The Norwegian Shipowners' Association's Annual Conference 2026

Susannah Streeter

Susannah Streeter moderates the annual conference. She has been a reporter and news anchor at the BBC for over 20 years. Streeter has extensive knowledge of financial markets and has been used as a moderator at several large international conferences on climate and economics.

Jonas Gahr Støre

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has led the Norwegian governent since October 2021. He has previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Jens Stoltenberg’s second government from 2005 to 2012, and then Minister of Health and Care Services until the change of government in 2013. 

He became leader of the Labour Party in 2014 and has been a member of parliament since 2009. He has served on the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.  

Harald Fotland

Harald Fotland, President of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association and Chief Executive Officer in Odfjell SE will give the opening address. 

Cecilie Myrseth

Cecilie Myrseth, is Norway’s Minister of Trade and Industry. She has previously served as Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy from and as former spokesperson on fisheries policy for the Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet). She has been a Member of Parliament since 2017

Knut Arild Hareide

Knut Arild Hareide became CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association on August 1, 2024. Hareide came from the position of Director General of Shipping and Navigation at the Norwegian Maritime Authority. Previously, he has been a Norwegian politician and party leader in the Christian Democratic Party.

Gillian Tett

Gillian Tett is an award-winning financial journalist and anthropologist with an unparalleled track record at predicting important trends that impact the world.

She called the credit crunch crisis three years ahead of anyone else and is one of the first to recognize and chronicle the developing importance of ESG in business.

Tett covers a wide range of subjects in both her talks and her columns at the Financial Times, speaking frequently on the intersection of politics, populism, and financial markets.

Dr. Anna Wieslander

Dr. Anna Wieslander serves as Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and Head of the Atlantic Council office in Stockholm. She is also Chair of the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP) and a life-time member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences. Dr. Wieslander has published extensively and is a frequent keynote speaker, lecturer,panelist, and comments in national and international mass media.

Dr. Wieslander has previously served as Secretary General of the Swedish Defence Association,Deputy Director at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), Head of the Speaker’s Office in the Swedish Parliament, Secretary of the Swedish Defence Commission and Deputy Director of the Swedish Defence Ministry.

Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr

Hans Jørgen Gåsemyr (PhD) is a Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI).

His research is concentrated on Chinese domestic and international politics and European responses to the intensifying major power competition, with an emphasis on organizations and changing conditions for interaction in political, economic, knowledge- and technology-related domains.

His background includes social science and Chinese language and area studies from Norwegian and Chinese universities. His MA and PhD degrees are in Political Science. Gåsemyr has previously worked for the UN in Beijing, and he has experience from national broadcasting.

Audun Halvorsen

Audun Halvorsen, director of Security and Contingency Planning at the Norwefian Shipowners' Association. Halvorsen's main responsibility is to ensure the security and contingency planning activity of the Norwegian merchant fleet on behalf of the Norwegian Government, as well as supporting Norwegian Shipowners’ Association members on all relevant issues related to maritime security, preparedness and crisis management.

Halvorsen previously served as State Secretary (deputy minister) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021, and from 2013 to 2017 as  political advisor to the Minister of Defense. 

Carine Smith Ihenacho

Carine Smith Ihenacho is responsible for governance and compliance in Norges Bank Investment Management which includes ownership and responsible investment activities, control and operational risk, compliance and legal services.

Carine Smith Ihenacho was appointed Chief Governance and Compliance Officer 6 October 2020. She joined Norges Bank Investment Management in August 2017 as Global Head of Ownership Strategies and was promoted to Chief Corporate Governance Officer on 1 January 2018.

Siri-Anne Mjåtvedt

Siri-Anne Mjåtvedt started as CEO of Utkilen in 2018. She has long experience in shipping through 25 years in various positions with a global chemical tanker and terminal operator. Siri-Anne has a finance degree from France and an MBA in Shipping and Logistics from CBS in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is in the board of Bergen Rederiforening and Maritime Bergen and she chairs the Short Sea Group within the Norwegian Shipowner Association.

Matthew Duke

Matthew Duke is CEO of Grieg Maritime Group, a role he has held since 2019. He has led the strengthening of the company’s core Open Hatch business while developing new growth areas within Short Sea and New Energy investments.

Prior to joining Grieg, he spent 15 years in the IT and digital field, including six years leading the global IT function at Odfjell SE, before heading the maritime team at the tech company Kongsberg Digital.

He serves on several boards, including Grieg Connect and G2 Ocean, and was elected President of the Bergen Shipowners Association in 2023. 

Colin McKerracher

Colin McKerracher is Head of Clean Transport at BloombergNEF, where he leads global coverage of transport sectors including shipping, aviation, electric vehicles, batteries and charging infrastructure. His team advises leading automakers, energy companies, governments and financial institutions worldwide.

McKerracher has more than 20 years of experience in clean energy and transport. He previously held senior roles in smart grid, biofuels and energy technology. He holds degrees from the London School of Economics and UBC Sauder School of Business and is based in Oslo.

Elin Sørsdahl

Elin Sørsdahl is an award-winning journalist who has spent three decades reporting for TV 2 from around the world. She has served in three periods as Europe Correspondent, four years as U.S. Correspondent, and has extensive experience as a political reporter and news anchor at TV 2.

Today, she is EU reporter at Altinget. In 2025, she received the SKUP Award, the Norwegian Grand Prize for Journalism, and TV 2’s Honorary Award.

Sørsdahl will be moderating the political panel on Norweigan maritime policy. 

Espen Barth Eide

Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Barth Eide became Minister of Foreign Affairs on 16 October 2023. From 14. October 2021 he was Minister of Climate and Environment. He is elected to the Norwegian Parliament as a representative from Oslo. Previously, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defence in Jens Stoltenberg's Second Government.

Ine Eriksen Søreide

Ine Eriksen Søreide was elected leader of the Conservative Party in February 2026. 

She holds the position as Chair of the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence in the Norwegian Parliament. She served as Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2017-2021, and Minister of Defence from 2013-2017. She has been elected to Parliament since 2001, Chairing the standing Committee of Foreign Affairs and Defence from 2009-2013. She holds a Law degree from the University of Tromsø, Norway. 

Sylvi Listhaug

Sylvi Listhaug has been the leader of the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) since 2021 and a Member of Parliament since 2017. She has held several ministerial positions, including Minister of Agriculture and Food, Minister of Immigration and Integration, and Minister of Petroleum and Energy. Listhaug is currently a member of The Standing Comittee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, and The Enlarged Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. 

Jørgen Watne Frydnes