The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association has appointed former politician and minister Knut Arild Hareide as its new CEO.
Hareide, born in 1972, comes from the position of director general of shipping and navigation at the Norwegian Maritime Directorate.
“I look forward to taking on exciting challenges in the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Shipping and the maritime industry are world-leading players that create value and jobs along the entire coast every single day,” Hareide said in a statement.
From 2011 to 2019, he was the party leader of the Christian Democrats.
He was the minister of environment 2004-2005 and the minister of transport and communications 2020-2021.
“I have gotten to know the industry well through my job as director general and I am very much looking forward to contributing to an industry that is forward-leaning and highly adaptable with high ambitions both in terms of decarbonisation and digitisation of the industry,” he said.
The Norwegian Shipowners’ earlier in March elected Odfjell’s CEO Harald Fotland as its new president.
“Hareide has a unique political expertise with long experience in parliament and government, and through his experience from the Norwegian Maritime Directorate also has a very good knowledge of shipping and the maritime industry,“ Fotland said.
“We look forward to working with Knut Arild Hareide to ensure a continued active and good maritime policy,” he added.
Hareide will start as CEO on 1 August.
Current CEO Harald Solberg will take a similar position at The Federation of Norwegian Industries, which is the largest association within the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise.
