Gunn Wærsted (born 16 March 1955) is a Norwegian businessperson, with prominent positions in finance and banking. She was born in Vråliosen as a daughter of power plant manager Atle W. Wærsted and Ester Helgerud (1920–). The family moved to

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...

when Wærsted was six years old. She graduated with the siv.øk. degree from

BI Norwegian Business School BI Norwegian Business School () is a Norwegian specialized university that provides education and conducts research primarily in the fields of business and economics, marketing, strategy, management, and administration. BI is organized as a self ...

in 1979. She was hired in Andenæsgruppen as a secretary in the same year, and soon advanced to

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

. She left five years later to work in the investment company

Nevi The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL),H.R. 3684 is a United States federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on Nove ...

Fyllingsdalen Fyllingsdalen () is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located southwest of the city centre in the Fyllingsdalen valley, west of the mountain Løvstakken. The neighbourhoods of Fyllingsdalen mainly consis ...

. The company Nevi Investor was established in 1987, and later changed its name to DnB Investor. Nevi had been bought by Bergen Bank which was then bought by

Den norske Bank Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...

(DnB). Wærsted was a director in Den norske Bank from 1993 to 1995. Den norske Bank then bought Vital, and from 1996 to 2001 Wærsted was the CEO of

Vital Forsikring Vital Forsikring ASA, branded as Vital, is Norway's largest life insurance and pension insurance company, and part of the DnB NOR Group. Though Vital has roots back to 1847, it was created in its present form by a merger between Vital and Gjens ...

and of DnB Holdning. In 2001 she was headhunted as CEO of Sparebank 1 Gruppen. In 2007 she resigned in Sparebank 1 Gruppen, and one month later she was hired in the Group Executive Management of multinational company

Nordea Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a Nordic financial services group operating in northern Europe with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The Nordic countries are considered ...

. She became the country senior executive in Norway in 2008. In October 2000, when the

Norwegian State Railways Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...

had been rocked by turmoil for a while, Wærsted was installed as deputy chair in the board. She left in June 2001. When she left the DnB system later in 2001 she was the chair of DnB Kapitalforvaltning, DnB Investor, Fondsforsikringsselskapet Vital Link and Vital Skade. She was also a board member of BI Norwegian Business School and Doorstep, and is a corporate council member of

Orkla Group Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium products and financial investment sectors. Orkla ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and its he ...

and council member of

Det Norske Veritas Det Norske Veritas (DNV), formerly DNV GL, is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. DNV provides services for several industries, including maritime, oil and gas, renewable energy, e ...

and the Norwegian Banks' Guarantee Fund. From 2005 to 2007 she chaired the Norwegian Financial Services Association. She is now a board member of both the Norwegian Financial Services Association and Finance Norway. Her tenure as chairman of the board at Telenor ASA has been characterized by a bitter personality conflict with the CEO, Sigve Brekke.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waersted, Gunn 1955 births Living people Businesspeople from Drammen BI Norwegian Business School alumni Norwegian bankers DNB ASA people Norwegian State Railways people Nordea people Chief financial officers Norwegian chief executives