Team size: 40

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

The integration of Danske Bank’s personal and private banking business in Norway in Nordea. The transaction was closed on 18 November 2024 and is one of the largest acquisitions in the Norwegian bank market the last 10 years, involving 235,000 customers, 235 employees, lending and deposit volumes of EUR 9bn and 3bn. Since the acquisition was announced on 19 July 2023, it has been the largest single project for Nordea Group Legal, employing up to 16 in-house counsel. I was mainly involved in my role as head of Legal Norway.

In addition to my role as GC Business Banking and head of legal, I was effective 1 January 2025 appointed Branch Manager of Nordea’s Norwegian branch. Nordea is the second-largest bank in Norway, with about 2800 employees and a market share of approximately 16 per cent in household and corporate lending. The branch manager is the legal representative for the Norwegian branch and has the internal administrative responsibility for the bank’s business in Norway.

Have you had any experiences during your career as a lawyer that stand out as particularly unique or interesting?

During the financial crisis in 2008, I worked intensively with setting up Nordea’s covered bond entity in Norway and issuing their first covered bonds, in order to get access to a swap arrangement with the Norwegian state. This allowed Nordea to swap covered bonds with government certificates and thus securing liquidity in a period where access to capital markets was very limited. It was a very tough, but exciting time, where we worked across many units in the bank towards a common goal.

What do you think are the most important attributes for a modern in-house counsel to possess?

Having in-depth knowledge and being curious about the business you’re serving and the market it operates in. Moving from being close to business to being in the business. Only then can you really differentiate yourself from external lawyers and provide practical, risk-based and value adding legal advice.

What do you think sets you apart from other in-house counsel?

I very strongly believe that an in-house counsel’s main objective is to give specific legal advice that the business understands, can translate into action and that enables business or mitigates risks. I believe that I very much live up to this philosophy myself and that I set this expectation to all the skilled people in my team, which creates a strong culture in the team and secures great legal services to the business.