We are very happy to have Jon Endre Gjærum join our team, as a new product manager. He joins us from the New Normal Group family and will be working hands-on with the team to further streamline our operation to a scaleable, lovable, and most of all value-creating tool with railway companies around the world. With a background in finance, he has pivoted to technology and entrepreneurship, a journey that has taken him through everything from algae to IoT cloud services.

When I Googled You, The First Picture Of You Had You Holding A Shotgun. What’s The Story Here?

One of the reasons why I moved away from Oslo and my job in banking, was how much I enjoy time in nature. We got the opportunity to take over the family farm in Telemark, so with my love for the outdoors, and wish to spend more time with my children, it was an easy choice. I love hunting, fishing, and camping, so that’s why you found the picture of me holding a shotgun. I promise I won’t bring it with me to the office!

You Come From A Background In Banking And Finance. A Lot Of People Who Love What They Do Have A Background In Banks. What In Banking Makes You Realize It’s Important To Do What You Love?

Well, I always liked creativity and making something. But I also love data, datasets, and making sense of large amounts of data to support solving difficult problems. That served me working with financial instruments, but I found it could also be utilized in products and services. That’s what we do at Cemit, making sense of large datasets to create a better service in railroads. 

When Did You First Get Involved In Cemit?

I have been a part of Assetto and New Normal Group since its foundation, and thus have seen the growth of Cemit from the very start. It has been very inspiring to see the company grow from an idea to R&D to a commercial product. When Aleksander and Arve asked me to join, it was an easy decision to say yes! 

You Are Joining Cemit As A Product Manager, What About The Cemit Product Are You The Most Enthusiastic About?

I mentioned earlier that I love making sense of big datasets. So I would say I am most enthusiastic about taking these big datasets from rolling stock, taking them through some amazing machine learning algorithms from our data science teams, and then seeing them transformed into actionable dashboards for the people who need it. To see a number and a dot on a map, and realizing what has gone into finding that number makes me very enthusiastic!

What Do You Think Is The Most Important For The Railway Industry Going Forward?

I think connectivity is always going to be important. Covid has taught us a lot of things. We can work from home, meet people from around the world on Zoom, but also the value of shaking hands and sharing a lunch. I am very lucky that I can live on a farm, while still working at an innovative company with customers all over the world. But connecting the world in a sustainable way, efficient inter-city transport, and being the method of transportation people chose first is incredibly important.

And Lastly, But Most Important, What Is Your Favorite Snack?

I’m not a big snacker, but is it allowed to say venison?

We will allow that. We at Cemit are hyped to have Jon Endre joining us here at Cemit and already feel like he is a great fit for the team. If you want to talk product (or hunting), you can reach Jon Endre at Jon.Endre.Gjaerum@cemit.com

Want to know more about the Cemit product? Read more here: