With a track record of driving commercial and operational excellence in both public and private companies, Karl Fessenden has successfully continued to grow his company, and position it to thrive with innovative long-term strategies.
Fessenden has served as president and CEO of BrandSafway for three and a half years. He spent the first 25 years of his career leading complex service-based businesses, serving as head of GE’s $8 billion Power Generation Services unit, MB Aerospace’s president and COO and CHC Helicopter’s CEO.
"When I consider the things I am most proud of in my professional career, I think of the moments where there was a challenge or a crisis to solve because it is within those critical moments that define what kind of leader you are going to be," Fessenden shared.
Fessenden is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and earned a master’s in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the Hartford Graduate Center.
"My father was a mechanical engineer, and he steered me to pursue engineering," Fessenden said. "It’s a fundamental degree that offers lots of opportunities to develop strong critical thinking skills. I have always been interested in how things work, the manufacturing side of things and how things are made. It’s fascinating what humans can achieve, the extraordinary feats of engineering from skyscrapers to the space shuttle."
A solid education, continual training and development, hands-on experience and a professional passion help distinguish the company’s workforce in the marketplace. BrandSafway has earned a reputation over the past 100 years for attracting and developing a world-class workforce that is able to adapt to and anticipate the changing needs of its customers.
BrandSafway continues to focus on innovation, recognizing that as the world becomes more global and essentially smaller, there is an increased focus on faster productivity — using digitization and technology to improve effectiveness with data and analytics. The continual cycle of the older workforce retiring and new talent entering presents some unique challenges because each generation is motivated by different factors, Fessenden said.
"Leaders need to adapt to trends and understand motivations in order to attract and retain the best talent," Fessenden said. He predicts AI will be used strategically to simplify basic tasks to allow people to focus on higher level responsibilities.
"Our industry is strong, and we have an extremely positive outlook," Fessenden said. "We have intentionally created a strong culture that puts safety first and foremost, prioritizes our people and relies on a strong foundation of internal and external relationships."
To that end, the BrandSafway family of companies has programs in place to develop its craft leadership and to provide employees with a career path for growth.
Its internship program introduces bright students to the industry and enables them over the course of a summer to participate in a structured schedule with assignments that build teamwork skills, foster mentorship opportunities and present their key learnings to the senior leadership team.
BrandSafway has made inclusion a significant priority in order to make sure every voice is heard. "Diversity of thought, culture and background helps problem solving and drives creativity," Fessenden said. "It behooves us to develop many people from diverse backgrounds." The company partners with Gotara, a firm that focuses on leadership training programs for STEM+ talent.
While BrandSafway concentrates on empowering its team members, it also places a strong emphasis on increasing customer understanding regarding the vast array of products and services offered at every stage of the project lifecycle.
"BrandSafway is truly unlike any other company when you consider the breadth and depth of our unique product and service offerings, including scaffolding, insulation, coatings, mast climbers, our QuikDeck® Suspended Access System and so much more," Fessenden said. "We are continually looking for new ways to help our customers complete their projects most efficiently, while always prioritizing safety."
For more information, visit brandsafway.com.
