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The secrets of success with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, the leader who saunas before running a $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund

Peter Vanham
·4 min read

CEO Agenda provides unique insights into how leaders think and lead and what keeps them busy in a world of constant change. We look into the lives, minds and agendas of CEOs at the world’s most iconic companies.

Nicolai Tangen is a man who likes to ask questions. As CEO of Europe’s largest state investment fund, Tangen does so every week on his podcast, In Good Company. Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman, Bill Gates, Jensen Huang,… everyone who is anything in business has answered the Norwegian’s questions.

Most listeners, I reckon, will be most attentive when Tangen asks his peers about their careers or the je ne sais quoi of the iconic brands they shepherd. But having spoken to Tangen several times in places like Davos, I’m always most intrigued when he asks questions about CEO pay or corporate governance best practices, two focal points of the Norwegian investment fund.

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8,859

Number of companies the fund has invested in to date, including Apple, Microsoft and Nestlé.

This week, however, Tangen isn’t asking, but answering questions. What makes him tick? When does he get up? What makes him productive? What are his rituals? True to his Nordic roots, his answers are succinct and a bit mystical, and some topics are clearly off-limits – ‘leave the politics to the politicians’. As a public servant, Tangen clearly knows his limits in speaking out.

But an attentive reader will find this week’s CEO Agenda very revealing. Tangen is extremely bullish on AI, for example, and makes no effort to hide it—neither here, nor in the investments he stewards. And as a former City hedge fund manager, Tangen isn’t a 9-to-5 man either, nor are those who work for him.

This interview has been edited for brevity.

Down to business

Fortune: What global news item is at the top of your mind?

Nicolai Tangen: In addition to the tragic situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, I focus in on inflation, geopolitics and AI.

A clip from Nicolai's podcast, In Good Company

What is the single most important project you are working on with your company? 

We work on several important projects, the most important ones involve how we can use AI to reduce trading costs and improve timing.

Which long-term trend are you most bullish about for society and the economy at large? Which one makes you most worried? 

AI is a real productivity driver for society and is hugely exciting. I am worried about the fragmentation of the world, and also how Europe is growing less slowly than other areas.

Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing) Hardcover – 14 May 2024
Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing) Hardcover – 14 May 2024
Several people are walking along the shores of the Norwegian Sea.

If you were an economic policymaker, what would be your top priority for Europe? 

I will leave that to the politicians.

Being productive

What time do you get up, and what part of your morning routine sets you up for the day?

I typically wake up at 6 a.m. and then exercise or take a dip in the ocean, followed by a sauna. Then I scooter to work.

What time do you work until? Do you continue sending emails during the night and/or weekends? 

I work until 10 p.m., and I send emails all the time.

I am worried about the fragmentation of the world, and also how Europe is growing less slowly than other areas.

What apps or methods do you use to be more productive?

The one thing that makes me more productive is my executive assistant, Grete. She is with me all the time, and so we can produce stuff even if we are in a taxi or on a plane.

Getting personal

What book have you read, either recently or in the past, that has inspired you?

Brave New Words by Sal Khan, about AI in education. I also recently recorded a podcast with Sal about this.

Close-up of businessman reading newspaper
Close-up of businessman reading newspaper

If you could ask your idol one question, who would it be, and what would you ask?

I am lucky in that through our podcast In Good Company I get to ask many of my idols a lot of questions.

Read more: Norwegian wealth fund CEO converts a century-old grain silo into a $46 million art display to promote tourism in his hometown

As a consumer, what is your favorite company and why?

I love newspapers including Financial Times.

CEO Agenda provides unique insights into how leaders think and lead and what keeps them busy in a world of constant change. We look into the lives, minds and agendas of CEOs at the world’s most iconic companies.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com