From digital innovator to product owner in Cegal

Kari Clifford has always had a passion for digital product and service development. With a background in industrial design and the School of Entrepreneurship from NTNU, she has worked as a consultant and product owner in the web company Elvia before joining Cegal on February 1, 2025. During her career, she has developed tools for farmers, customer portals for the military and self-driving transportation services. Kari thrives at the intersection of technology, people and business.

Kari chose the power industry because she finds it an extremely exciting and enjoyable industry in a state of flux. She is passionate about energy transition and finds it meaningful to contribute to the power system of the future. Kari has often encouraged friends and acquaintances to consider a career in the power industry - an encouragement she gives with great enthusiasm.

One of the most exciting projects Kari has worked on was as product owner for Elvia's customer portal. Here she developed self-service solutions for end customers, which gave her valuable insight into how regulations affect the grid company's services and products.

The power industry is changing - Challenges and opportunities in an evolving industry

The power industry is facing several challenges, including the need to develop more power and grids to electrify society and achieve climate goals. Kari also believes that public debates about energy sources often drown out the important messages. Another challenge is the increased complexity of the tasks and the need for customized system support for those working in the power system.

Since joining the industry, Kari has seen an increase in media visibility and better collaboration across the industry. In terms of future technologies, she believes that artificial intelligence (AI) will be key, along with stricter requirements for ESG reporting.

Read our article The intersection of cloud technology and sustainability here >

Contributing to innovation and improvement in the power industry

Kari chose Cegal because the company focuses on both IT and energy. She believes that the combination of deep knowledge of the energy industry and technology expertise will help create services and products for the power system of the future. Kari looks forward to contributing her experience in digital product and service development, and her knowledge of the grid will strengthen Cegal's position in the power industry.

When it comes to innovation, Kari believes that technology will change the industry much more than we can imagine now. That's why it's important to test new technology step by step and learn quickly.

Which technology or trend do you think will have the biggest impact on the power market in the next five years?

Here you can't avoid answering AI, can you? Otherwise, I've been learning a lot about ESG lately and see that stricter requirements for reporting on emissions will be important in the future.

Read the article on how AI will transform businesses in the future >

Kari advises newcomers to the power industry to be curious about other areas and keep up to date with industry podcasts and newspapers. Her passion is working user-centered in the product development process.
When she's not working, Kari enjoys reading books, exploring local history and spending time in nature with her family.

When it comes to myths about the power industry, Kari dispels the myth that the industry is stagnant - the power industry is evolving and full of exciting opportunities!