Famous Norwegian Leaders

Rollo of Normandy, also known as Rolf, is part of Scandinavian lore. A Viking, he was known for his exploits as a pirate on the seas of France, England, and other lands. When he attacked France with his Danish army, he was given Neustria, or Normandy, as part of a truce.

Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Norway between 2000 and 2013 in two separate terms. An influential politician, Stoltenberg also served as the Minister of Industry and Energy from 1993 to 1996 and Minister of Finance from 1996 to 1997. Jens Stoltenberg is the current Secretary General of NATO.

The 35th prime minister of Norway and the 2nd female Norwegian politician to hold the position, Erna Solberg now leads the Conservative Party and thus serves as the Leader of the Opposition. She previously earned the nickname Iron Erna for her stern decisions as Norway’s Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.

Norway’s 29th prime minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland was also the country’s first female prime minister and had served 3 terms. A trained physician and a public health expert, she also headed the World Health Organization as its 5th director-general. She has been Norway’s minister of the environment and has headed the Labor Party, too.

Trygve Lie had been the first UN secretary-general. He had also been the Norwegian foreign minister when the government was in exile in London after the German invasion of 1940. He had grown up amid poverty, after his father abandoned the family. He grew up to gain a law degree.

Jan Egeland is a Norwegian political scientist, diplomat, humanitarian leader, and politician. Since 2013, he has been serving as the secretary general of a humanitarian, non-governmental organization called the Norwegian Refugee Council. In 2006, Egeland was included in Time's list of 100 people who shaped our world. Egeland is a recipient of Peer Gynt Prize and the Four Freedoms Award.   

Danish-Norwegian missionary Hans Egede served the Lutheran Church. Known for his missionary campaigns in Greenland, he earned the nickname the Apostle of Greenland. He established Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and lived among the Inuit community. He also translated books into Inuit and is revered as the National Saint of Greenland.

Thorbjørn Jagland is a Norwegian political leader who served as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1996 to 1997. An important politician, Thorbjørn Jagland also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2001 and then later served as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe from 1 October 2009 to 18 September 2019.

Norwegian politician Mona Juul, who has previously led the Norwegian Labor Party, now serves as the Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN. She has also been Norway’s ambassador to the UK and has served as the 75th President of the UN Economic and Social Council.

Einar Gerhardsen was a Norwegian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Norway on three occasions between 1945 and 1965. He is the longest-serving Norwegian prime minister, having served 17 years in office. Considered one of the chief architects of the rebuilding of Norway after the Second World War, Gerhardsen is referred to as the Father of the Nation. 

Jon Lech Johansen is a Norwegian programmer best known for his work on reverse engineering data formats. He is credited with writing the DeCSS software, a free computer program which has the ability to decrypt content on a DVD video disc. A self-trained software engineer, Jon Lech Johansen was honored with the EFF Pioneer Award in April 2002. 

Apart from being a bestselling thriller author, Nigerian writer Anne Holt has also been a lawyer, a journalist, and Norway’s minister of justice. Mainly known for her Hanne Wilhelmsen series and Vik/Stubø series, she is a former US resident and now divides her time between Norway and France.

Norway’s 33rd prime minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik has also led the country as its minister of foreign affairs and of education and church affairs. The Christian Democratic Party leader was initially a Lutheran pastor. He also heads the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights as its president.

Initially a sales consultant at Radio 1, Siv Jensen later joined politics and rose up the ranks to be the finance minister of Norway. The Progress Party leader opposes climate change theories and considers herself an opponent of radical Islam. She is the great-granddaughter of women’s rights activist Betzy Kjelsberg.

Christian Tybring-Gjedde is a Norwegian politician best known for his association with the Progress Party, where he is an important member. Renowned for his opposition to immigration, Christian Tybring-Gjedde has been described by the media as Islamophobic, anti-immigrant, and far-right.

Norwegian politician and Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug has also served Norway as its minister of Petroleum and Energy, the Elderly and Public Health, Justice, Agriculture, and Immigration. She gained appreciation after reducing the number of asylum seekers in Norway by a huge margin in 2017.

Kjerstin Askholt is a Norwegian civil servant best known for her service as the Governor of Svalbard from 1 October 2015 to 24 June 2021. From 1990 to 1991, she served as the deputy director of Bredtveit Prison. From 1996 to 1999, Kjerstin Askholt also served as the deputy director of the Ministry of Justice.

Hadia Tajik is a Pakistani-Norwegian politician, jurist, and journalist. A member of the Labour Party, Tajik is best known for her service as the Minister of Culture from 21 September 2012 to 16 October 2013. Hadia Tajik also served as the Minister of Labour and Social Inclusion from 14 October 2021 to 4 March 2022.

Eva Joly is a Norwegian-born French magistrate and politician. An important member of Europe Écologie–The Greens, Joly represented the party as a presidency candidate of France in 2012. A popular politician, Eva Joly has also received prestigious awards such as the Peer Gynt Prize and the Sophie Prize.

Former prime minister of Norway, Trygve Bratteli had worked multiple odd jobs as a youth, from being a fertilizer factory laborer to working as a coal miner. He later worked as an editor of the Norwegian Labour Party newspaper and took to full-time politics post-war, after being liberated from a Nazi concentration camp.

Mads Gilbert is a Norwegian physician, activist, humanitarian, and politician. A specialist in anesthesiology, Gilbert heads the department of emergency medicine at the University Hospital of North Norway. He is also associated with the University of Tromsø where he serves as a professor of emergency medicine. Mads Gilbert's humanitarian work has attracted praises from several important politicians including Kåre Willoch.

Christian Michelsen was a Norwegian statesman and shipping magnate. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1905 to 1907. Christian Michelsen also served as the Minister of Auditing and as the Minister of Justice between 1905 and 1907. He also served as the Minister of Finance on two occasions between 1904 and 1905.

Johan Ludwig Mowinckel was a Norwegian statesman, philanthropist, and shipping magnate. He is best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Norway on three occasions between 1924 and 1935. A prominent statesman, Mowinckel held multiple positions, including the Minister of Trade and Mayor of Bergen. Mowinckel also served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during four separate terms.

Kaci Kullmann Five was a Norwegian politician best remembered for her service as the Minister of Trade and Shipping from 16 October 1989 to 3 November 1990. Five also led the Conservative Party on two occasions between 1988 and 1994. Kaci Kullmann Five was also associated with the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which decides the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Guri Melby is a Norwegian politician best known for her service as the Minister of Education and Integration from 13 March 2020 to 14 October 2021. A prominent political leader, Guri Melby is currently serving as the leader of the popular Liberal Party.

Johan Sverdrup was a Norwegian politician best remembered for his service as the Prime Minister of Norway from 1884 to 1889. He also led the Liberal Party in 1884 and then served as the Minister of Defence from 1885 to 1889. An influential politician, Sverdrup also served as the Minister of the Navy and Postal Affairs from 1884 to 1885. 

Norwegian journalist Marcus Thrane launched Norway’s first labor movement, the Thrane movement, paving the way for the Norwegian Labour Party. Charged with sedition for his socio-political activities, he spent 4 years in prison. He spent his final years in the US, where he launched the Chicago-based newspapers Norske-Amerikanerne and Dagslyset.

Lise Børsum was a Norwegian organizational leader and writer. She is best remembered for her efforts to save the lives of Jews during the Second World War. After the war, Lise Børsum became a popular writer as she went about writing her experiences as a prisoner at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. 

Christian Magnus Falsen was a Norwegian statesman, jurist, constitutional father, and historian. One of the most prominent members of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly, Christian Magnus Falsen is best remembered for his contribution as a co-writer of the Constitution of Norway. 

Anton Martin Schweigaard was a Norwegian economist, jurist, and educator who also served at the University of Christiania as a lecturer. During the 1830s and 1840s, he served as a professor of both economics and jurisprudence. Anton Martin Schweigaard was an ardent supporter and publicist for economic liberalism and is credited with helping Norway make a transition to capitalism.