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Bottle Shock, AVAs, Petite Sirahs, and Biodynamics!

AmCham News,

Bottle Shock, AVAs, Petite Sirahs, and Biodynamics!

Featuring a diverse selection of wines from 12 US producers from California, Oregon, and Washington,  AmCham hosted a masterclass tasting for the Norwegian press and industry experts at US Ambassador Kenneth Braithwaite‘s residence, Villa Otium.

Attendees first heard opening remarks from Head of Commercial Section Vidar Keyn and AmCham Wine Lead Tyler Barrott. Barrott, who also leads the AmCham Sustainability Forum, noted the while we typically talk about red and white wines, it’s also important to talk about “green wines.” The United States, with its long tradition of biodynamic, and organic wine production, stands at the forefront of sustainable production in the global wine industry, and Barrott noted that it is important to highlight the efforts US wine producers are making in this area.

Sommelier Liora Levi kicked the tasting off with a historical overview of wine in the US – a rich story that stretches all the way back to the 1500s. She was then joined by Ambassador Braithwaite, who noted that wine is a truly American tradition, with wineries producing in all 50 American states.

Levi then took attendees through 18 wines, highlighting a diverse array of varietals, cultivation methods, and production techniques while exploring the unique stories behind the 12 producers represented at the tasting. One story in particular, the so-called “Judgements of Paris,” particularly captivated participating journalists and industry representatives.

After attendees meticulously assessed all the wines, Ambassador Braithwaite thanked AmCham for its continued commitment to promoting US wines in Norway and thanked Levi for her informative presentation. In fact, Levi’s work with US wines will only continue, as she will soon host a new series on American national television channel PBS called “Wine First.”

AmCham would like to thank participating AmCham Wine Committee importers Altia, Bonum, VCT Norway, Engelstad, Symposium, Palmer Group, and Treasury Wine Estates, the US Commercial Service, and Ambassador Braithwaite for making this tasting a reality. We look forward to another great year of American wines in Norway in 2020!

Money Control: Oslo-based CEPI Partners with US Biotech Companies to Develop Coronavirus Vaccines

Business News, Health,

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has announced the initiation of three programmes to develop vaccines against coronavirus.

The programmes will leverage rapid response platforms already supported by CEPI as well as a new partnership.

“The aim is to advance nCoV-2019 vaccine candidates into clinical testing as quickly as possible,” CEPI said in a statement.

CEPI was founded in Davos by the governments of Norway and India, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the World Economic Forum.

Read entire article HERE.

E24: Norsk frisørkjempe inntar USA

Business News, Culture / Lifestyle, Entertainment & Lifestyle,

– Det er spennende tider. Vi har jobbet med en spisset strategi, man kan ikke ta hele USA på én gang, sier Christinah Sandåker Nicolaisen som er daglig leder og styreleder i Raise Gruppen, konsernet bak Nikita.

Norges største frisørkjede annonserte for flere år siden er interesse i det amerikanske markedet, og har nylig signert de fem første salongene i det nye markedet.

Frisørkonsernet som ble etablert av Inger Ellen Nicolaisen i 1984 er nå Nordens største frisørkjede med salonger i Norge og Sverige.

– Vi har valgt å ta det litt rolig i USA. Men det vil gå fortere enn det ville gjort i et europeisk land fordi de har multifranchisemodellen, sier Nicolaisen, som tok over styringen av konsernet fra moren tilbake i 2016.

Les hele saken HER.

Finansavisen: Kvinner er mer opptatt av lønn enn menn i følge ManpowerGroup undersøkelse

Business News, Human Resources

Unge kvinner er mer opptatt av lønn enn unge menn. Det viser en undersøkelse ManpowerGroup har gjennomført blant over 1.000 arbeidstagere i Norge og Sverige. 

Her svarer 20 prosent av kvinner mellom 25 og 34 at høyere lønn er den viktigste faktoren som kunne fått dem til å skifte jobb, mot 9 prosent av menn. Menn i samme aldersgruppe setter i stedet «å utvikle nye ferdigheter» øverst. I aldersgruppen 35 til 44 år svarte 22 prosent av kvinnene og 18 prosent av mennene at høyere lønn er den viktigste faktoren. 

– Jeg tror det har med å gjøre at unge, nyutdannede kvinner som skal ut i arbeidslivet har hørt siden de var små at deres mannlige kolleger kommer til å tjene mer enn dem, sier Maalfrid Brath, konsernsjef i ManpowerGroup.

Les hele saken HER.

Reuters: Norway’s PM to appoint lawmaker Bru as oil minister

Business News, Energy, Government,

OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg will appoint Conservative lawmaker Tina Bru as oil and energy minister, business daily Dagens Naeringsliv and public broadcaster NRK reported on Thursday, citing unnamed sources.

The office of the prime minister declined to comment. Bru was not available for immediate comment.

If confirmed, 33-year-old Bru will oversee western Europe’s largest petroleum industry, which is expected to see sharp growth in crude oil output in the next several years.

Read more HERE.

Cybersecurity Norms: An Exclusive Executive Roundtable on Addressing Digital Challenges

AmCham News

Cybersecurity Norms: An Exclusive Executive Roundtable on Addressing Digital Challenges

Chaired by AmCham and hosted by Microsoft, key public and private stakeholders met with both Anniken Krutnes, Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Liga Rozentale, Director of EU Government Affairs Cyber for Microsoft Europe.

In her unique role as one of 25 Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), Ambassador Krutnes presented Norway’s position on cyber diplomacy at the UN level. “There is no international treaty on cyberspace, nor is one needed. In our opinion, international law applies to cyberspace.”

At the same time, both Krutnes and Brussels-based Rozentale emphasized the need for the active involvement of the private sector and civil society – not only governments – in protecting citizens and critical infrastructure from rising cyber threats. Threats as laid out within the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace – an expanding international coalition committed to working together to adopt responsible behavior and implement fundamental physical world principles within cyberspace.

The Call is based upon nine common principles to secure cyberspace, and includes defending electoral processes, defending intellectual property, and advancing cyber hygiene.

AmCham Norway signed on to the Paris Call in late 2018 and has since been joined by many other worldwide AmChams. In Norway, the growing list of active supporters includes Abelia, DNB, IKT-Norge, Innlandet County, PwC, Telenor, and multiple US companies through parent firm accession.

As the multifaceted and dynamic roundtable came to an abrupt conclusion due to time constraints, trust was at the forefront of invited participants’ minds. “Without trust,” it was stated, “in cyberspace, in our public institutions and in our businesses, we have nothing.” The Paris Call to action represents, therefore, a tangible initiative to address the mounting digital challenges ahead.

Please contact us for interest in the Paris Call and participation in future associated roundtables.

CBS: Starbucks wants to serve more coffee in reusable cups, offer more plant-based foods

Business News, Food & Beverage
  • Starbucks says it wants to cut its carbon, waste and water use by 50% within a decade.
  • To reach those goals, CEO Kevin Johnson said the coffee chain will limit single-use plastics and add plant-based foods. 
  • The company is testing ways to encourage consumers to use reusable cups and utensils, as well as meat alternatives in its breakfast foods.

Starbucks said Tuesday it wants to slash the company’s carbon emissions, water use and waste sent to landfills by 50% by 2030, part of what CEO Kevin Johnson said is part of the coffee chain’s goal to become “resource positive.”

Read entire article HERE.

Forbes: Who Are The 100 Most Sustainable Companies Of 2020?

Business News, , , , , , , , , , , ,

A ranking of the organizations doing the most to embrace sustainable business practices was revealed Tuesday at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Compiled by Canadian research firm Corporate Knights since 2005, the Global 100 list ranks corporations with revenue in excess of $1 billion based on key metrics of sustainability, among them carbon footprint and gender diversity.

Topping this year’s list is Denmark-based renewable energy provider Ørsted. The first electricity company to earn the distinction of No. 1 climbed 69 spots since 2018 thanks, in part, to the way in which it has reinvented its business model over the past decade. “They completely revamped their core business from being a pretty coal-intensive utility to being almost a pure-play renewable power provider,” says Toby Heaps, cofounder and CEO of Corporate Knights.

Read the entire article HERE.

Bloomberg: Norway PM Loses Majority Coalition After Populist Partner Quits

Business News, Government, , , , , ,

Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg lost her majority coalition after her main ally quit the government to protest the repatriation of a woman who’d joined Islamic State.

The prime minister, who leads the Conservative Party, will continue to run a minority coalition without the anti-immigration Progress Party. Though she avoided a total government collapse, Solberg now faces a tougher future getting legislation through a more fractious parliament. Progress Party Leader Siv Jensen, who was also Norway’s finance minister, made clear she’s sick of political compromise and will now pursue a much harder line to defend her populist program.

Read entire article HERE.

Press Release: A Grand Milestone for Sons of Norway

Business News, Entertainment & Lifestyle

On January 16, 1895, the original 18 members of Sons of Norway gathered for their first official meeting. Today we celebrate the 125 years that have passed since that meeting, as well as the fact that we have grown to become the largest Norwegian organization outside of Norway. Sons of Norway is now a thriving international organization with 50,000 members at 350 lodges across the United States, Canada and Norway, and our insurance sales are surpassing our goals year after year.

Many exciting developments have taken place at Sons of Norway since that first meeting 125 years ago. Here are some of the major milestones for our growing organization:

1910 – The first Canadian lodge was formed.

1946 – Membership was opened to non-Norwegians.

1961 – The official international headquarters was built.

1966 – The Sons of Norway Foundation was established.

1998 – Penny Joseph Knudsen was elected Sons of Norway’s first female international president.

As we enter 2020, we are aspiring to become the fastest growing fraternal organization in the United States. This year we will be moving back to our Lake Street address with a newly constructed headquarters building, and we are looking ahead to a future of continued growth and evolution.

To learn more about the history and growth of Sons of Norway, be sure to check out our feature article in the January issue of Viking magazine (member log in required).

Also be sure to check out our newly updated our Sons of Norway history video!

Thank you to our members, followers and supporters for helping us grow Sons of Norway into the organization that it is today.