Eirik Lie
President and chief executive of Norwegian defence group Kongsberg since April 2026.
Six months into Lie's tenure, Kongsberg committed on 13 October 2026 to spending over 200m zlotys on a Pomeranian factory serving Poland's SAN counter-drone programme.
Last refreshed: 26 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can Kongsberg's new chief turn Europe's counter-drone spending into factories outside Norway?
Timeline for Eirik Lie
Mentioned in: Kongsberg to make SAN systems in Poland
Drones: Industry & DefenceTied the deal to protecting critical infrastructure
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Kongsberg sells subsea guard in secretBackground
Eirik Lie is president and chief executive of Kongsberg, the Norwegian defence and technology group. He succeeded Geir Håøy, chief executive since 2016, in April 2026, when Kongsberg Maritime was demerged and listed separately and the group refocused on defence, security and surveillance.
A software engineer, Lie has spent his whole career in Kongsberg's defence business. He headed the Integrated Defence Systems division from 2006 and became president of Kongsberg Defence Systems in January 2017, after acting in the post from August 2016.
His first months in charge pushed the group's growth beyond Norway, most visibly in Poland. In October 2026 Kongsberg chose a site near Gdańsk to make and service SAN equipment, The National counter-drone contract it won alongside PGZ and APS in January 2026, with more than 100 jobs planned. Its Discovery division won a contract in July to protect offshore platforms and subsea cables for an undisclosed international customer. The group reported second-quarter 2026 revenue up more than 30 per cent.
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Why is Kongsberg building a factory in Poland?
What did Eirik Lie do before becoming Kongsberg CEO?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.