 years of experience in operating the largest charging network in the world’s most developed EV market.
Recharge partners with leading location owners, such as McDonald’s, IKEA, the cities of Stockholm and Oslo and others, and has been pioneering solutions that make driving an electric vehicle easier. The company was the first to build corridors of 50 kilowatt fast charging stations between the capitals of Norway, Sweden and Finland in 2012, and was also the first to build corridors of 150 kilowatt high power chargers in the Nordics in 2018.
Recharge is constantly expanding its network, and currently has charging stations in Norway, Sweden and Finland. They will open their first chargers in Denmark later this year.
The company operates 3800 charge points and handles 300 000 charging sessions every month. In 2021, EV drivers charged their vehicles with 40.1 gigawatt hours at Recharge stations. This equals 200 500 000 CO2 free kilometers, or 5000 trips around the world.
Recharge is owned by the leading European infrastructure investor Infracapital.
For more information, please visit rechargeinfra.com
Contact details
Håkon Vist, CEO: hakon.vist@rechargeinfra.com
Stian Mathisen, Head of PR and Regulatory Affairs: stian.mathisen@rechargeinfra.com, +47 93 24 98 62