Jens Petter Ekornes (2 January 1942 – 22 June 2008) was a Norwegian businessperson, known as the CEO of Ekornes. He was born in

Ørsta Municipality is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Ørsta (v ...

as a son of Sigurd Ekornes (1906–) and Margit Helene Pedersen (1912–1983). In August 1963 he married saleswoman Kari Blakstad. His uncle

Jens E. Ekornes Jens Ellingsen Ekornes (20 January 1908 – 28 November 1976) was a Norwegian businessperson. He was the founder of Norwegian-based furniture company, Ekornes, Ekornes AS. Biography Ekornes was born at Sykkylven Municipality in Møre og Romsd ...

founded the Ekornes furniture factory and company in

Sykkylven Sykkylven may refer to: Places * Sykkylven Municipality, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway * Aure, or ''Sykkylven'', a village within Sykkylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway * Sykkylven Church, a church in Sykkylve ...

. Jens Petter Ekornes started his career at the Ekornes factory as a laborer, and took education in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. He rose in the hierarchy to become chief executive, except for a period between 1987 and 1990 when he tried to start ventures of his own in

Ålesund Ålesund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Ålesund, Asp� ...

. Ekornes was a member of the central board of the Conservative Party until 2006. He served in

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

from 1999 to 2003 and was a deputy representative to the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

from

during the term 2001–2005. He has also been a board member of the Regional Development Fund. He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav (; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II, known to posterity as St. Olav. Just be ...

in 2005, but wanted to share the honor with every one of his employees. He died in June 2008.

References

1942 births 2008 deaths People from Sykkylven People from Ørsta 20th-century Norwegian businesspeople Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Møre og Romsdal politicians Deputy members of the Storting {{Norway-business-bio-stub