Executive Spotlight · Human Resources
Maybe it's my inner lawyer, but I love proving people wrong.
Marius G. Smørvik chose law school because, looking analytically at his skills in high school, he saw a good shot at succeeding as a lawyer. The work turned out to be lonely. What he was missing he found in the HR services industry: working internationally, building solutions instead of winning arguments, and people. Along the way he was laid off, kept on, and moved onto the leadership track, and in 2023 he was named leader of the year. Today he is Chief Operations & Product Officer at Parakar Group, leading teams across Europe from Kristiansand, Norway. He talks here about leading as an introvert, the manager who helped him rise to her own level, why trust is non-negotiable, and the music he makes as FIORINA 161.
Marius G. Smørvik
Chief Operations & Product Officer, Parakar Group · November 3, 2026
You studied law in Bergen but, in your own words, never really fell in love with the actual lawyering, and a manager once called you the least lawyery lawyer he knows. What were you looking for back then that the law alone did not give you? And when did you realise that what you actually loved was people and how they work?
I chose law school basically because I looked analytically at my skillset in high school, where my grades were solid, my reading and writing ability, and I determined I would have a good shot at being successful as a lawyer. I also had the grades for it, and I thought it's an education I can use for a lot of different things (which I still believe).
After law school, I spent 2.5 years at a technical staffing and outsourcing company as a Site Negotiator and Legal Advisor, and that was my first contact with the HR services sector. I left to progress my career, and joined a large Norwegian law firm. In the beginning it went really well, but over time I found out that the firm had needs which didn't align with my professional interests. I also found the work lonely, in the sense that we were all working our cases completely separately.
I wanted to feel part of something greater and moved on. After working a couple different jobs, I ended up at KellyOCG, where I ultimately spent 11 years. There was just an immediate cultural fit and I loved working internationally. I also loved the company's purpose of connecting people and work.
The job was incredibly challenging, but I was trusted to find and build solutions to complex problems and I just loved that. It shifted the somewhat negative focus of winning legal conflicts into building solutions. I think what my former manager meant about not being very lawyery is that I always work towards a solution, rather than just focusing on being right.
Kelly put me on the leadership development path, and I gradually realized that my future was in people leadership and business. I just loved working with people, joining sales calls, traveling and meeting new people, recruiting and building my team. So I went all in, started studying for my MBA, and this path led me to my current role as an international COO with Parakar Group.
Winning leader of the year at Kelly in 2023 was my personal crowning achievement, because it came on the back of a lot of struggle and even being laid off at one point. Maybe it's my inner lawyer, but I love proving people wrong.
“Maybe it's my inner lawyer, but I love proving people wrong.”
“I always work towards a solution, rather than just focusing on being right.”
You have written about your first international role, at 30: you promised your boss you would be good at the job in three months, and he gave you six weeks. Your first project was rescuing a contract that 35 UK suppliers refused to sign, and you felt like you had bluffed your way into the role. What did those weeks teach you about yourself? And how does that memory shape the way you treat people who are new, or in over their heads, on your teams today?
It taught me so many things. The most important is the value of hard work and persistence. Another lesson is that everyone is faking it. One of the most senior lawyers on the side of one of the other companies raised a concern I found really odd. He was incredibly confident in his delivery. I researched the issue and realized he was completely and utterly wrong. That gave me confidence, because if he can be that confident and still be wrong, I can be half as confident and right (most of the time). The third lesson I'd highlight is the sense of team. Some of the people I worked closely with on this project are close friends today, and we often reference "being in the trenches" together as a great way to learn who's got your back, who gets stuff done, and who will be there when things get tough.
“The most important is the value of hard work and persistence.”
“If he can be that confident and still be wrong, I can be half as confident and right (most of the time).”
You have shared that outside consultants once struggled to see your value and you could have ended up on a redundancy list, until a senior leader said no, we are keeping Marius. A year later you were named Key Talent. What was it like to be close to invisible, and what did you learn from the person who saw you? How has it changed the way you look for the value in people whose work does not fit neatly into a box?
It was a terrible experience to finally find a company I love and experience being really successful at a job I excel at for a few years, only for my employer to tell me that I was no longer needed. I remember the head of HR at the time bluntly telling me that there were no other roles at the company for me at that time. That really hurt.
When news broke that my role was saved, I became like a hot potato to be passed around and they didn't know where to put me in the organization, which also wasn't a great feeling.
Where they did place me was disappointing, because they had me reporting into someone whom I considered to operate at a similar level to myself, which means that I had no space to grow into. What I hadn't considered was that this particular manager felt the same way I did and did everything to help me advance up to her own level. She immediately replicated my position in the US and had me manage my team for the first time. I realized that I had a great opportunity to really progress and I decided to prove everyone wrong.
In terms of how that changed how I view people, I think it helped me learn to see beyond job titles and see the whole person and what they contribute. In my case, my role was made up of a thousand moving parts, and that probably made me vulnerable in the view of people who view people and roles more rigidly. These days I definitely value the people who move seamlessly between different roles and teams, and bridge the gaps in the organization. Just like in sports, I just love a player who can comfortably play multiple positions. They might never be the best at one thing, but they are like the glue in the team.
“I think it helped me learn to see beyond job titles and see the whole person and what they contribute.”
“They might never be the best at one thing, but they are like the glue in the team.”
You describe yourself as an introvert who gets nervous before presenting, and you once wrote that no plant will grow fruit without being placed in fertile ground. Today you lead about 40 managers and consultants across Europe. How has being an introvert shaped the kind of leader you are, and the culture you try to build: who gets heard, who gets recognised, and how you hire?
I actually hope it hasn't shaped me too much, because I have to say it's sometimes challenging to overcome. However, I think it's taught me that the loudest voice isn't always right or the most knowledgeable. I try to bring a safe space for all my team members and to build strong relationships that allow people to be themselves and show their best qualities without fear.
I also try to accommodate different people in different ways. Some people love a call, while others hate calls and prefer writing emails or on teams. Some people thrive on structure; others thrive when things are unpredictable. I try to be flexible and offer my teams an environment that supports their needs and their mental health in a sustainable way. I believe this creates happier, better performing, and more loyal employees.
I also try to really proactively see people and what they contribute, and I don't just allow the loudest voice to dictate the agenda.
“The loudest voice isn't always right or the most knowledgeable.”
“I try to bring a safe space for all my team members and to build strong relationships that allow people to be themselves and show their best qualities without fear.”
You were already working remotely before the pandemic, and you moved into leadership that way, eventually leading people across three continents from Kristiansand. You have also written that if your manager does not trust you, you should leave. Where does trust come from for you? Was there someone who trusted you early, or someone who did not, who made it non-negotiable in the way you lead?
Mutual trust is one of my non-negotiables, and that applies both upwards and downwards. I've had lots of different managers over the years, and I think they all taught me something: either something to do, or something not to do. I think there is no growth without trust. I've always thrived whenever I had a leader that trusted me to do what's right and make the right calls, and I try to also trust my team members by default. An employee who doesn't trust you is also effectively unmanageable, so for me trust is fundamental. I would not have this career without certain amazing leaders who trusted me and pushed me forward.
“I think there is no growth without trust.”
“I would not have this career without certain amazing leaders who trusted me and pushed me forward.”
After more than eleven years with your previous company, you joined Parakar in October 2025 as COO, while finishing an MBA in Barcelona. What made you take that step at that point in your life, and what did you have to leave behind? What do you want people at Parakar to say about what it is like to work for you, five years from now?
Kelly was shifting their focus away from Europe and global business, and I found myself in a difficult position where I could end up needing to move to the US to continue my development. I decided this was the right time to try my luck elsewhere, and I talked with a few different companies. Parakar Group was the right fit, as I wanted to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and really build something special. I also love the culture and the teams at Parakar.
Of course I left behind a safe and comfortable role with a good salary, and a lot of dear friends and colleagues whom I hope to be able to stay close to. Fortunately, a lot of great people have left Kelly over the last 12 years, so I keep running into former colleagues all over the place!
5 years from now, I hope my teams at Parakar still like working for me and feel like I did right by them and supported their growth and their careers. I'm a firm believer that a company is just a collection of people, and if I take good care of my people they will take good care of our customers.
“I wanted to be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and really build something special.”
“I'm a firm believer that a company is just a collection of people, and if I take good care of my people they will take good care of our customers.”
Outside work, you compose and produce retro-futuristic electronic music with guitars as FIORINA 161, and you once posted that a hike with your dog did not teach you anything about business, but it was very nice. What does making music give you that work cannot? And what would the Marius in the studio want the Marius in the boardroom to remember?
I've always struggled with being interested in too many things and keeping too many hobbies. Music has always been (and still is) a huge part of my life, as is nature and my dog.
I love that music is pure creativity. Any musical idea starts as random chaos which is slowly molded into something structured that makes sense. If done well, it even sparks joy for people. I kind of hope to do the same at work.
I hope that studio Marius can sometimes remind work Marius to have fun, not take things too seriously, and that order usually emerges from the chaos if you just keep chipping away at it!
“I love that music is pure creativity.”
“Order usually emerges from the chaos if you just keep chipping away at it!”
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