Becoming a leader was not a goal in itself when Nuttapong Klaharn joined Aibel ten years ago. Instead, leadership has emerged as a natural extension of experience, responsibility and trust built gradually over time.
The 41-year-old began his career at Aibel as a senior structural engineer in 2016. Despite living in Bangkok, roughly 150 kilometres from Aibel’s offices in Thailand, the prospect of professional challenges, exciting engineering tasks and an international working environment proved highly attractive. Those elements have since become decisive for both his career choices and the leadership role he holds today.
From engineer to leader – step by step
Early on, Klaharn felt that Aibel was a company where you can learn a lot and build a long-term career, but the transition into leadership has been a process.
“The transition to management was actually quite natural. I took on more responsibility, supported others and ensured progress and quality. Leadership grew out of the job itself, rather than being a sudden shift,” he explains.
Today, he leads a team of around 30 employees. The role requires both strong technical competence and genuine interpersonal insight, a combination Klaharn believes is essential.
“For me, leadership is not just about making decisions. It’s about being accessible, creating a sense of security and ensuring clear expectations. Many challenges simply arise because communication is not clear enough.”
Clear, supportive and attentive
Asked to describe his leadership style in just a few words, Klaharn answers: clear communication, supportive and effective. Behind these words lies a conscious leadership philosophy.
He points to employee development dialogues as a concrete example. While such conversations often last around 30 minutes as standard, Klaharn has held several that extended to one and a half or even two hours per person.
“It certainly makes for some long and busy days, but I want to understand the whole person – their ambitions, challenges and motivations. I believe trust is built when people feel that their manager genuinely listens. And trust is the foundation for everything else,” he says.
This approach has been met with positive feedback from the team and for Klaharn himself, it is also a valuable source of learning.
“I learn just as much myself. Leadership is a continuous development process,” he reflects.
Learning across countries and cultures
One particularly formative chapter in Klaharn’s career has been his time in Norway. Just four months after joining Aibel, he packed his bags and relocated to Norway, working at the Asker office over two separate periods. In total, he has spent more time working in Norway than he has for Aibel in Thailand. He describes his stays in Norway as both professionally demanding and personally enriching.
“My first day at the Asker office felt almost like my first day at university. I quickly realised how much more there was to learn – not only technically, but also in terms of collaboration and communication,” Klaharn recalls.
The time in Norway gave him a stronger quality mindset, more structured planning habits and a deeper appreciation for cross-disciplinary collaboration and standardised ways of working. Perhaps most importantly, it strengthened his perception of Aibel as one unified company.
“After working closely with colleagues in Norway, Aibel no longer felt like separate locations. It became one organisation, with shared goals and values,” he explains.
The experience also left its mark outside of work. Through his strong passion for football, Klaharn quickly found a sense of community with colleagues on the company team.
“Football is perfect for staying active, switching off and developing teamwork skills. Playing in Norway was great fun and especially invigorating in the fresh air and cooler climate, which I really enjoyed. I have many fond memories from Norway and would happily return – ideally with my family,” he says.
Pride in deliveries and in the team
Over the years, Klaharn has worked on several major projects, including Dvalin, Johan Sverdrup DP and P2. However, it is Bacalhau FPSO and Munin that he highlights with particular pride – not only because of their technical complexity, but because they represent learning, collaboration and strong team spirit.
“When the Munin module sailed out from the yard in Thailand, it was a powerful moment. It reminded me that our work is about more than documents and calculations. It’s about people achieving something together,” he says.
Looking ahead
Today, Klaharn works primarily from the GC Estate office, close to the new yard in Map Ta Phut. Here, he sees clear and positive development in Aibel Thailand’s engineering environment in terms of competence, quality and confidence. The ambition for the coming years is to further develop a larger, technically strong team that plays a natural and important role in Aibel’s overall delivery model.
“Aibel Thailand should be a place where talented people are given the opportunity to grow and where we create value for the entire company. That requires clear leadership – but also humility. Something I very much look forward to contributing to,” he concludes.
Published 16 June 2026
