Norway 2026
Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel
General counsel | Saint-Gobain Distribution Norway AS and Brødrene Dahl AS
Head of legal section | Forsvarsbygg (Norwegian Defence Estates Agency NDEA)
Vice president, head of legal, privacy and security management | Intility
VP, General counsel | Adecco/Akkodis Group Nordics
General counsel, personal banking [Head of legal Norway and branch manager] | Nordea
Head of Legal Norway & Iceland | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Group chief legal, compliance and HR officer | Viking Assistance Group AS
General counsel and Executive director for legal, compliance, risk and assurance | Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
VP, legal and compliance | LINK Mobility Group AS
VP Group legal director/general counsel | DNV AS (DNV Group)
General counsel, European and international affairs | Statnett SF
Group EVP and general counsel and chief of staff | KONGSBERG
Head of Legal Telenor Norge AS & Vice President Group Legal Telenor ASA | Telenor
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer | Torvald Klaveness
I am honoured to introduce Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Norway 2026, recognising leading in-house counsel from across the country. In association with DLA Piper, this year’s edition pays testament to the integral role that in-house counsel play within their organisations and celebrates their commitment and dedication.
Today’s legal and business landscape is characterised by economic, technological and geopolitical change. In-house counsel must guide their organisations through periods of uncertainty, while preserving commercial objectives.
The modern in-house lawyer requires an in-depth understanding of the company, its needs and priorities. ‘A core responsibility for any in-house counsel is to always be curious about the business and have the interest in the business’ success’, explains Fredrick Holm-Hansen, group legal counsel at Avinor AS.
This curiosity that forms the foundation of constructive legal advice. Frode Lillebakken, general counsel at Gelato ASA, agrees: ‘business acumen is one of the most important attributes: understanding the commercial landscape, product strategy and growth levers of the company is essential to delivering relevant, actionable legal advice’.
However, leading businesses through periods of instability often means that legal advice conflicts with commercial priorities. In-house counsel must strike a balance between the legal and the commercial: ‘the goal is rarely to eliminate risk entirely, but rather to enable informed choices that align with the company’s strategy and values’, notes Sigve Reme Sand, chief legal officer at Höegh Autoliners ASA.
It is therefore the responsibility of in-house counsel to ‘quantify, contextualise and prioritise risk in a language that resonates with commercial colleagues’, says Håvard Vikse, general counsel at EY Norge. ‘In uncertain environments, advice that helps the business understand the range of outcomes, enables the business to make risk-based decisions, and suggests alternative solutions is more valuable than just pointing out that something is risky’, he goes on to explain.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is an area that encapsulates this tension. While AI can drive efficiency, it also introduces associated risks: ‘the outcome can be unreliable without rigorous legal validation against trusted sources and professional judgement’, explains Ole Garborg, general counsel at Elkem ASA. ‘The general counsel’s challenge is to ensure efficiency gains do not come at the expense of quality and legal integrity’, adds Ane Løchen Johnstad, general counsel at Alliance Healthcare.
AI should be used to enhance, not replace, the legal function. It is ‘ideal for automating repetitive tasks, accelerating research and handling the straightforward work that does not require nuanced judgement’, says Annette Asper Berg, head of legal at Ringnes. In turn, this frees up ‘lawyers to focus on what only humans can do’, Berg adds, underscoring the enduring and indispensable role of in-house counsel.
Isabel Caine – Editor, corporate counsel
On Tuesday 23rd June, Legal 500 returned to Tokyo to launch the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026, in partnership with AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal.
This year’s Powerlisters gathered at the Roppongi Hills Club for an evening of celebration, set against scenic views over the city. Leading in-house counsel from across the country came together in recognition of the vital role GCs play in today’s legal landscape, and to mark their achievements over the past year.
The evening opened with a welcome address from Isabel Caine, editor – corporate counsel at Legal 500, who spoke about the increasingly multi-faceted role of in-house counsel and how the modern GC is called upon to act as legal adviser, business partner and risk manager.
Ryu Umezu, co-managing partner at AMT, then took to the stage to congratulate nominees. In a nod to Japan’s recent World Cup success, he compared the position of in-house counsel to that of football manager, highlighting how legal teams guide their organisations through periods of uncertainty to successful outcomes.
Jeremy White, co-head of Morrison Foerster’s Asia M&A/PE practice, closed out the evening’s speeches. Focusing on the excellence in the room, he spoke to the qualities that distinguish the modern GC – and this year’s Powerlisters.
The certificate presentation then began, with honourees taking to the stage to collect their award and have their official photograph taken. Umezu was joined by Keiko Kaneko, chair of AMT’s management committee, to present the first half of the certificates, before Morrison Foerster partners Adam Harris and Takahiro Nonaka took over for the second half of the presentation.
The evening then gave way to lively conversation, providing attendees with ample opportunity to network and exchange ideas and experiences.
Legal 500 would once again like to thank AMT, Morrison Foerster and Just Legal for partnering with us to bring this event to life and congratulate all those who were included in the GC Powerlist: Japan 2026.
