“The way that my colleagues approach their tasks and projects is impressive. They manage to sniff out new trends and see the potential for systemic innovation and making a change. I think this approach is our strength,” says Jens Oldgard.
Jens Oldgard began his position as Senior Advisor of Strategy and Governance at Nordic Innovation in September 2024. He will among others follow up on result reporting, develop strategies and projects, manage evaluation processes and follow up on projects. He will work closely with the Secretariat of the Nordic Council of Ministers in Copenhagen – a part of the Nordic family which is already very familiar to him.
Facts
| Name: | Jens Oldgard |
| Position: | Senior Advisor, Strategy and Governance |
| Age: | 52 |
| Education: | Social Anthropologist |
| Private: | Lives in Oslo with his wife and two children. He has recently moved back to Oslo after 6 years in Copenhagen |
| Leisure: | Concerts and outdoor activities |
Reunited with the Nordic family
Nordic Co-operation is not new to Jens Oldgard. He has previously worked in the department of Knowledge and Welfare at the Nordic Council of Ministers for six years. After a stint in an employer organization, he decided to return to the Nordic family when the opportunity at Nordic Innovation came up.
“I really loved the energy within the Nordic Co-operation, working with Vision 2030 and Nordic Added Value. When I left that job, I always had in the back of my head that it would be great to one day return to the Nordic Co-operation. In one way or the other. However, I didn’t know it would happen so fast. But I am happy that it did.”
Jens is glad to be back in his hometown after six years abroad, and with a summer house in the Danish island, Samsø, there are still plenty opportunities for him and his family to visit Denmark. With activities, both in private and in his working life, spread over different Nordic countries, Jens can recognize many of the challenges that Nordic citizens are struggling with when moving across Nordic borders.
“Moving in the Nordics is easy when it comes to your social life, but there are still obstacles and bureaucracy which is not so easy to deal with. The struggle is real,” he concludes.
Interesting times ahead
Jens Oldgard enters Nordic Innovation right before a very transformative period in the organization is taking place. From 2025, a new 'co-operation program' points directions for new programs and projects for the coming years. Nordic Innovation is also facing a time of staff changes.
“I am entering an organization which is soon going through a period with a lot of changes. I think that makes this job interesting, and I am looking forward to the coming years in Nordic Innovation.”
Looking into the crystal ball, Jens hopes that after his first 4 years he can look back at a time when Nordic Innovation can show a range of powerful results.
“I hope that we can look back and see that we have managed to keep up delivering innovative flagship projects on a regular basis just as we have done in recent years with our electric aviation project and our ethical AI project, among others. These are examples of projects where we have delivered some results that are easy to communicate and really showcases what we can achieve as an organization.”
A big welcome to the team, Jens!
