Team

Joachim founded The Governance Group in 2016 after several years with the United Nations, which included leading consultations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and governance assessments. He has an extensive track record in  advising governments and corporates on sustainability, anti-corruption and human rights issues. He has served as a board member of CARE Norway and headed the Open Government Partnership Council in Norway. Joachim is an experienced public speaker and holds degrees from Georgetown University and the London School of Economics.

Kristian is a corporate governance expert with experience from large financial institutions. Before joining The Governance Group, he headed evaluations of board practices, sustainability, risk, and performance management at Norges Bank, including Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM). Formerly, Kristian headed external relations for UNDP in Norway, and he has worked for Aker Kværner in the UK. He holds an MSc from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) and is a Certified Bank Director (University of Cambridge/IoB).

Maria has 15 years’ experience in advising corporates on ESG strategies, management, and sustainability reporting. Prior to joining The Governance Group, Maria was a principal consultant at DNV GL. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Oslo. Maria has contributed to several publications on climate risk and the green transition and is an experienced public speaker and educator.

Gro has more than 15 years’ experience in developing strategies and governance systems for companies with large project portfolios. Before joining The Governance Group, she was a trusted advisor at Metier OEC where she served clients such as the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, Statsbygg, Avinor and Kongsberg Maritime. She holds a MSc. in Industrial Economics and Technology Management from NTNU, and several certifications in project management.

Henning has more than 20 years’ experience working with China and Asia. Before joining The Governance Group, he was Manager of Governmental and Public Affairs in Asia for DNV GL and served as Director of International Relations at BI Norwegian Business School and Manager of the Nordic Centre at Fudan University in Shanghai. He is experienced in advising companies on sustainable sourcing, has headed supply chain inspections, performed stakeholder analysis and public consultations. Henning is a frequently used public speaker on Chinese business culture, negotiations, and communication. He holds a MA in Social Anthropology and is currently doing an Industrial Ph.D. in partnership with The Governance Group and the University of Oslo – focusing on entrepreneurship and business in China.

Calum is an internationally recognised GRI sustainability reporting expert with over 10 years’ experience as a GRI report advisor and certified trainer. His ESG reporting expertise covers both recognised and emerging frameworks, including the Future-Fit Business Benchmark. He has advised and written sustainability reports for many of New Zealand’s leading listed and private companies. He joined The Governance Group in 2020 after establishing specialized sustainability consultancy Proxima. Calum frequently writes and speaks on the topic of sustainability reporting, its purpose and future direction. He holds an MSc in Environmental Systems Analysis from Wageningen UR in The Netherlands.

Jannik has extensive capital markets experience after nearly 30 years in various positions within the financial services industry. He joined The Governance Group after serving as Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Sigma Fondsforvaltning AS where he managed a hedge fund focused on Nordic equity markets. Jannik has also held the position as CIO at the mutual fund company Vesta Forvaltning AS where he oversaw bond and equity mutual funds. Jannik has broad experience as a Board Member, both from private equity investment funds and family office investment companies, as well as start-up companies. Jannik is a graduate of The Naval School of Physical Education and holds a BA in Political Science from Yale.

Frithjof has more than 10 years’ experience advising companies on climate change and sustainability issues. He has been involved with more than 100 CDP reports for both listed and non-listed companies across various sectors. Frithjof is a GRI certified advisor, and well versed in internationally recognized ESG standards and frameworks. He has lead numerous workshops on TCFD, Science Based Targets and value chain reporting. Frithjof is a dedicated project leader and an experienced public speaker. Before joining The Governance Group, Frithjof served as a Senior Advisor at CEMAsys.

Josefine has extensive experience in finance and ESG analysis. As a Senior Associate at The Governance Group she advises companies from multiple sectors including shipping and financial services. Before joining the team, Josefine worked with sustainable technologies at the Sahara Forest Project and with corporate risk and capital structure analysis and advisory at SEB Merchant Banking. She holds an MSc in International Business from Copenhagen Business School.

Dyveke has comprehensive experience from strategic communications and public relations. As a Senior Associate at The Governance Group, Dyveke advises clients from both the public and private sector on ESG issues. She is trained in the GRI reporting standards from DNV GL, and an experienced author of sustainability reports. Before joining the team, she served as a communications adviser on sustainability issues at NorgesGruppen ASA. She holds a MA in International Political Economy from the University of Kent.

At The Governance Group, Annik has conducted several stakeholder and materiality assessments for clients. She is experienced in preparing sustainability reports in line with the GRI, SASB and TCFD-reporting frameworks, as well as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She is advising companies on third-party ESG-ratings including Sustainalytics, ISS and MSCI and has experience in conducting environmental and social assessments in line with the Equator Principles. Annik holds an MA in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MSc in Economics and Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

Amanda has conducted several climate data analyses for corporates and assisted in their sustainability reporting. Before joining the TGG team, Amanda was an intern at Norsk Hydro where she contributed to their materiality assessment and GRI reporting. She has also experience from Nordic Innovation, where she assisted with their program on Nordic Sustainable Business Transformation. She holds a MSc in Sustainability and Social Innovation from HEC Paris with a certificate in Energy and Finance.

Hansen is a Senior Norwegian diplomat (retired) with wide-ranging experience from diplomatic postings in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Namibia, Hong Kong, US, Syria and Saudi-Arabia. The last four posts were as Head of Mission.

Tonstad is a lawyer and expert on human rights and labour conditions in enterprises and supply chains. She served as Head of Secretariat of the Norwegian Ethics Information Committee, and has extensive experience working with the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises. Tonstad has served as a Norwegian diplomat and has previously worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council and with UNICEF in the Republic of Georgia and Haiti. She holds degrees from Harvard University and the University of Oslo.

Schneider has more than 25 years’ of experience as an expert in criminal law, anti-corruption reform, and the promotion of good governance. Dan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, the London School of Economics, the University of Wisconsin Law School and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Monteiro has 20 years’ of legal and technical experience from the Portuguese public sector and projects related to petroleum and natural resources law and human rights and business training. She holds a law degree from the University of Porto, Portugal.

Vea is a seasoned Norwegian diplomat (retired) with experience from India, Sweden and as Ambassador to Angola, which included responsibility for the DRC, Gabon and Equitorial Guinea. He also has managerial and advisory experience from the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) and the Norwegian Export Council (now Innovation Norway).

Dr. Borges has a legal doctorate in human rights and environment-related migration from the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law. She teaches at the University of Oslo and is an Associate Professor at the Norwegian Business School (BI) specializing on European law, human rights and business. Borges has 10 years’ of experience from the European Commission and still acts as a Legal Advisor for DG Internal Market.

Harbitz is a Senior Adviser at the International Law and Policy Institute, and an expert in human rights, gender and development. He has previously conducted evaluations and provided policy advice and actionable recommendations to state and civil society agencies, international institutions, and humanitarian aid organisations.

Srinivas is a technology consultant and entrepreneur in cloud, blockchain and governance technologies. He is on the advisory board of Blockchain for Social Impact Coalition and is engaged in numerous technology implementation projects. He has a BSE from Princeton University and a MS from Stanford University.

Teboul is a sustainability specialist with over 17 years’ experience working in North, West, Central, and Southern Africa for the French Army, several International Organizations and the Mining Industry. Isabelle has an excellent understanding of the practical application of the IFC Performance Standards, as well as experience in stakeholder engagement, Corporate Social Responsibility, risk and incident management, and environmental engineering.