Business and Alumni

BI Advisory Boards and Councils

BI has established several advisory boards and councils, all of which have an advisory function in various areas that are important to BI.

The goal of these functions is to ensure that BI receives good input and advice from important external target groups and stakeholders. Our advisory boards have a function that focuses more on strategy and integrity, while our advisory councils focus on input on programmess and subject areas. All our advisory bodies have external experts with relevant experience from business, public administration, academia and former students.

Overview of BIs Advisory Boards and Councils

Advisory Council for the Finance Industry

The Advisory Council for the Finance Industry must contribute to BI's programmes being relevant to the financial industry. The council provides insight and feedback, and ensures that the financial industry's needs are met when evaluating and developing new programmes.

The council consists of the following external members:

  • Therese Høyer Grimstad, director of employment, Finans Norge (chair of the council)
  • Arne Fredrik Håstein, Vice President, Finansforbundet
  • Mette Kolstad Wiig, Head of Gjensidige Academy
  • Marianne Nybø Thorsdal, Strategic HR Director, Sparebank1 Sørnorge
  • Marianne Feddersen Heggelund, Head of management development, People DNB
  • Svein-Arne Kausland, HR director, Tryg Norge
  • Erik Jensen, CEO, Finansnæringens Autorisasjonsordninger (FinAut)
  • Christian Lund, Lead Knowledge & Competence responsible - Nordea Norway
  • Vegard Høghaug Larsen, Associate Professor - Department of Data Science and Analytics, BI Norwegian Business School
  • Kjell Jørgensen, Associate Professor - Department of Finance, BI Norwegian Business School
  • Knut Bergo, Professor - Department of Law and Governance, BI Norwegian Business School
  • Wenche Annie Martinussen, Sales and Marketing Director, Executive, BI Norwegian Business School 
  • Katrine Kirkebø, Business Development Manager, Executive, BI Norwegian Business School
  • Sigrid Opedal Lisæth, Manager Business Relevance, BI Norwegian Business School
  • Amund Thomassen, Adviser - Full-Time staff, BI Norwegian Business School
Advisory Council for Energy and Ocean Sector

The mandate is to secure that BI’s business and management education is relevant for the needs in the energy and ocean sector, both internationally and at home.

  • The advisory council should contribute to strengthening relevant education in accordance with the need for competence (re-skill and up-skill).
  • Identifying early needs and options for making BI more international, contribute and encourage to focus on sustainability.
  • Getting an external look at ways to develop programs, academic partners and corporate collaborations. Enhance and strengthen sales.
  • The council may provide input to ensure business and working life relevance directly into programs, when developing innovative programs and educational activities.


Members of this council are executive professionals representing their company through business or HR roles.

  • DNB: Merete M. Magnussen, Head of Business Support, Energy Division (Chair)
  • Equinor: Steinar Roland, Head of Equinor University
  • Schlumberger: Waldemar Szemat Vielma, Principal Drilling Business Development (repr EMME-alumni board)
  • Å Energi: Margit Unander , Konserndirektør Mennesker og kommunikasjon
  • Energidepartementet: Morten Lindbæck, Seniorrådgiver Olje- og gassavdelingen
  • Industri Energi: Barbro Auesdal, leder av kompetanseutvalget (medlem i Forbundsstyret)
  • Yara: Tonje Zelow Walløe, SVP People, Corporate Development
  • Federation of Norwegian Industries: Runar Rugtvedt, Director Offshore Technology Suppliers
  • Vår Energy: Astrid Huglen, VP people & leadership
  • DNV, Mahnaz Hadizadeh, Pricipal Energy modeller
  • Grieg Star: Jannicke Steen Vice President, Crew Management


Members from BI Norwegian Business School:

  • Lars Huemer, Department of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Professor
  • Caroline Dale Ditlev-Simonsen, Department of Law and Governance, Professor
  • Erna Engebrethsen, Department of Accounting and Operations Management
  • Jon Lereim, former Associate Dean for Executive Master in Energy, former Professor II, now a consultant for BI


Administrative implementation, business development, realisation of input from the council:

  • Sigrid Tofte Røiri, BI Executive Oslo, Business Development Manager
  • Bernt Skansen, BI Executive Stavanger, Business Development Manager
  • Sissel Thune Hammerstrøm, BI Executive Oslo, Director Degree Programmes
Advisory Council for Executive Education

The members of the Programme Advisory Council will support the further development of BI’s Executive Master of Management and Executive Bachelor of Management programmes.

The council consists of members representing industry and the public sector, who offer important insights about competency needs in larger organisations, including requirements related to executive education and professional development.

The following companies and organisations are part of the Programme Advisory Council:

  • Storebrand
  • Telia
  • Sopra Steria
  • BASF
  • Schibsted
  • Equinor
  • DNB
  • Nordea
  • TietoEvry
  • Posten
  • Skatteetaten
  • Abelia
  • Oslo Kommune
BI Societal Impact Board

In line with the BI's strategy 2030, the Societal Impact Board was established in January 2025. The Board acts as an advisory body to the President and the management at BI Norwegian Business School. The Societal Impact Board provides strategic guidance on societal impact areas aligned with BI´s mission, empowering businesses with knowledge and individuals with opportunities for meaningful lives through research and education.

The board acts as a networking and collaborative platform to build strong partnerships, enhance BI's societal impact, and facilitate knowledge transfer between BI, external partners, the business community, alumni, and international relations.

The Societal Impact Board consist of 20 members. With its members ranging from top executives from the business world to both Norwegian and international recognized professors.

The member of the Societal Impact Board for the period 2025-2026 are:

  • Agnes Arnadottir, Co-founder and CEO, Brim Explorer
  • Ajay Kohli, Gary T. And Elizabeth Chair, Regents Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Arbab Dar, CEO and  Country Managing Partner, EY Norge
  • Elin Sinervo, Chief Executive Officer, Volkswagen Møller bilfinans 
  • Fredrik Andre Aasebø, Chief Executive Officer, Røde Kors Førstehjelp AS 
  • Geir Holmgren, Konsernsjef, Gjensidige
  • Jan Christian Fosseidbråten, Chief Executive Officer, Eidra Norway 
  • Jens-Julius R. Nygaard, Administrerende Direktør, Awilco AS
  • Kjetil Smette, Chief Executive Officer, Thon Hotels
  • Kristian Vogt, CIO, Telia Norway
  • Kristin Holth, Non Executive Director, Maersk Tankers
  • Kristin Ruud, Founder and CEO, AGCY 
  • Kristine Steidel, General Manager // CEO, Microsoft Norway
  • Maalfrid Brath, Chief Executive Officer, Manpower Group
  • Maria Susane Meza Remar, Administrerende Direktør, Charge AS
  • Sumeet Singh Patpatia, Head of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Schibsted
  • Thina Margrethe Saltvedt, Lead ESG Expert, Nordea 
  • Tore Høylie, Head Of Innovation and Own Brand at REMA 1000, Norway
Programme Advisory Councils for Master and Bachelor programmes

To ensure that BI's programmes are relevant, advice is created for all programmes at Bachelor level and a selection of advice at Master's level. BI's programme council is composed of representatives from relevant industries and companies to take care of the needs of the various programmes and subject areas. The programme councils also include representatives of BI's partner companies.

The purpose is to provide relevant input and feedback for each study programme and ensure relevance to meet the needs of working life when evaluating and developing new programmes. The members contribute with insight from their respective sectors and cases used in the teaching.