Jeppe Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer of Danish maritime survey software and equipment manufacturer, EIVA, is stepping down as CEO on medical grounds with immediate effect.

Jeppe will remain with parent company Covelya Group in a new part-time strategic advisor role and will also join the board of EIVA. Flemming Hjorth, EIVA’s Vice President of Business Development, has taken on the role of Acting CEO while the board seeks a permanent successor through a transition process which will consider both internal and external candidates.

Jeppe has been at the helm of EIVA since 2011 during which time he oversaw the transformation of the business from a small core team of less than 30 people, to becoming the leader of maritime survey software alongside a flourishing equipment manufacturing team supporting offshore activities in renewable energy, defense and ocean science. He led the company through a successful sale in 2019, with EIVA now established as an integral part of offshore and marine engineering specialist, Covelya Group.

Jeppe says, “Having navigated through market downturns, the high of our successful sale process in 2019, and most recently the unprecedented lockdown experiences of COVID and the impact of the Ukraine war, it is with sadness that I am stepping down as CEO. It will be the great colleagues I will miss most; EIVA is a different company to the one I joined but through all the growth, the business has kept its great culture – we know it is about work, but it is also important to enjoy it while we are there.”

 Stephen Fasham, EIVA’s chairman and Covelya Group’s CEO, says, “I’ve been privileged to work with Jeppe over the last four years, have learned a lot from him, and the legacy he leaves at EIVA will be long remembered as we continue to grow from the strong base created by Jeppe and his team. I am truly delighted that we’ve been able to retain Jeppe on a part-time basis and look forward to the part he will play in further developing the whole group, and to his great contribution to EIVA from his position on the board. I’d also like to thank Flemming and the whole EIVA management team for stepping up during a difficult time for the company and for providing strong leadership during this transition.

 EIVA continues to move forward, with planned expansion into our Singapore location this year, as well as new product releases. Under Jeppe’s leadership, EIVA has become a critical part of Covelya Group, developing new partnerships with other Covelya companies from which we are already seeing results, and we have expectations for more in the coming years. Supported by Covelya, we will see EIVA further strengthen its market leader position, and I look forward to welcoming Jeppe back many times in the future to share with him the new chapters in EIVA’s story.”