Team size: 19

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

Over the past twelve months, my work has focused on a number of strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening the legal function’s contribution to business value, risk management and innovation in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.

A key priority has been the continued development of robust governance for complex litigation and dispute resolution in Norway, including the handling of high‑value and precedent‑setting cases, the strategic use of external counsel, and improved consistency in legal and commercial decision‑making.

I have also been closely involved in regulatory and compliance‑driven work, advising the business on new and evolving legal requirements affecting the insurance sector. This has included close dialogue with internal stakeholders and authorities to ensure that regulatory expectations are translated into pragmatic and workable business solutions.

In parallel, a significant focus has been on how the legal function can make responsible and effective use of artificial intelligence and legal technology. This includes exploring and testing AI‑based digital tools, assessing risks and opportunities related to confidentiality, data protection and quality assurance, and defining appropriate frameworks for the use of AI in legal work to enhance efficiency while maintaining professional judgement and trust.

Finally, I have devoted considerable attention to developing the legal function itself, including cross‑Nordic collaboration, knowledge‑sharing and competence development, with a strong emphasis on transparency, predictability and long‑term value creation for the business.

As the in-house role continues to evolve from legal advisor to business partner, what strategies have you found most effective for stakeholder management and aligning legal advice with business strategy?

A key for in-house legal departments is to be a trusted partner with the business. Knowing your business and understanding the business needs and targets is important. By arranging for “Know your business” sessions where employees are invited to share knowledge of their focus areas, their targets, who they are and how they work, has been successful in getting the legal teams close to the business. Then the foundation for ensuring that legal considerations are embedded early in the business processes and that legal advice is pragmatic, risk-based and commercially aligned is in place.

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into legal teams, and the pressure grows to ‘do more with less’, how can GC balance efficiency, quality and human judgement?

As AI becomes more embedded in legal teams, the GC’s role is not to choose between efficiency and quality, but to secure that technology is used deliberately and responsibly. AI can be a powerful enabler and free up time for complex analysis and strategic advice, but it requires clear governance, quality assurance and informed, critical approach from lawyers. Efficiency should always serve quality and trust.