Fourth Day speaks to... Espen Mathisen, Cobuilder

W e’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with Espen Mathisen, Chief Marketing Officer at Cobuilder, a tech company working with SaaS solutions for the construction industry.

Espen is based in Norway and has been managing marketing and communication departments at international B2B companies for the past 11 years.

We talked to him about marketing, networking, and what he’s looking forward to.

What’s your favourite way of building your network?

Well, it’s not LinkedIn! Even though that can be an excellent channel for B2B marketeers, and we use it extensively, I am still a fan of face-to-face meetings. Both for the construction industry and for marketing and communications professionals, there are some key events every year that everyone goes to. They are great for networking – and it’s not only the fear of missing out that makes us attend. They can also be of great value to our business.

Any events you’re particularly looking forward to this year?

Every August in Norway, we have something called Political Week in the city of Arendal on the South Coast. This has grown to become one of the most important events of the year, even for the construction industry. It is a nice combination of discussions, socialising and networking. It’s a must to attend if you want to influence the digitalisation of the Norwegian construction industry. In the UK, we’re regular attendees at Digital Construction Week in London. We also find the international buildingSMART summits valuable.

Even though LinkedIn can be an excellent channel for B2B marketeers, and we use it extensively, I am still a fan of face-to-face meetings.

Espen Mathisen CMO at Cobuilder

Are there any upcoming product launches or recent successes that you’re excited about?

This year we have launched Cobuilder Link, a solution that allows building owners and contractors to set information requirements for all stakeholders involved in a construction project (e.g. designers and producers). This will have a really big impact when it comes to streamlining communications processes and everyday lives of people in the industry.

On a personal level, what marketing trends do you find most interesting at the moment?

AI is the big buzzword these days and it’s hard not to mention it. It will be very interesting to see how it is used by marketing and communications professionals, especially as AI tools get more sophisticated and specialised in our profession. Right now, I guess it’s about getting familiar with what’s out there and identifying which tools can have practical effects on your work, without getting too caught up in the AI hype.

What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

Well, when I worked at a PR consultancy, my manager always said: “All experience shows that it is beneficial in the long run to be nice”. This might also be because Norway is a small country, and you can’t risk your reputation over a minor short-term conflict – but I think it’s also true in a broader sense.