Knut Tvedt (27 September 1906 – 30 September 1989) was a Norwegian director and jurist. He was acting

chief executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

from 1946 to 1948.

Early life and education

Tvedt was born in Lier to the teacher and organist Elias Tvedt (1874–1956) and his wife Kristine Margrethe Odberg (1875–1948). He grew up in

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 ...

and took

examen artium Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1 ...

there in 1925. In 1930, he graduated from university with a cand.jur. degree.

Career

After graduating he worked as a lawyer in

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sandefjord ...

, Drammen and

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

before being employed as secretary by the Ministry of Labour for four years. In 1932, he was employed as a

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

by the

(NRK), in which corporation he remained in different positions for almost twenty-five years. His only interruption from the corporation was during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when he maintained his own

law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise consumer, clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and Obligation, respon ...

in Oslo. Tvedt married Rannveig Marie Heen (1913–2008) on 11 November 1941. After the war, Tvedt became chief secretary for NRK, and in 1946 he was appointed acting chief executive (later director-general) of the same corporation. In 1948, Kaare Fostervoll became director-general of NRK, and Tvedt was appointed

financial manager Finance refers to monetary resources and to the study and discipline of money, currency, assets and liabilities. As a subject of study, is a field of Business Administration wich study the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of an o ...

. Tvedt also had many other positions in boards of

state enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a business entity created or owned by a national or local government, either through an executive order or legislation. SOEs aim to generate profit for the government, prevent private sector monopolies, provide goo ...

s in Norway, among them

Norsk Tipping Norsk Tipping is a Norwegian gambling company headquartered in Hamar, Norway. Founded in 1948, Norsk Tipping is owned by the Norwegian government and administered by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture. The company offers a wide range of lottery ...

and

Norsk Spisevognselskap Norsk Spisevognselskap A/S, often abbreviated NSS or shortened to Spisevognselskapet (Norwegian language, Norwegian for "The Dining Car Company"), was a Norway, Norwegian government-owned corporation, state enterprise which operated restaurant c ...

. He was also a board member of Filharmonisk Selskap and

Aschehoug H. Aschehoug & Co. (W. Nygaard), commonly known as Aschehoug,() is one of the largest independent publishing companies in Norway, founded in 1872. Headquartered in Oslo, the publishing house has 480 employees. The Aschehoug group also comprises o ...

. When Fostervoll retired in 1962, Tvedt applied for the director-general position. Hans Jacob Ustvedt applied for the same position. The board of NRK supported Tvedt, whilst the Broadcasting Council supported Ustvedt. In January 1962, the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

decided to appoint Ustvedt to director-general. The right-wing press criticised the appointment, arguing that it was done on political grounds. Tvedt then left the NRK, and tried to make success as a barrister in Oslo. He also became juridical

of the music copyright company

TONO Tono, Tōno or Toño may refer to: Places * Tōnō, the southeastern portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan * Tōno, Iwate, a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan * Tono, Washington, a ghost town in the state of Washington, United States * Tono Dam, agri ...

, and, in 1965, the company's chief executive. He stayed in the company until his retirement in 1977. Tvedt died on 30 September 1989 in Oslo, and was cremated at

Vestre gravlund Vestre Gravlund is a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway. It is located next to the Borgen (station), Borgen metro station. At , it is the largest cemetery in Norway. It was inaugurated in September 1902 and also contains a cremator ...

on 9 October.

Honours

In 1960, Tvedt 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 ...

. He was also decorated as a Knight of the Danish

Order of Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known as ''White Knights'' t ...

and the Swedish

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by Gustav III, King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. His ...

. In 1973, Tvedt was upgraded from a Knight to a Commander of the Order of St. Olav. Four years later, he was decorated with the St. Hallvard's Medal. He was also appointed honorary member of the

Norwegian Society of Composers The Norwegian Society of Composers () was founded in 1917. The Society's main objectives are to promote its members' music and secure their rights. As of today the Society counts close to 400 members who meet regularly for discussions and seminars ...

and the

Norwegian Union for Stage Directors 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 ...

Selected works

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tvedt, Knut 1906 births 1989 deaths People from Lier, Norway Norwegian civil servants NRK people Norwegian media executives Norwegian non-fiction writers Norwegian encyclopedists Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of Vasa 20th-century Norwegian writers 20th-century Norwegian lawyers 20th-century non-fiction writers