Chief legal officer | Wilh. Wilhelmsen Group
Since 2013 Aaserud Morten has served as chief legal officer at global maritime industry group Wilh. Wilhelmsen, the world’s largest maritime network with operations in over 70 countries. Morten has...
General counsel | Eni Norge
Part of the Italian Eni Group, Eni Norge produces energy from every region in the Norwegian continental shelf and operates the Marulk and Goliat production fields. Well respected in both...
Executive vice president for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and general counsel | Norsk Hydro
Working in the legal team for one of Norway’s biggest companies, Norsk Hydro, since 1998, Anne-Lene Midseim is a highly respected figure in Norway’s in-house legal community. The global aluminium...
Legal director | Total E&P Norge
Total E&P Norge was created in 1999 from a merger of Total, Fina and Elf. Today it contributes approximately 12% of Total Group’s entire oil and gas production. Heading a...
General counsel | Aker ASA
As the longest serving general counsel at one of Norway’s largest companies in the private sector, Arild Støren Frick, in cooperation with the CEO, the board and the audit committee...
General counsel | EVRY
Formed in 2010 by a merger of Norway’s two biggest IT companies, EVRY is today one of the leading IT companies in the Nordic region. With his vast experience in...
Group general counsel | DNB
One source speaks glowingly of Audun Moen as a ‘visionary, inspiring and enthusiastic leader who simply delivers great results’. Since 2003 Moen has been employed by DNB, Norway’s largest financial...
Chief legal officer | Cermaq
Described by peers as a ‘solid’ lawyer, Axel Gustavsen started his broad in-house career with Aker Solutions, going on to then join law firm Thommessen in 2008-09 and then returned...
General counsel | Nord Pool
Camilla Berg continues to impress in her role as general counsel for Nord Pool, Europe’s leading power market that offers a range of services across fifteen European countries. Her involvement...
Legal director | Santander Consumer Bank
Over the years multi-faceted lawyer Carine Lindman-Johannesen has accumulated a wide range of experience in the financial sector. Her multi-faceted career started in 2000 as a junior associate at the...
Legal director | Finanstilsynet (The Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway)
As the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway, Finanstilsynet is the government agency tasked with regulating companies operating in Norway’s financial sector. As general counsel for the institution, Cecilie Ask holds...
Vice president, general counsel | Kongsberg Gruppen
For around 14 years, Christian Karde has held his position of vice president, general counsel for Kongsberg Gruppen, an international technology corporation that develops advanced systems and technologies for the...
Legal counsel | SAS
As the sole counsel for Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) Norge, Christian Wang Schumacher covers a broad selection of legal aspects of the business, ranging from passenger complaints to purchasing aircrafts...
Head of legal and business affairs | Rubicon TV
As a technology fan and big consumer of music and movies, Christian With concedes his career path became obvious from his early years at law school. His core subject areas...
General counsel | Folketrygdfondet
As the first lawyer at Folketrygdfondet, the state-owned company that manages Norway’s government pension fund, Christina Stray knew she had to pave the way and structure the function to make...
General counsel | Sporveien Oslo
Responsible for legal, compliance and corporate governance at Sporveien Group, Christina Wiggen has been continuously noted by peers in the region for her all round competence and diligence in the...
General counsel | Solör Bioenergi Group
In 2011 and during his time as a private practice lawyer, Daniel Jilkén started working with Solør Bioenergi, a Norwegian district heating company that produces wood-based bioenergy. Over time he...
Vice president and general counsel | Sapa Extrusion Europe
Daniel Lindebjerg Haaland landed his first legal position at law firm Selmer, working on high yield bonds, banking, corporate, and security law matters. This led Haaland onto a secondment as...
General counsel, Nordic and Baltic region | Nokia
When the Finnish giant Nokia acquired French technology company Alcatel-Lucent in 2016 in a deal worth $16.6bn, it made news headlines across the globe. Before the deal was concluded Ellen-Karine...
Executive vice president, group general counsel | SAPA
Internationally experienced lawyer Florian Krumbacher started his legal career as an attorney at law firms Linklaters in Munich and Thommessen in Oslo. Krumbacher started his in-house career at Compaq computers...
General counsel Europe | Fugro Norway
Fugro is a Dutch multinational that provides geotechnical, survey, subsea, and geoscience services – typically for clients in the oil and gas, telecommunications, and infrastructure sector. Overseeing the legal matters...
Chief legal officer | Norwegian Air Shuttle
Frode Berg is the chief legal officer for Norwegian Air Shuttle, Europe’s third largest low-cost airline and the sixth largest lowcost airline in the world. Berg and the rest of...
Vice president, legal | Telia
Frode Lillebakken was general counsel of Tele2 in Norway when it merged with Swedish telecommunications company TeliaSonera in 2015 and played a big part in overseeing the merger and subsequent...
Senior vice president legal and compliance | Aker Solutions
Frode Strømø started his legal career at law firm BA-HR in 2000 and after four years at the firm as a senior associate he then spent four year at international...
General counsel | Powel
Greta Kelwing Haugberg has served as legal counsel for a number of globally respected companies, giving her the opportunity to work on a number of well-known transactions. She started her...
Group legal counsel | Storebrand
Håkon Amundsen has been integral in leading the Storebrand legal team through a number of new regulations effectively, achieving both commercially and legally viable outcomes. His astute project management has...
Legal director | Dell
Commercial IT legal director for Dell’s Nordic operation, Hans Flensted- Jensen leads Dell’s EMC’S legal team in the Nordic region – a team of five people spread out in all...
Senior vice president, legal and general counsel | Statoil
Not many GCs make the transition to CEO, but even fewer make the transition back again. Before joining Statoil, Hans Henrik Klouman spent four years as CEO for SEB Enskilda....
Legal counsel | Norske Shell
Norske Shell’s history goes back over 100 years and today it operates as a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell producing oil and gas as well as operating petrol stations. Through...
Senior vice president, legal and compliance and general counsel | Kvaerner
Henrik Inadomi is the senior vice president and general counsel at Kvaerner, an engineering and construction services company that has a long history in the decommissioning of off shore oil...
Group general counsel | Ulstein Group
Over the last 10 years Ingvill Mari Saunes has served as the general counsel for Ulstein Group, the parent company of a group of maritime companies, specialising in ship design...
General counsel | Forsvarsmateriell (Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency)
When talking about Johan Woo Kvandal, one peer gives the following praise: ‘he earned an INSEAD MBA, a vice president position at Statnett, and position as the chief general legal...
Legal Director | Jotun
Based in Sandefjord, the Jotun Group supplies specialised paints and coatings to over 100 countries through a network of 63 companies and 37 production facilities across the globe. Jotun products...
General counsel | Kongsberg Automotive
Originally part of the Norwegian conglomerate Kongsberg Gruppen, today Kongsberg Automotive (KA) manufactures automotive parts for the global vehicle industry with production plants all over the world. Jon Munthe was...
Legal director | Konkurransetilsynet (The Norwegian Competition Authority)
When Karin Stakkestad Laastad became legal director for the Norwegian Competition Authority in August 2012, it was on an acting basis to be held until the end of that year....
Executive vice president, group functions and legal affairs | Orkla
Orkla Group is a leading supplier of branded consumer goods that operates mainly in the Nordic, Baltic and Central European regions. Away from consumer goods, Orkla Group also has significant...
General counsel and human resources director - head of human resources, compliance and legal | Coor
Testament to her legal nous and management expertise, Katrine Hverven Sontum has gained additional responsibilities at Coor since joining as general counsel in 2012. In addition to her role as...
General counsel | Nortura
Supplying Norway’s major brands, Nortura is the country’s leading supplier of meat and eggs. Kjell Clement Ludvigsen joined as legal director in September 2016 and since his arrival Nortura entered...
Legal director | ABB
Kjerstin Bull-Berg has been with the Norwegian arm of Swiss company ABB, which manufactures and supplies power and automation technology products to utility and industrial customers, for over 21 years....
Legal director | Coop Norge
The Norwegian cooperative with over 1.3 million members is also Norway’s second largest daily retailer and operates approximately 1,100 grocery stores in the country. Knut B. Kjøsnes worked in the...
Executive vice president, general counsel | Yara International
Yara International is one of the best performing companies in Norway. It the world’s leading producer of nitrates, calcium nitrate, fertilisers and the global number two in ammonia production. It...
General counsel | Get AS and TDC A/S
Considered one of Norway’s best international lawyers, Laila Myksvoll has an excellent reputation for her extensive experience in the legal field. In 2010 she was appointed as general counsel for...
Senior vice president head of group tax | Statkraft
Lars Henie is known as an ‘excellent’ lawyer who also holds the position of head of tax in the Norwegian multinational group Statkraft, a leading company in hydropower internationally and...
General counsel | Aker BioMarine
Lars Jacobsen assumed his position as general counsel at Aker BioMarine AS, a Norwegian fishing and biotech company in March 2017, and has since taken on a systematic approach to...
Head of legal - Northern Europe | Elkjøp
Since its formation in 1962, Elkjøp has grown into one of Scandinavia’s largest electronics retailers with subsidiaries and stores across the Nordic region, including Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands...
Executive director and general counsel | Norges Bank
Norges Bank, Norway’s central bank, plays a wide role in the country’s financial system, from promoting stability through its executive and advisory activities to ensuring payment systems and financial markets...
Vice president, legal and licensing | Freebit
In 2015, Martin Ekelund assumed his current position as vice president legal and licensing for Freebit, owner of an intellectual property right (IPR) portfolio for C-shaped ear interface technology. In...
| Siemens
Established in Norway since 1898, the German multinational company Siemens has a number of business operations today in the country ranging from gas and wind power to power generation services...
Director global product supply | PHARMAQ
PHARMAQ is the world’s leading pharmaceutical company in the aquaculture industry, supplying vaccines and innovation for health products across Europe and the rest of the world. At the end of...
General counsel | NSB Gjøvikbanen
As general counsel of NSB AS, Otto Sivertsen Roheim has contributed to the company’s evolution from ‘an enterprise with low economic results, delivering transportation services with occasionally poor predictability, into...
Legal director | Apotek 1 Gruppen
Øystein Askim joined the largest Norwegian pharmacy chain, Apotek 1 Gruppen, in 2007 and today is the company’s legal director. With a turnover of over NOK 11bn and more than...
Executive vice president primary market and legal affairs | Oslo Børs
Starting out at Oslo Børs as a lawyer for several years, Øyvind Amundsen assumed his current position in 2010 as executive president responsible for the primary market section and all...
General counsel | CGI Norge
Per Anders Vaagenes serves as the only lawyer in CGI Norge, providing legal support to the 300 employees of the company, all of whom require approval from legal on a...
Legal director | Sopra Steria Holding
Peter Lenda is an accredited in-house lawyer with broad experience from both private and public sector working within the IT field. After being a junior researcher at the Norwegian Research...
Human resources and legal director | Europris
Petter Wilskow has been the human resources and legal director of Europris, a Norwegian retail chain which sells from over 200 mostly franchise-based stores in Norway, for the last 11...
General counsel | NorgesGruppen
NorgesGruppen’s history goes back over 150 years and the company today is one of the largest players in the Norwegian grocery retail market earning close to $10bn in 2016. Ragna...
General counsel | FSN Capital Partners
Prior to joining leading Nordic investment advisory firm FSN Capital Partners as general counsel in January 2015 Rebecca Svensøy worked as a lawyer at law firm Schjødt in Oslo specialising...
Executive vice president and general counsel | Petroleum Geo-Services
Rune Olav Pedersen, joined PGS in 2010 as general counsel and has since continually added to his responsibilities; in 2014 he also became responsible for group communication, strategic customer relations...
General counsel | Questback
Founded in 2000, Questback is an online survey and feedback software company that helps its global clientele base achieve competitive advantages by improving employee engagement and consumer experiences. In the...
Legal Counsel – Senior business developer | Gjensidige Forsikring
Consistently praised by peers in the region, Simen Aasen Engebretsen has made his mark both on corporate and structuring issues throughout the business. Described as ‘proactive’ at handling complex legal...
General counsel | Posten Norge
For the last two years, Siv Jahr has served as general counsel for Posten Norge, assisting in a number of significant transactions involving employment law issues. Since joining Posten Norge...
Executive vice president and general counsel | Scatec
Starting his career at Norwegian law firm Selmer in 2005 Snorre Valdimarsson focused mainly on finance, debt capital markets and M&A. Part of his work involved advising the former electric...
General counsel | Norwegian Export Credit Guarantee Agency (GIEK)
In his current role as general counsel for Norwegian Export Credit Guarantee Agency (GEIK), Ståle Torgersbråten leads the largest internal department in GIEK consisting of 15 lawyers and legal employees....
Associate general counsel | Nexans Norway
Stein Ove Erdal currently works as associate general counsel within the subsea segments for Nexans Norway’s Submarine High Voltage division and Hybrid Underwater Cable division. His main priorities in this...
General counsel | Bane NOR SF
Stine Renée Jarslett, general counsel for Bane NOR, the state-owned company responsible for the Norwegian national railway infrastructure, has been nominated by peers for her involvement in a number of...
General counsel | Spectrum
Responsible for significantly improving the legal function at Spectrum, Svein Staalen has worked closely with the business as part of the executive management in order to foster a more tailored...
General counsel | Borregaard
Sveinung Heggen was appointed as general counsel for Borregaard, a Norway-based company engaged in bio-refineries, in January 2013. In his current role he is responsible for all legal matters in...
Chief legal officer | AIM Norway
In March 2016 Thomas Leroy took on his current role as chief legal officer at AIM Norway, a supplier of maintenance, repair and modification services for aircraft, helicopters, components and...
Head of legal Norway | Dansk Bank (Norge)
Following seven years at law firm Wiersholm, Thomas Stølen’s extensive record of advising on corporate law caught the attention of Danske Bank Norge. He was recruited in 2008 as the...
Chief legal director | DNV GL
The chief legal director for DNV GL, a company named the nation’s most innovative company for 2016 by Norway’s leading innovation magazine, Innovasjonsmagasinet, Thor Winther has been a prime contributor...
Vice president, legal operations and legal director Europe Africa | TechnipFMC
In charge of a large legal sphere covering operations in the regions of Africa, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia Pacific, North America and South America, Tomas Bille currently has 100...
General counsel | TV2 Norway
Commercially minded media law expert Tomas Myrboastad has a large range of experience and specialism in regulatory issues for digital technology and content distribution with more than ten years in...
Group legal counsel | Norsk Gjenvinning Norge
Currently holding the position as group legal counsel for Norsk Gjenvinning Norge, Tor Olav Carlsen believes he gained experience for this role through his previous position as process operator for...
Managing counsel | ConocoPhillips Norge
In 1969, Phillips Petroleum Company discovered oil in the Ekofisk field, part of the Norwegian Shelf and one of the most important oil fields in the North Sea to this...
Executive vice president, general counsel and chief corporate affairs officer | Telenor
Wenche Agerup moved in-house in 1993 after a successful three year spell at law fi rm Thommessen, Krefting, Greve & Lund. She made the move having worked closely with in-house...
Norway enjoys a stable and strong economic climate and is ranked as one of the world’s wealthiest nations per capita. Known for its educated and technologically advanced society, Norway has gained a reputation for its high living standards, open markets, low levels of corruption and vast natural resources. These qualities have contributed to making it a desirable country for businesses and the sixth easiest country to do business in according to the World Bank Report 2017.
The country’s economy is dominated by the offshore oil and gas sector, a robust industry with extensive operations that account for approximately 25% of Norway’s value creation. In response to the recent fall in global oil prices, new fiscal and monetary policies have been implemented to maintain the economy’s steady growth. However, Norway is not simply an oil economy, and has leading companies in a range of sectors, including food processing, shipbuilding, telecommunications and hydropower equipment. The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Norway features in-house legal counsel from companies across all these sectors and more, with internationally renowned legal talent from some of the most important domestic and international businesses
and organisations recognised.
In particular, the GC Powerlist: Norway includes those in-house lawyers that have been able to successfully combine their technical legal ability with excellent business acumen to make a truly indispensable
contribution to their company’s success. Over several months our experienced researchers consulted both law firm partners and in-house counsel in order to garner nominations for those believed to provide the most outstanding support and innovative methods of working in the market. We then chose those nominees who were most worthy of inclusion through background research and telephone interviews.
I would like to express my personal thanks to our sponsors for supporting this publication, Arntzen de Besche. A special mention must also be made for in-house lawyers that took time to speak to us throughout the process, and for the research team that worked on this GC Powerlist publication.
David Burgess
Publishing Director
We are honoured and pleased to congratulate the general counsels being admitted and nominated to The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Norway 2017. The role of general counsels has changed during the years, with an increasing focus on the importance of being present when the company evaluates strategic and operational possibilities, challenges and threats.
The management in large and medium sized companies is more dependent than ever before on having general counsels and legal departments that have a strong combination of academic skills and business acumen. General counsels and legal departments that possess such skills will contribute with value-added advice and recommendations to management and the board of directors in improving the competitive sphere for the company, inhibit and solve problems that occur and spot the possibilities a constantly developing world brings.
Arntzen de Besche works closely with general counsels and legal departments in large and medium-sized Norwegian and international companies within a high number of sectors and countries. The combination of the perspectives, challenges and possibilities they experience, motivates and thrives us in constantly focusing on new thinking, improvement of the services we provide and how we can even more fulfil the demands of the general counsels and legal departments. We know the challenges general counsel and legal departments face within different sectors.
Legal areas such as compliance, data security, privacy, digitalisation and corporate governance are given an increasingly higher focus and attention in the board room and management meetings. General counsels and law fi rms must be innovative to maintain strong competitive advantages. Again, we congratulate all of the general counsels who have been admitted into the GC Powerlist. Your work, knowledge and dedication provide true value to shareholders, employees and stakeholders.
We are delighted to launch our first China GC Powerlist since the pandemic. It has been far too long since we could celebrate the best in-house lawyers in this remarkable country, but it has certainly been worth the wait. We thoroughly enjoyed researching this edition and are immensely grateful to the many lawyers and GCs who supported us over the past few months to bring this publication to fruition. The launch event was a huge success, with over 120 key legal professionals who make up the elite of the Chinese legal scene attending to hear speeches from leading partners at sponsor firm Tian Yuan and the in-house lawyers who made it on to this exclusive list.
In particular, the excellent team at Tian Yuan Law Firm played a pivotal role in providing insights into key market changes and introducing some of the most innovative GCs for consideration in this publication.
As expected for legal and business leaders in such a powerhouse economy, we had an abundance of outstanding candidates to choose from. Narrowing it down to the final 100 names was no easy task. Congratulations to everyone included—earning a place on this prestigious list was a significant achievement.
