Remarkable People

Sam Eyde, together with Professor Kristian Birkeland and Marcus Wallenberg, are considered to be the founders of the new industry. In 1920, a statue of Sam Eyde (1866-1940) was unveiled at Rjukan. He succeeded in attracting foreign investors to the area and became Hydro's first CEO. Kristian Birkeland (1867-1917) is one of Norway's foremost scientists and inventors of all time. Swedish magnate Marcus Wallenberg, (1864-1943) helped lay the industrial foundations and was Hydro's board chairman for the first 37 years of the company’s existence.