Built to last: Jørgen Jørgensen

In an industry defined by speed, Norrøna has chosen patience. Where others chase seasons, trends and margins, the Norwegian outdoor brand has spent nearly a century refining something far less fashionable: durability.

It’s an ethos that traces all the way back to its founder.

"My great grandfather was a saddle maker, and he started another outdoor company with a friend before he started Norrøna," CEO Jørgen Jørgensen tells The CEO Magazine.

"His passion for quality was strong. He quit that company after 10 years, even though it was successful, to start Norrøna with the ambition of making the highest quality outdoor products."

To this day, that priority remains unchanged.

"One of our lead principles is quality over quantity," he points out. "With our products, they’re right from the start."

That commitment to quality is embedded in the fabric of the company, from how Norrøna designs to how it tests products and ultimately how it measures success.

"When you spend a lot of energy, sweat and tears to create a great product and you see someone using it 10 years later – that’s what makes us really proud," Jørgensen smiles.

"I like to say that a new product is great, but an old one is even greater."

Tested at the edge

Norrøna’s reputation for quality has been forged in some of the harshest environments on the planet.

"When my father took over the company in 1971, there was an expedition wave happening around Norway where they’d travel to the Himalayas – and we were part of that community," Jørgensen reveals.

Expeditioners would come into their shop, detail exactly what type of coat or backpack they needed for the adventure. And Norrøna would develop it.

"Once it was developed, we’d test it and eventually, when we were happy, we’d put it out to the market," he explains.

This extreme user-driven product development idea stuck and came to define the brand.

"We push quality by ensuring our product can last in any kind of circumstance or condition around the planet," he says.

For Jørgensen, product development is also deeply personal. More than overseeing product development – he lives it.

"I’m the fit model," he says. "I actually spend half a day every week with testing to try out all of our new products in the office."

Immersing himself fully keeps him connected to the product in a way few CEOs can claim.

"I have a lot of great people, so I have to suggest improvements less and less," he reveals. "But it still keeps me up to date with what’s happening in product development."

Growing up in the business

With deep family roots, Norrøna has been more than a business to Jørgensen.

"My father involved me in the business when I was very young," he says. "He always pushed me to work and wanted me to learn everything."

That early exposure gave him valuable hands-on experience.

"I was counting children’s gaiters in the evenings and on the weekends," he says with a smile. "I’d be by myself, listening to music, surrounded by sewing machines.

"Eventually, I learned to sew myself and began making my own products."

By the time he entered the workforce, Jørgensen was at an advantage, understanding both how to make products and how to sell them.

"I also worked in a sporting store that we owned when I was 18, which gave me experience interacting with customers," he adds.

But it was exposure to the broader market that ultimately shaped his leadership direction.

"I got in contact with all the major brands like Patagonia and Arc’teryx and so on," he says.

"That gave me a view into their strategy. Seeing what our competitors were doing gave me a strong interest to go into Norrøna and renew it."

Reinvention without losing soul

By the time Jørgensen stepped into leadership, he was met with both opportunity and urgency.

"There were so many low-hanging fruits," he says. "Integrating our new ambassadors and letting these young people shine gave the company back its innovative edge."

But change rarely comes without friction.

"I was quite inexperienced and stubborn in the early days," he admits. "But I had a clear direction. I was laser-focused on taking Norrøna in a new and more innovative direction."

At first, Jørgensen was met with resistance.

"There were a lot of people who felt I was taking Norrøna in the wrong direction," he acknowledges. "They worried about our heritage."

The feedback landed and instead of bristling, Jørgensen took it on board.

"It took some time for me to really value our heritage and leverage it in a better way. Now, I think I get it right at least 50 percent of the time," he muses.

Sustainability with substance

One thing Jørgensen and Norrøna have consistently gotten right is its commitment to sustainability. It was ingrained in the business long before it became a marketing buzzword.

"When I started working there, there were already signs of humans changing the environment," he says.

Sadly, it wasn’t change for the better. So Norrøna took action.

"In 2006, we set the first quantitative goal. It took us 10 years to move 100 percent to organic cotton," he points out.

From there, strategy expanded and became more structured.

"We made a responsibility road map to drive us toward our goal of being a company without an environmental footprint," he reveals.

"At Norrøna, we don’t have a sustainability department. Instead, it’s distributed throughout the company, so everyone is part of reaching our goals."

While the ambition is high, the tone remains pragmatic.

"We have a goal of achieving a zero carbon footprint," Jørgensen says. "We’re not going to reach that goal, but we are working toward it through a number of actions.

"It’s important because if we don’t act now and drive this change, then there’s not going to be much snow left."

Built for generations

As Norrøna approaches its 100-year milestone, the focus is firmly on longevity, both in products and the business itself.

"I’m building a company that can perform well with or without me," Jørgensen says. "That’s probably my biggest task – to make sure Norrøna will last forever."

That long-term thinking influences everything from growth strategy to succession planning.

"Success to us means continuous growth," he says. "If we’re to continue delivering great products, then our brand awareness has to grow."

At the same time, the company has resisted the pressures of rapid expansion or external capital.

"As a family-owned company, I always have to have a financial cushion," he explains. "You have to earn money before you use it. It’s slower this way, but also more secure."

The question of succession remains open.

"My kids are 19 and 21. I think they’re still a little young to know if they want to do it," he says.

"If they do it because I want them to, then it will come across as a punishment. I don’t want that for them. I believe you should enjoy the work you do."

Jørgensen’s ultimate focus is on stewardship, regardless of succession outcome.

"For me, Norrøna is the most important part of the equation – not me as CEO," he says.

"At the end of the day, we want the idea of ‘welcome to nature’ to carry on. We want people to continue getting out there and having a fantastic experience in the wild – that’s been our vision from the start."