Norwegian short-sea shipping company Wilson has confirmed the sad news of the passing of Kristian Eidesvik, its owner and former Chairman of the Board, earlier this week at the age of 78 after a period of illness.
Eidesvik became an owner in Wilson in 1995. Following the IPO in 2005, he became the majority owner through his investment company Caiano, and he was the Chairman of the Board until two years ago. His son Eivind Eidesvik is now the chairman of the company.
Wilson said Eidesvik’s background was from Langevåg, Bømlo. His roots were in fishing, and he always proudly referred to himself as a fisherman.
"Through the volatile periods following the financial crisis in 2008, he remained positive, supportive and backed [the company's] efforts toward growth and expansion," said Øyvind Gjerde, Managing Director of Wilson. "Kristian was generous, down to earth, and always in a good mood. When facing challenges, there was no better place to gather support, advice, and trust than from Kristian."