SPEAKERS 2019
At SHE Conference 2019 we gathered over 70 incredible speakers from around the world - business leaders, founders, investors, thought leaders, and policymakers from different sectors.
SIV JENSEN
Minister of Finance
Siv Jensen is a Norwegian politician (FrP), appointed in 2013 to be the Finance Minister of the Government of Erna Solberg.
Jensen has been the leader of the Progress Party since May 6, 2006, parliamentary leader from October 5, 2005 to October 17, 2013,
Parliamentary Deputy from October 5, 2001 to October 5, 2005, and Parliamentary Representative for Oslo since October 1, 1997. She was also First Deputy Chairman of the party from May 2, 1999 to May 6, 2006. From education she is a diploma economist.
HEIDI AVEN
CEO and Founder of SHE
Heidi Aven is the co-founder of SHE, as well as having founded a series of other companies, with an intrinsic desire to create something new. Heidi has a large network of contacts, and is a strong believer that collaboration is key to achieving success. Heidi has extensive experience with digital conversion processes, IT strategies and consulting and management functions. Heidi has been named one of the most influential women in Nordic Tech by Business Insider. Together with Linn Cecilie Linnemann, Heidi founded SHE Community in 2015.
CAMILLA HAGEN SØRLI
Chair of SHE
Camilla Hagen Sørli is the chair of SHE and works as a marketing manager at PRG Group. She is also chair and co owner of Canica, one of the largest privately owned investment companies in Norway, and sits at the boards for companies such as Komplett, Jernia and The Well. Camilla has a BA from Kings College London, an MA from the University of Oslo and executive education from Harvard University. As a leading advocate for women empowerment and health, she is a founding member of the Maverick Collective and Chair of the SHE Community. Camilla is also a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.
KAREN BOEZI
Managing director at QB3
Karen Boezi is a member of Broadway Angels and the founding managing director of QB3's Executive Mentorship Program. She's also a co-founder of the new San Francisco Girls' School and Center of Excellence for Girls' STEM Education initiatives. Previously, Karen was the CEO of Redwood Bioscience which she joined as the first non-founder employee, leading the company through its successful acquisition by Catalent (CTLT). Redwood, now Catalent Biologics, continues to be a pioneer in developing therapeutic conjugate technology and antibody-drug conjugates for improving cancer treatment. Prior to joining Redwood, Karen was a co-founder and partner of Thomas, McNerney & Partners (TMP), a healthcare technology-focused venture firm.
RUNE SYVERSEN
CEO and co-founder of Crayon Group Holdings ASA
Rune Syversen is the CEO and co-founder of Crayon Group Holdings ASA, a global leader in IT and digital transformation services. He is a known serial entrepreneur, as he thrives off of innovation and tenacity. Syversen has launched more than 10 companies, most of them in IT and finance. He also has held several senior positions in the Telenor group in Norway and Sweden. He has been a long-time supporter of SHE conference, serving in various roles including SHE conference board member and facilitating Crayon’s sponsorship of the event.
HAYLEY MULENDA
International Speaker, Author and Change Agent
Hayley Mulenda is a Multi-Award Winning International Speaker, Author and Change Agent who has impacted thousands with her story, life lessons, and strategies on mental health and personal development.
Hayley has held sessions across the United Kingdom, USA and Africa working with some of the biggest corporations and institutions in the world.
After nearly committing suicide at the age of 18, Hayley soon realised how mental health issues are increasingly affecting millennials and she was passionate to do something about it. In 2016, Hayley published her first book "The ABCs To Student Success " which led to her going on a book tour, impacting thousands of young people teaching strategies on how to turn a breakdown to breakthrough.
TRINE GRUNG
Lecturer, Blogs and Entrepreneur.
Trine Grung has done a lot in her career. Everything from radio and TV presenter, guest at Oprah Winfrey twice and last time in great collaboration with Innovation Norway, blogged since 2004 and used social media for marketing for their business since social media came. She is currently the foundation of Digitalakademiet.no, which is a web school focusing on digital competence enhancement.
SONJA PERKINS
Managing Director of The Perkins Fund
Sonja Hoel Perkins is the Managing Director of The Perkins Fund, Founder of Broadway Angels and Founder of Project Glimmer. Considered one of the best performing and most senior professionals in venture capital, she invests broadly in all stages and areas of information technology including Internet, mobile, security, data, communications, consumer and software. Sonja has invested in over 50 companies throughout her career including “home runs” like Acme Packet, F5 Networks, McAfee Associates, and Q1 Labs. Many of her investments have achieved multi billion dollar valuations in the public markets. In 2015, Worth Magazine ranked Sonja among the 100 Most Powerful People in Finance in the World. Sonja currently serves as an outside director on the board of 128 Technology.
CHRISTIN BØSTERUD
Managing Partner, EY Norway and EY Law leader in EMEIA
Christin is an attorney-at-law and has been working for the global advisory and auditing firm EY most of her career. She was mid-2018 appointed head of EY’s Law practice comprising 2,200 lawyers in 59 EMEIA countries, and last December appointed Country Managing Partner for EY Norway with around 1,900 employees.
Christin is the Nordic sponsor for EY’s Women. Fast forward-program and was one of the founders of the Oslo initiative Women.3, providing mentors for female leaders and potential leaders.
EY has teamed with SHE to launch the “SHE Index - Powered by EY”, an initiative to promote transparency about gender balance in executive positions in business.
TORGEIR WATERHOUSE
Director of Internet & New Media
at IKT-Norge
Torgeir Waterhouse is also a sought-after lecturer and author. He has several boards and advisory positions for organizations and companies in the internet sphere, such as the Norwegian IPv6 Forum, the Norwegian Register of Domain Names, the Norwegian Safer Internet Project, the University College in Østfold, the Faculty of Computer Science, The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia, the Norwegian Digital Forum and more. He is also one of the founders of the highly successful Norwegian movement Lær Kidsa Koding, whose goal is to teach children in Norway to code, both in school and through private code clubs.
INDRANI GORADIA
Founder, Indranis Light Foundation
Indrani Goradia is a philanthropist and advocate for women’s health and empowerment. She is the founder of Indrani’s Light Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to dedicated to improving the level of care for domestic violence survivors by training and supporting front-line domestic violence caregivers in reducing compassion fatigue and burnout.
Indrani is a tireless advocate for girls and women leading empowerment trainings in several countries around the world. She is a board member of Everywoman Treaty and Think
Equal. She is an author, speaker and certified life coach, Indrani has delivered keynote addresses at conferences and leads workshops around the world. Indrani completed her formal education in New York City, attending Queens College and Kent State University.
MATTHEW SMITH
Founder & Presenter at TheLunicorn.com
Voted one of the most influential people in the Nordics in 2017, for his efforts at Angel Challenge kickstarting the Norwegian investment ecosystem. A former VC turn founder, Matt is better known for his entertaining stage performances and is the creator and presenter of a new online Web-Series (TheLunicorn.com) due to launch fall 2018.
JULIE SIMPSON
Founder and CEO at ResourceiT Consulting Ltd
Julie is a motivational technology channel expert who inspires others to achieve outstanding business results. Her organisation, ResourceiT Consulting (founded in 2003) enables technology companies to accelerate profitable growth, and has delivered over 3,000 projects for its technology sector clients. Author of the book ‘Maximising Your Investment as a Microsoft Partner’ and passionate about Diversity, she is Vice President of the Global Not-for-Profit Organisation, The WIT Network and President of IAMCP UK.
EIRIK NORMAN HANSEN
Founder at Eirik Norman AS
Eirik has just founded his own company after being CEO of Itch Design and has been working on digitalization. He has led several companies and has been in the management team of what became the largest digital agency in the Nordic region. Now he is building a brand new design and innovation agency in Norway, with equality built into the foundations. Eirik believes in fostering young talents and making them grow.
He is a true digital native with an optimistic outlook the impact technology has on people, society and business, and he sincerely believes that together we have fantastic opportunities and enormous responsibility for managing these opportunities in the best possible way.
PELLEGRINO RICCARDI
Global Keynote Speaker, Course Instructor, ChangeMaker
Motivational speaker, teacher, communications consultant, cross-cultural expert and even (once upon a time) a world-touring rock musician, Pellegrino Riccardi has spent the last 30 years travelling the globe connecting with people. The common thread running through these many roles is making a connection with audiences through their hearts and minds, and also helping the people he communicates with to connect and interact more effectively with each other.
Pellegrino’s style of public speaking is a seamless fusion of masterful storytelling and observational humour in what he calls “edutainment” (education + entertainment). Coupled with a unique combination of powerful visual and multimedia effects, Pellegrino takes his audience on a visceral and emotional journey. “I don’t just want my audiences to understand my message; I want them to feel it too,” says Pellegrino.
ANDY CHEN
Nordic venture partner for Vectr Ventures
Andy Chen is the Nordic venture partner for Vectr Ventures. Most recently he was the CEO of Aspiro Group (parent company and creator of TIDAL Music Streaming), a media technology company listed on NASDAQ Stockholm.
Andy currently serves on the World Economic Forum advisory council for media and technology. Prior to Aspiro Group, Andy was the CEO of Preview Networks, a leading venture-backed video content syndication and advertising platform.
He currently sits on the board of Unacast, Adjust, Linkfire, Scrive, Tattoodo, Falcon Social, and Iskilde. He holds a triple B.A. degree in Architecture, City Planning and Scandinavian Cultures from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Stockholm University.
SONY KAPOOR
International economist and policy entrepreneur
Sony Kapoor is an influential economist, financial sector expert and development practitioner. As Director of the international think tank Re-Define, Sony advises multilateral organisations, investors, central banks, as well as European and emerging economies on economic and financial policy. An alumnus of the LSE and the Indian Institute of Technology, Sony is a popular keynote speaker and commentator. Until recently, he also had a multidisciplinary role at the London School of Economics (LSE) as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the Development and Government Departments and a Strategy Advisor to its Systemic Risk Centre. He was also Special Advisor to the UN Environment Programme on green finance and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Asset Management and Insurance. Sony was also the first Chairman of the Banking Stakeholder Group at the European Banking Authority.
HILDE FÅLUN STRØM
Product Manager for Hurtigruten, Svalbard
Married, 2 children, 3 grandchildren, has been living in Svalbard for 23 years. Member of the Negotia Board, a Union. Expedition Leader- Svalbard Summit Ski Festival 2016, Arctic Haute Route 2017, Arctic Ski & Sail 2018, Reality TV Program “71° Nord”. Many long ski expeditions on Svalbard. Responsible for all operations of the classic ship M/S Nordstjernen. Meteorological Observer at Jan Mayen and at Bear Island, 2013-14 (8 months total). Has spent more than a full year total in Trapper’s Huts in the High Arctic. Has had more than 200 polar bear encounters. Has approx 60.000 km on Snowmobile on Svalbard.
Proficient in big game hunting – reindeer, fox, fowl – Svalbard
ERIC LAGIER
Co-founder and Managing Partner at byFounders
byFounders byFounders is an early stage venture fund actively investing in tech startups across the Nordics and Baltics. Made up of some of the region's most accomplished entrepreneurs, the byFounders Collective invests and supports the next generation of globally ambitious founders - it's "for founders, byFounders".
Eric has been involved in some of the Nordic’s most successful tech companies. Part of the early team at Skype (acquired by eBay), Tradeshift and co-founder of Memolane (acquired by HP). Based in San Francisco, Eric has built a strong network of tech executives and VC’s in Silicon Valley. He is board member at Cobalt.io and DenmarkBridge Advisor.
MARIE MOSTAD
Co-founder and COO of inzpire.me
Marie Mostad is Co-founder and COO of inzpire.me, a platform connecting brands and social media creators. She has a Masters in Strategic Management from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and has studied Graphic Design at Parsons in New York. Prior to co-founding Inzpire.me, Marie was a Creative Director at Rest Devices, a tech startup in Boston specializing in wearable sensor technology for infants. She was recently selected by Kapital as one of "40 under 40" who has made a mark in the business world.
JIMMY WESTERHEIM
Founder & CEO of The Human Aspect
Over the last decade Jimmy Westerheim has been working on developing people globally, through being a personal advisor for athletes, building teams for Doctors without Borders, volunteer work, public speaking, mentoring and 7 years in the world’s largest shipping group. Since summer 2016 he has founded & developed The Human Aspect - the world’s first life experience library. He has lived in over 50 countries, met thousands of people and officially interviewed over 300 about their life’s toughest challenge, how they overcame it and what they have learned. His unique experience from both top-level sports, coaching, international business and field work in some of the most dangerous places on the planet, has thought and challenged him on how the human mind and body function.
KJARTAN SLETTE
Co-Founder and CCO at Unacast
Kjartan Slette is the Co-Founder and COO at Unacast - the makers of the Real World Graph®. Unacast is a Norwegian company based out of NYC, leading the global push for accuracy and transparency in location data, and starting 2018 with strong revenue growth and a recent $17.5 capital raise. Unacast has won awards for its innovative culture based on decency and diversity. Previous to Unacast, Kjartan was part of the founding team at TIDAL, acquired by Jay Z in 2015.
SELDA EKIZ
Physicist, science communicator, TV host
Selda Ekiz has a master's degree in physics from the University of Bergen, and has become one of Norway’s most popular communicators of science, especially for children and young people, trough several years as a host on the TV show Newton. She has also led major projects like Anno and Alle mot en, and is a sought after speaker and scientific showmaker – or as she calls it “edutainer”. She hosted SHE Conference in 2017.
CHARLOTTE ASCHIM
CEO and Co-founder of TotalCtrl
Charlotte Aschim is the CEO and Co-founder of TotalCtrl, a top global digital retail innovation company that helps grocery retailers optimize their operations, cut cost and reduce food waste. Since December 2017, Charlotte has managed to get TotalCtrl on rankings alongside Amazon and Walmart, be one of Europe’s most inspiring food waste changemakers, receive a personal invite from the crown prince of Norway and the Finish embassy for her contribution in society, invited to pitch TotalCtrl on Google stage in San Francisco, be an Norwegian industry expert within sustainable technology and be the first Norwegian Food Mentor.
ELISABETH GRIEG
Co-owner of the Grieg Group and a member of the founding family
Chair of Grieg Maturitas, Grieg Star and member of several boards in the Group. She is vice chair of G2 Ocean AS and board member of TGS Nopec ASA. She served as the first female president of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association. Grieg has also served as Chairman of the Norwegian Guarantee Institute for Export Credits (GIEK) and board member of Nordea AB, Norsk Hydro and Statoil.
Grieg is well known for her strong social commitment through her work as a board member of both SOS Children's Villages in Norway and Grieg Foundation. She is a recognized business leader who is strongly committed to the need for sustainable business development and the fight against climate change.
ISABELLE FARZANEH DAVODI
Community Leader & Partner at Folk Oslo
Community leader for FOLK Oslo, her work includes developing a co-sharing innovative model for finding, testing and developing action-oriented solutions to UNs 17 sustainable development goals.
Her background is in humanitarian work such as: Red Cross, Norwegian Refugee Council, and she was recently a field-worker for Doctors Without Borders. She has worked on several integration and refugee projects in Norway. She is passionate about knowledge sharing and enjoys capitalizing on the diversity of opinions. Through her work, she empowers individuals to fully tap their potential and take action in their communities. She believes her strongest skills are rooted in human interaction processes.
JO RØISLIEN
Professor of statistics, Creative Director at Science Addiction, TV host
Jo Røislien has one foot in academia, as a university professor of medical statistics, and on foot in visual mass communication, having written and hosted multiple science TV-series and short films with an international audience. He is co-founder and creative director at Science Addiction, connecting music video directors with scientists to create innovative communication of complex topics. With his rare background in both academic research and mass communication he is a popular public speaker, and has given hundreds of talks worldwide, with audiences ranging from ministries and public offices to teachers, researchers and tech companies. Often on the art of communicating complex topics, but also on the importance of understanding numbers as a vital carrier of information.
THINA SALTVEDT
Senior Advisor in the Department of Sustainable Finance
Thina Margrethe Saltvedt works as a senior advisor in the Department of Sustainable Finance and is a member of the Climate and Environment Minister's Climate Council. Prior to this she worked for ten years as chief analyst for macro / oil in Nordea Markets. Before joining Nordea, she worked at Norges Bank in the area of Financial Stability. Thina holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), UK.
SUNNIVA ROSE
Physicists and Blogs
Rose holds a PhD in core and energy physics at the University of Oslo where she has researched the use of thorium in nuclear power plants.
She's known for her blog, where she writes about nuclear physics, research dissemination, fashion, interior and her daughter. In media she has argued for higher education in general science and that the media's coverage of risks caused by radioactive radiation is often strongly misleading.
INGRID TEIGLAND AKAY
MD and MBA
Ingrid is a medical doctor and experienced investment professional with background in healthcare, consumer goods and technology. She is founder and managing partner of the European fund management firm, Hadean Ventures, headquartered in Oslo. Prior to starting Hadean Ventures, Ingrid served as a senior investment professional at London-based Inventages. During her investment career, Ingrid has invested into and supported start-up companies globally in different phases of development, from R&D to commercial stage. As a medical doctor, she gained broad clinical experience working in diverse fields such as general medicineandsurgery, with exposure to both the public and private sector in several European countries including Scandinavia, Germany and the UK. Ingrid holds a medical degree from Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany, and an MBA with Finance Concentration from London Business School.
CHRISTINE SAGEN HELGØ
Mayor of Stavanger
Christine Sagen Helgø has been the Mayor of Stavanger since October 17, 2011 for the Conservative Party. Helgø has twelve years behind her in the Stavanger policy, the last eight years as group leader for the Conservative Party. For two periods she was a member of the municipal council for living conditions. She has also led the municipality's salary and administration committee for four years.
LISE KLAVENESS
Lawyer and Leader of Sports
Lise is a former professional football player, which has played 15 years at top level (the national team and the elite series in Norway and Sweden). She resigned in 2012 - when she started as a permanent football expert for NRK. She was the first female football player in TV2 (2005), and in the time as NRK expert she covered many championships and major events. And she was the first woman to comment on the World Cup for men.
She is an educated lawyer and has worked 8 years as a lawyer in Hjort, where she specialized in contract and labor law. After this she worked as a judge in Oslo District Court and two years as a legal special adviser in Norges Bank. Last year (September) she took up the position of director of the elite department in NFF. As far as she knows, she might be the first woman in the world who is employed as a sports director with responsibility for top football in both men and women.
ROWEGIANS
Rowed across the Atlantic
In 2018 Sophie Stabell, Hege Svendsberget and sisters Cornelia and Camilla Bull became the first ever Norwegian women to row across the Atlantic. They tell the story of how they worked together as a team through high seas, sleep deprivation and in extremely primitive conditions. They smashed records, however in their eyes the biggest achievement was the fact that they had completed an endeavour many didn't believe they where capable of.
LINDA HOFSTAD HELLELAND
Member of Parliament
Helleland is a Norwegian politician (H) who from January 17, 2018 has been the Minister of Children and Equality in Erna Solberg's government. She has been the Vice President of the World Anti-Doping Agency from 2017, and she is married to the parliamentary representative and parliamentary leader of the Conservative party, Trond Helleland.
TORBJØRN RØE ISAKSEN
Minister of Business Affairs
Isaksen is a Norwegian politician (H), raised in Porsgrunn. He has been Minister of Business Affairs in Erna Solberg's government since January 2018, having been Minister of Science from 2013 to 2018.
GAVRIELLA SCHUSTER
Corporate Vice President, Microsoft
As a C-Level Microsoft Executive and Thought Leader, she has grown a P&L of $6.5B and currently lead a global portfolio of channel partners that has influenced over $1 trillion in ecosystem revenues. Schuster bring over 20 years of leadership in digital and cloud transformation roles, driving strategy and execution spanning all aspects of business model and product development, launch, marketing, sales and partner development. She leads the global recruitment, enablement and engagement of Microsoft’s fast-growing partner ecosystem.
JAN CHRISTIAN VESTRE
CEO of Vestre
Jan Christian Vestre is CEO of the Norwegian family owned company Vestre, one of Europe's most successful manufacturers of urban furniture. He has a Master’s degree in law studies from the University of Oslo and has previously worked as a political adviser in the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry and in the Norwegian Parliament. Jan Christian believes that designers and manufacturers must contribute to achieve the UN’s 17 sustainability goals, and that today’s most important task is to create social and democratic meeting places for all people.
MAREN HJORTH BAUER
CEO and Co-founder of Katapult Ocean
Maren is passionate about helping ambitious startups make a positive impact in our oceans. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Katapult Ocean. Katapult Ocean invest in and support ocean tech startups with a positive impact on our oceans. Prior to that she has had international management positions with Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Orkla and McKinsey & Co working across all continents. Her focus is strategy, business development and commercialization, and she is an active advisor to several startups. Maren has a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics and Bachelor's Degree from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. She loves traveling, exploring new cultures and adventures.
ANNIKEN FJELBERG
CMCT and Co-Founder at 657 Oslo / Superblaise / Untold Insight / SprinterWing
Anniken has worked as a strategic branding, design and communication advisor for many of the biggest brands and companies throughout the Nordic region for many years, and is a sought-after lecturer and speaker. She has a Master of International Marketing Management in 1994 from The Norwegian Business School in Norway, École Supérieure de Commerce de Grenoble in France, and the City University Business School in London (CASS). In 2012, She co-founded 657 Oslo; Norway's largest co-working space for the creative industries, housing almost 250 people from over 100 different companies. She has also founded the creative agency Superblaise within 657, Untold Insight and Sprinter Wing.
MASHA STRØMME
Investor and Innovator
Masha has extensive experience within the field of Healthcare, both from the scientific and the financial standpoints. She has been involved with a number of companies in the sector, developing strategy and value proposition.
Before joining corporate finance with Morgan Stanley in London, she was awarded a Rhodes scholarship and completed her D.Phil. in Genetics at Oxford University (Department of Biochemistry). She has made several investments with startups in the Medtech and Biotech sector. Her strengths lie in combining her understanding of health technology with a commercial outlook (science, trends, competition, valuation).
LARS JOHAN BJØRKEVOLL
Co-Founder and CEO, ScaleupXQ
Lars Johan has played a fundamental role in building and scaling several businesses out of the Nordics. As both top level executive and 'in the trenches' operator he has accumulated valuable 'know-how' on how to rig companies from scratch and establish a strong fundament for future growth. His main focus today is sharing this knowledge through ScaleupXQ, a company supporting tech companies in building solid commercial growth 'engines'. With this as his base he is working directly with some of the most promising tech companies in Norway, both as an advisor, investor and mentor.
ÅSTE EINN
Co-founder and CDO of Payr
Åste Einn is the Co-founder and CDO of award-winning fintech company Payr. Payr is on a mission to improve people's financial lives and to create financial experiences that people love to use, using science, psychology and technology.
Åste has 15 years experience working on projects where she has held a leading role, from idea and concept development through to deployment. She was early pushing for a user focused development process, something that has been a key to success in Payr. Her contribution to tech and fintech has frequently been recognised; In 2017 she was the only Norwegian featured on the international Women in Fintech Powerlist, and in 2018 she was selected as one of the top 50 tech women in Norway by Abelia & ODA-nettverket. The same year she was invited by the Crown Prince to attend the annually SIKT conference.
MARIANNE BRATT RICKETTS
CEO Vibbio
Marianne has a deep-rooted creative and curious spirit. This has led her to an international life, filled with ventures within media, design, communication and sports. She’s an experienced entrepreneur, graphic designer by trade and former editor-in-chief. Founding VIBBIO was an inevitable result of everything that went before - and this is the most fun, as well as the hardest work, she’s ever experienced.
CARRI LOCKHART
Senior Vice Presiden. Development and Production International, Equinor ASA
Carri started her career with Marathon as a reservoir engineer in Anchorage, Alaska and spent her early career working as a reservoir and production/operations engineer in Alaska and Texas regions. Following her move into leadership, Carri has held a variety of roles in numerous operating regions, including Process and Construction Manager, Technical Excellence Manager, Director of Business Development – The Americas, Alaska Regional General Manager, Vice President UK – North Sea, Vice President Bakken and Vice President Eagle Ford. She has sat on various industry boards and committees during her tenure.
KIMBERLEY MOTLEY
International Lawyer & Global Investor in Human Rights
Attorney Kimberley Motley is an artist, entrepreneur, and former beauty queen who has earned the reputation as one of the world’s most respected and successful international lawyers. Armed with an unwavering determination and a passion for justice, in 2008, Motley traveled to Afghanistan and is most known for being the first foreigner to litigate in Afghanistan’s Courts. She has been practicing law for over fifteen years and her practice has grown to where she represents people on six continents for some of the most important human rights issues.
TOBIAS S. ANDERSSON
Head of Sopra Steria Scale up Scandinavia
After over 10 years of experience from investment banking, innovation- and digital transformation projects Tobias currently leads Sopra Steria’s newest innovation initiative Sopra Steria Scale up, which was launched during Oslo Innovation Week 2018.
-So far, the best thing working with Sopra Steria Scale up has been meeting so many founders running scaleups and learn about their innovative solutions which can solve real business problems. My mission is to bring scaleup’s state of the art solutions to Sopra Steria’s clients and continue on Sopra Steria’s path to be our clients’ Trusted Innovation Partner.
DANIEL K. SIRAJ
CEO of OBOS
Daniel Kjørberg Siraj has a lot of experience through various positions in OBOS and through political positions for the Christian People's Party in Oslo municipality. He was Secretary of the City Council in the City Council for Industry and Urban Development in the City of Oslo from 2000 to 2004.
In 2004, he joined the legal department of OBOS, first as an associate and then as a lawyer. Later, he has been director of strategy and business development, CEO of OBOS Nye Hjem AS and OBOS Fornebulandet AS.
Since 2012, he has been executive vice president with responsibility for housing development. In November 2014, he was appointed Deputy CEO of OBOS.
MICHAEL FOLEY
CEO of Grameenphone
Michael Foley is the CEO of Grameenphone, Telenor's subsidiary in Bangladesh. Established in 1996, Grameenphone (GP) is the largest telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh connecting more than 72 million customers, taking telecoms and digital services to the people.
As CEO, Michael is an engaged and active speaker on topics such as leadership, diversity and the societal impact of connectivity.
ANDERS GANES
Consultant and Investment Manager at Boitano
Anders has been working with designing and building software for over a decade. Holding a Masters degree in Computer Science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technologi, he's currently working at Boitano, an IT consultancy company that invests in tech startups. Here he serves as both a consultant and investment manager.
MARTIN FALCH
CEO and Co-Founder of 360Leaders
Martin is the CEO and Co-founder of 360Leaders, a modern executive search firm working with the most innovative companies in tech and digital globally. A Norwegian national based in London since the dotcom boom of 1998, Martin has been building boards and management teams for some of the fastest growing companies in tech and digital.
Having worked with and for startups himself, Martin has in-depth knowledge in international scaling and C-level talent acquisition from startup, scaleup through to exit. He also advises PE/VC firms around hiring and leadership development. Martin devotes his time to the startups of tomorrow by sharing advice and insights through keynote sessions and the 360Leaders CEO Academy.
LAURA E. MERCER TRAAVIK
Professor from BI, The Norwegian Business School
Larua is an associate professor at the Department of Leadership and Organization at BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo. She holds a doctorate degree from NHH and teaches at the masters and executive masters level within organizational psychology, diversity management and negotiations. Laura researches, among other things, diversity and inclusion, as well as identity and belonging in the workplace. She has published articles in the International Journal of Human Resource Management, the Academy of Management Executive and the International Journal of Conflict Management
CURT RICE
President of Oslo Metropolitan University and Leader of Norway’s Committee, KIF
Curt has been the president of Oslo Metropolitan University since 2015 and is also the leader of Norway’s committee for gender balance and diversity in research. Curt has a background in philosophy as well as a doctorate within general linguistics. Prior to his position at Oslo Met he worked at the University of Tromsø from 2002–2008, where he was the founding director of UiT’s first Norwegian Center of Excellence, the Center for Advanced Study in Theoretical Linguistics. Curt has been writing and speaking about gender equality issues for some time. In 2018 he was invited to speak to the Nobel foundation in Stockholm on this topic. This dialogue led to a change in the Nobel prize nomination procedures which has been implemented this year.
BJØRNAR SKAAS
Associate Partner at EY and leader of People Advisory Services (PAS) in Norway
Bjørnar is Associate Partner at EY and leads People Advisory Services (PAS) in Norway. Bjørnar has over 18 years of experience managing organizational development projects in the private and public sectors. He has developed deep expertise within organizational development, leadership development and continuous improvement. Bjørnar is very focused on aiding organizations in developing the organizational culture needed to best meet the future. Bjørnar has been the EY responsible for the HR survey for 2018, where EY and HR Norway have examined how HR can contribute to a more sustainable working life
MARIA TVEDT
Senior consultant at EY and HR Survey 2018 project member
Maria is a senior consultant at EY within People Advisory Services. She has had a central role in the preparation of this year's HR survey, from concept development to analysis and report design. She is an engineer with a master’s degree in industrial economics and technology management from NTNU. For the last four years Maria has worked primarily with HR-related development projects for large organizations in Norway. Maria is committed to creating good interfaces between people and technology with increasingly digital HR processes. She is also an advocate of clear and understandable communication regarding processes and organizational changes.
EVEN BOLSTAD
Managing director of HR Norway and representative in the European HR organization EAPM
Even is the managing director of HR Norway and HR Norway's representative in the European HR organization EAPM. HR Norway is a member organization for everyone who works with HR, personnel and management. Today, HR Norway is the country's largest HR and management professional network and consists of nearly 3,000 members from both private and public enterprises. Even is very concerned with how to achieve good results for the business by leading and developing people and the organization that they are a part of. Even has been the HR Norway responsible for the HR survey for 2018, where HR Norway and EY have examined how HR can contribute to a more sustainable working life.
KIMBERLY LARSEN
Founder of Time to Riot
Kimberly Larsen is a unique media talent, with more than 20 years experience from multiple sides of the creative industry, where she has been an actress, journalist, show host, director, concept developer, script writer, manager, casting agent, producer - and now a founder.
Her mission is to make creation the hardest part of creating, and as the Founder and CEO of timetoRIOT.com, a smart hiring platform developed specifically for the film, TV & entertainment industry, she is moving fast towards that goal, with 13 employees, 35.000 members, and an impressive growth rate. It’s time to change the industry. It’s timetoRIOT!
SANJAM SAHI GUPTA
Advocate for Diversity in the Maritime Industry
Sanjam Sahi has strived to create a platform for women in the maritime industry and hence set up the India chapter of Womens' International Shipping and Trading Association [WISTA India], which is the voice for women in maritime in India. The Sailor Today Magazine awarded her for making WISTA India the 'Most Promising Association in 2013'. In 2014 the International Womens' Leadership Forum awarded her "Leading Woman in Shipping Business". She is a board member of WISTA International since 2014 and looks after the Asia Pacific region. She was instrumental in the setting up of WISTA Sri Lanka in the July 2014.
Her goal is to eliminate all forms of biases against women in the Maritime Industry by 2050
INGVILD NÆRØ
Product manager at HR Norway
Ingvild Nærø is a product manager for the product development department in HR Norway. She is focused on adding value to the members of HR Norway and works with the development of competency offerings for HR Norway's members. This includes the development of member meetings and conferences. She has also participated in the development of this year's HR survey in collaboration with EY. Ingvild has an MSc in Human Resources Management from Copenhagen Business School.
KARITA BEKKEMELLEM
Legemiddelindustrien (LMI)
Karita Bekkemellem is the CEO of Legemiddelindustrien (LMI), the trade association for the pharmaceutical industry in Norway. The 61 member companies in LMI have just under 4000 employees in Norway, and represent more than 80 percent of the pharmaceutical sales in Norway. LMI is also a member of Norsk Industri, the Federation of Norwegian Industries. Karita was for many years the leader of the women’s network in the Norwegian Labour Party, where she also held the position as a minister for two periods, between 2000 and 2007; Minister of Children and Family Affairs and Minister for Children and Equality. Karita Bekkemellem has a burning commitment and a great passion for her work.
INGVILD SELJESETH
Associate professor at Kristiania University College
Ingvild Seljeseth is a clinical psychologist from the University of Oslo, with a Ph.D. from the Norwegian Business School BI. Her research interest includes power and instability of power, leadership, and voice. Previously Seljeseth worked as a clinical psychologist in the health sector and as an organizational consultant assisting clients in the private and public section with selection and development of leaders and management teams.
LISA MARIE NYVOLL
CEO of Startup Extreme
Startup Extreme is the most exhilarating startup tech festival, dedicated to bridging genuine relationships and fostering the growth of entrepreneurship internationally, while embracing the fjords of Norway. In 2018, she was voted as one of the most influential people in the Nordic tech scene. Previously, Lisa worked as a Management Consultant for Accenture and holds an MSc degree from The London School of Economics.
KREMENA TOSHEVA
Business developer, AGERA
Kremena Tosheva holds a master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from The Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and a Bachelor of Business Administration and Economics from OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.
She has previous experience from Storebrand as a retirement planning consultant, and from biotech startup WaterLens, based in Texas, USA. Before joining Agera Kremena worked for Oslotech - the managing company of Norways largest science park - Oslo Science Park. She is a true technology enthusiast and managed one of Norway's largest science and technology events - the Cutting Edge festival giving her a strong hold in the high-tech ecosystem of entrepreneurs, academia, investors and businesses from the health, IT, space and energy sectors.
HEIDI THAULOW
Director & Partner in Arkwright Consulting & Arkwright X
Heidi is partner in Arkwright strategy consulting and the startup incubator Arkwright X. She spends her time supporting large corporates with strategy work, innovation and digital change; building growth plans for small tech companies and supporting M&A decisions. She is also an active startup investor and passionate about increasing the share of female ownership in companies. Heidi is chair of the board in the fashion tech startup Fjong.co
MELISSA MULHOLLAND
Strategy & Business Development at Microsoft
At Microsoft, Melissa is the worldwide lead driving strategy and business development for how businesses can be profitable in the Cloud. Specifically, Melissa is focused on enabling partners and customers to accelerate their business transformation in the Cloud delivering increased profitability, efficiency, and scale across Microsoft's Cloud services. In her current role, Melissa has authored over 9 books advising companies how to be successful in building Cloud solutions, resulting in 1M downloads online.
HEIDI WIGGEN
Partner & Board Member of Visindi
Heidi Wiggen is one of the founders of Visindi and is currently a partner and board member. The company has about 40 employees in four cities in Norway, and is a leading company in the industry. Heidi has customers in both the private and public sectors, from large listed companies to smaller cultural institutions, and with a special responsibility for the cultural and media industry.
SOLFRID SKILBRIGT
Director of Strategy and HR,
Sopra Steria Scandinavia
In addition to the role of strategy and HR director in Norway, Solfrid is a board member of the Sopra Steria Group, she is one of the few Norwegian business executives who sit on the board of an international French listed company. In addition, Solfrid holds board positions in French Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, and SODERI ASA.
Until 2015, when Steria merged with Sopra, Solfrid was CSR director for the entire Steria group. As a HR director for 19 years, the focus on diversity, not just between sex, has been strong.
KRISTINE KOTTE-ERIKSEN
Intersectional feminist and public speaker
Kristine Kotte-Eriksen is currently doing a master's degree in Gender Studies in Scotland, and has experience from the IT industry and start up community in Oslo with marketing and PR. Kotte-Eriksen is passionate about empowering girls and women, and have been actively engaged in several professional women's networks the past years. Kotte-Eriksen had a key role in She Conference 2017.
LINN-CECILIE LINNEMANN
CEO of Design Container
Entrepreneur and business leader with wide-ranging skills in the areas of marketing, communication, brand building and digital solutions. Currently CEO of Design Container and member of the Artisti Group management team.
Co-founded Design Container in 2006, sold the company to the Artisti Group in 2015 and joined the management team. Linn-Cecilie Linnemann and Heidi Aven co-founded the She Conference in 2015 and Linnemann worked on the development of the She Conference in parallel with her job at Design Container throughout 2015 and 2016. Appointed board member of Spice Queens (social start-up) in 2018 to assist with go-to-market strategies and brand-building. Investor in Start-up Lab´s Founders Found.
JØRN HAANÆS
Startup Director for Oslo Business Region
Jørn Haanæs is the Startup Director for Oslo Business Region, the city’s platform for strengthening entrepreneurship. Jørn comes from the startup world, having served as CEO of the music tech company, Soundrop (sold to X5 and CD Baby). Prior to Soundrop, he was the Marketing Director at Warner Music in Norway. He is passionate about startups, tech, the future of work and how it all ties together in the city of Oslo. Jørn earned his a B.A. in Management from BI Norwegian Business School.
CECILIE HEUCH
Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Telenor
Cecilie Heuch has been EVP and Chief People Officer at Telenor since December 2018. Cecilie was previously Chief HR Officer of DNV GL Group, a position she held since 2006. In addition, Cecilie has held different managerial positions in Norsk Hydro, including 4 years as Business Manager and Business Development Manager in Hydro Agri (today Yara) in Italy. Heuch holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics, a Diploma of Business Studies from Henley Management College in the UK, and a degree from the Institut d`Etudes Politiques de Paris, in France.
MIGUEL SILVA
Founder/CEO, Visualyst
For the better part of two decades, Miguel has been instrumental in getting Norwegian technology innovations to the world stage by working senior sales roles for companies like Opera Software, Schibsted-owned Aspiro and TV 2-owned Vimond Media Solutions. A commercialist with a technical mind, Miguel is continuously looking for ways to add real value in the workplace through efficiency solutions. His latest endeavour, Visualyst, is seeking to automate the video review and compliance check processes in the TV and film industry, helping movies and series get to market faster than ever before.
METTE BALLARI
Associate Partner at EY’s Family Business & Head of Private Client Services
Mette Ballari is an Associate Partner at EY’s Family Business & Head of Private Client Services in Norway. For the past 16 years, Mette has worked with owners and next generation owners of family businesses in Norway. She works as a special advisor to help families and their businesses achieve their strategic priorities. She is also managing EY’s Women. Fast forward-programme in Norway.
Mette has created different forum and programs for Family Business owners, who offer training, experience sharing and networking between families and across generations. She has specialized in education on succession, governance, ownership, wealth and family offices.
KRISTIN STORMANGER
CEO of BBHUGME
Kristin Stormanger has been CEO at bbhugme since January 2018. Kristin was previously Global Product & Project Director at Stokke (Tripp Trapp & Xplory). In addition Kristin has held different positions within business development, marketing, public relations and project managementfor Tropicana, Telenor, Diplom-Is and Coca-Cola.
DANIEL KOHN
Chief Commercial Officer in Simplifa
Chief Commercial Officer in Simplifai. 10+ year experience from software and service sales and sales management building successful sales organizations. Background from Canon Business Solutions and Broadnet.
BÅRD MYRSTAD
Co-founder and CEO of Simplifai
Co-founder and CEO of Simplifai. 15 year experience from the IT industry from various hands on and management roles in Rejlers Embriq, Accenture and Capgemini.
LISE RECHSTEINER
Co-founder and Partner at
Propagator Ventures
Propagator Ventures is a newly founded deep tech fund based in Norway, investing globally. The fund invests in early stage startups within machine learning, quantum computing, robotics, materials and encryption. Propagator works closely with its advisory of world-leading researchers and deep tech experts such as Alan Aspuru-Guzik (Vector Institute, UoT) and Vijay Pande (Stanford, Andreessen Horowitz). Lise is partner at Propagator Ventures. She has a diverse background from academic research in industrial engineering at ETH Zurich, operative company-building for Rocket Internet, and venture capital investing at a 100m EUR-fund based in Berlin as well as for Nordic Impact in Oslo.
INGRID BEYER
Head of Investor Relations at Hadean Ventures
Ingrid Beyer is heading Investor Relations at Hadean Ventures. Ingrid has long experience from the banking and finance industry, lastly with the Norwegian finance group Eika Gruppen. At Eika she worked with strategy and business development. Ingrid holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration specializing in Strategy from Norwegian School of Management (BI).
MARIE MOXNES HARFJELD
Marketing Manager at Monner
Marie previously had the role as International Marketing and E-commerce Manager at Norwegian fashion brand SWIMS. Her enthusiasm for digital marketing, growth hacking and e-commerce lead her to go from fashion to fintech. She is currently head of marketing at Norway's leading crowdfunding platform, Monner.
MATHILDE HESS HENRICHSEN
7th grade at Bygdøy School
Mathilde is 12 years old and goes to Bygdøy School in 7th grade. She has studied Art Musical and ballet since she was 8 years old and she sings in a choir called Stella Vitae.
DIDRIK HERSVIK JENSEN
Business Developer at Around
Didrik works as a business developer in AROUND and is the “go-to-guy” for growth companies seeking capital. Didrik has a degree from the Norwegian School of Economics, with experience as an entrepreneur and startups, logistics, and management. He is now raising capital for startups and growth companies through the equity crowdfunding platforms AROUND and SparkUp.
OLE BERNHARD LARSEN
COO of Dealflow AS
After 17 years i Skandiabanken Ole Bernhard jumped ship in 2018 to join newly started Dealflow. Determined to help growth companies raise capital in an effective manner. Ole Bernhard holds a Masters Degree in International Marketing.
"It is quite bizarre that the entrepreneurs that create two thirds of all new jobs, are the ones facing the steepest hills when it comes to raising capital. We are going to change that."
TANYETTE COLÓN
CEO/Founder of HelseKontakt
Tanyette has spent the last 13 years as a healthcare digital marketing strategist for big hospital systems
and multilocation practices with the USA Today network (Gannett).
Prior to that, She also worked as a business development strategist for Fortune 500 media groups including: ESPN, ABC/Disney, Univision and was a co-host for a national radio show with Sporting News.
ALIKA KEE
Founder and CEO of Buhay
Alika Kee is a passionate industrial designer focused on sustainability. He grew up as an orphan without shoes, playing in the slums of Manilla. As a ten year old, Alika was given a second chance in life when he was adopted by a loving, American family. Devoted to give back to his birth country, he founded Buhay AS - a company that will develop shoes from rice bags to reduce plastic waste in the Philippines.
Today Alika lives in Oslo by the fjord with his Norwegian wife and dog, thrilled to soon be a father.
XZANDRA
Artist
Xzandra is a 19 year old artist from Oslo. In spring 2018 she participated in the first leadership program for young adults (16-26 years) arranged by ROBUSTE MENNESKER. She joined the program because she needed a change in her life. After finishing the program, she started writing songs about her life and joining ROBUSTE MENNESKER as a leader. She had made the changes she needed to find her strength, her power and her wish to help others take control of their life. She grew from being a girl with no faith in herself into a strong woman, a wonderful singer and a powerful speaker, and we are proud to have her here.
JO EGIL TOBIASSEN
Northern Playground
Jo spent his 20s in the real jungles of Latin-America and the urban jungles of China as a student, journalist and solidarity worker. Back in Norway he is spending his 30s launching the innovative clothing company Northern Playground to the world. The company is most famous for wool baselayers with zippers, and its approach to the environmental and societal aspects of a clothing company. The newest project is to manufacture some of the products together with immigrant women in Tøyen, Oslo.
SANDRA LARRIVA
Multimedia Journalist from Mexico City
Sandra is a multimedia journalist from Mexico City. Her work has been published in a wide range of international media outlets such as Forbes, The Huffington Post, Al Jazeera English, ESPN and others. Sandra most recently worked as a Senior Communications Officer at Pro Mujer, one of Latin American's leading women's development organizations. She is a strong media and communications strategist with a deep interest and passion for women's empowerment and wellbeing. She lives in Oslo, Norway.
GINA PERIER
CEO of Lapee
Gina is the french co-founder and CEO of a company which designed and developed the world’s first industrialized female urinal for outdoor events: Lapee.
After working as an architect and city planner for Roskilde Festival, her and her co-founder pointed out a major gender inequality: there are no peeing facilities for women.
They realized that for decades, women did not have the simple right to urinate in public spaces, whereas it has never been a problem for men. At outdoor events such as festivals, marathons or carnivals, the problem is obvious. Wherever there is a need of urinal observed (whenever toilets are pressured), there should be urinals, for women as well.
Lapee provides a more efficient solution than the toilets with endless lines for women. Lapee is also beneficial for catastrophic areas and refugee camps.
Today Lapee is being produces and will serve all the major outdoor events of Denmark this summer.