All posts by Margrethe Harboe

Møtte norske sjømataktører i USA

Business News, Seafood

Fiskeri- og havminister Marianne Sivertsen Næss besøkte Boston 14.–15. mars i forbindelse med Nord-Amerikas største sjømatmesse, Seafood Expo North America.

USA er Norges tredje største enkeltmarked for sjømat, og et viktig marked for blant annet laks, ørret, hyse, snøkrabbe, kongekrabbe og makrell. Samhandelen mellom Norge og USA bidrar til verdiskaping og arbeidsplasser både i Norge og USA.

– USA er et viktig marked for norsk sjømat. Å delta på sjømatmessen gir verdifulle muligheter til å snakke med norske sjømateksportører og sentrale aktører fra USA og andre land, sier fiskeri- og havminister Marianne Sivertsen Næss.

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USTR Initiates Section 301 Investigations Relating to Structural Excess Capacity and Production in Manufacturing Sectors

Business News, Government, Trade

WASHINGTON — Today, United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the initiation of investigations regarding the acts, policies, and practices of various economies under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to structural excess capacity and production in manufacturing sectors. The investigations will determine whether those acts, policies, and practices are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce. The economies subject to these investigations are: China, the European Union, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, Bangladesh, Mexico, Japan, and India.

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AmCham Sustainability Forum – Sustainable Supply Chains & New Energy Technologies

AmCham News

AmCham Sustainability Forum – Sustainable Supply Chains & New Energy Technologies

AmCham recently welcomed members to an engaging Sustainability Forum session hosted by Nestlé. The meeting explored how companies across industries are integrating sustainability into core business strategies – from global food systems to emerging clean energy technologies.

The program featured special guest presenters Nils Erlimo, Communication Manager at Nestlé Norway, and Phil Harbidge, Subject Matter Expert for Wellbore Positioning within Halliburton’s Survey Management Norway department. Each presented how their respective industries are adapting to a rapidly changing environmental and energy landscape.

Speaker Images_Nestle

Nils Erlimo
Communication Manager

Nestle-Logo
Speaker Images_Halliburton

Phil Harbidge
Subject Matter Expert for Wellbore Positioning within the Survey Management Norway department

A Sustainable Business Strategy in the Global Food System

Founded in 1866, Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. Erlimo explained how Norway has played an integral role in the company’s history. Nestlé has been present in the Norwegian marketplace since 1898, when its predecessor Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company acquired Melkefabrikken in Kapp, eastern Toten. The Norwegian brand Vikingmelk was the first brand purchased by Nestlé, and Norwegian innovation has been instrumental. These early beginnings were then contrasted with the company’s current portfolio of more than 2000 brands and operations in nearly 190 countries.

“My goal is to show you this is a complex situation.”

Nils Erlimo

As a company whose products are based on raw materials, Erlimo emphasized that operating with sustainable business practices is not only the right thing to do, but also vital. With climate change increasingly affecting agricultural production, the long-term viability of key commodities such as coffee and cocoa depends on building more resilient farming systems. Nestlé’s approach focuses on supporting farmers while strengthening supply chains. Through various initiatives, the company promotes regenerative agriculture practices designed to improve soil health, increase farmer incomes, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On the company’s philosophy, Erlimo remarked that Nestlé does not simply employ a sustainability strategy – rather, it aims to operate a sustainable business, with environmental and social considerations fully integrated into how the company creates long-term value.

Advancing Geothermal Energy Through Innovation

Halliburton’s Phil Harbidge shared insights about Halliburton’s novel, emerging technologies that can help unlock the potential of closed-loop geothermal energy systems as a sustainable energy source.

Though geothermal systems provide energy by harnessing heat from the earth, developing such projects at scale often requires complex drilling operations and precise positioning of underground wells. Harbidge presented Halliburton’s work on magnetic ranging technology that helps reduce uncertainty during drilling operations and enables more accurate positioning of wells by detecting magnetic fields. Recent trials have demonstrated the technology’s potential. By improving accuracy and reducing the need for additional equipment and downtime, such innovations could make geothermal projects more efficient and less costly.

Harbidge emphasized that advancements like these may play an important role in expanding geothermal energy into new regions and topographies, helping to make it more scalable and accessible as demand grows for reliable, low-emission energy solutions.

Collaboration and Conversation

The forum concluded with an engaging exchange amongst participants, reflecting the shared challenge of balancing sustainability ambitions with operational realities across different industries. As host of the event, Nestlé treated participants to freshly brewed coffee from their in-house barista, providing additional knowledge on one of the world’s most traded commodities.

About AmCham Sustainability Forum

Future success is dependent upon running a sustainable business – for people, planet, and profit. Hence, AmCham brings select, cross-industry member company representatives together on an ongoing basis to discuss opportunities, facilitate open exchange and determine how AmCham members can best contribute to Norwegian and US sustainability agendas going forward.

Please read more about our Sustainability Forum and contact Margrethe.Harboe@amcham.no for interest in future meetings.

BI og Thon Hotels inngår samarbeid

Business News, Education / Research

Handelshøyskolen BI og Thon Hotels inngår et strategisk partnerskap som skal styrke både studentvelferd og samspillet mellom akademia og næringsliv.

Gjennom dette engasjementet ønsker partene å skape et miljø der studenter får innsikt i arbeids- og næringslivet, samtidig som bedrifter får tettere kontakt med fremtidens talenter. I tillegg støtter Thon Hotels flere studentaktiviteter som bidrar til fellesskap og forebygger psykisk uhelse.

Thon Hotels blir partner i The Village, BIs nye arena for samarbeid mellom studenter, gründere og virksomheter.

Rektor ved BI, Karen Spens, understreker betydningen av sterkere koblinger mellom akademiske miljøer og næringsliv.

– Samarbeidet skal gi studentene verdifulle muligheter til å lære og utvikle seg i møte med aktører fra arbeidslivet. Vi setter stor pris på støtten fra Thon Hotels og deres engasjement, som også vil styrke det svært viktige arbeidet for bedre psykisk helse blant studentene.

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Shield AI’s V-BAT Proves Cold Weather Capabilities in NATO’s Arena HEIMDALL Exercise

Business News, Defense / Security

HARSTAD, Norway (March 3, 2026) – Shield AI, the deep-tech company building state-of-the-art autonomy software products and aircraft, demonstrated Arctic-ready, ship-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities during NATO’s HEIMDALL 26 exercise in Norway.

Hosted by the NATO Center of Excellence for Cold Weather Operations (CEO-CWO) between February 17 and 26, HEIMDALL served as the validation of NATO’s Arctic experimentation arena, evaluating manned-unmanned teaming concepts and the integration of ISR data into the NATO Federated Mission Network and Multi Domain Operation (MDO) framework. The exercise served as an opportunity to validate V-BAT’s ability to operate in extreme cold and maritime conditions without aircraft modifications.

“HEIMDALL was an excellent opportunity to prove V-BAT’s performance in real-world Arctic conditions. We launched from land and from smaller vessels, operated in harsh weather, and conducted surveillance across both maritime and land domains. V-BAT serves as a force multiplier in contested maritime environments by giving commanders reliable ISR wherever they operate. From the Caribbean to the high Arctic, V-BAT provides a dependable capability to support maritime and amphibious missions,” said Brandon Tseng, Shield AI’s president and co-founder and former Navy SEAL.

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Norway warns gas production maxed out amid Qatar LNG shutdown

Business News, Energy

(Bloomberg) – Norway’s natural gas producers are operating near full capacity, according to the country’s energy minister, putting further pressure on European nations looking to fill depleted stockpiles of the fuel.

“We are essentially producing at full capacity. I don’t think there is much additional output to be found,” Terje Aasland said in an interview at his offices in Oslo on Tuesday. “We hope this won’t be a long-lasting situation.”

The sudden closure of the world’s largest LNG export facility in Qatar following an Iranian drone attack on Monday sent European gas prices soaring. Prices spiked to the highest since 2023 and are up more than 70% since Friday’s close, amid uncertainty over how long the shutdown at the facility will last.

“We do not want prices to rise in this way, when events like this occur,” Aasland said. “We need to focus on the role we are going to play. We must be a stable, long-term and predictable supplier — and make sure that we are able to maintain that.”

Norway became the major seller of natural gas to Europe after Russian flows slumped following the invasion of Ukraine and today supplies about a third of the continent’s needs. The region is entering the last stretch of winter with its storage tanks depleted, and will need to compete with other major global buyers for supplies during the upcoming stockpiling season.

“When we see prices rising like this, it’s important that the market actually works,” the minister said. “That’s an important lesson from what happened after the invasion of Ukraine. Trying to intervene in the market at this moment would be risky.”

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How Wine and Spirits Got Stuck in the Middle of a Global Trade War

Business News, Food & Beverage, Trade

Ever since President Trump’s first round in the Oval Office, the back-and-forth of various trade wars has made headlines. All throughout, the beverage and alcohol industry has been firmly lodged in the center of the conflict.

The first blow came in 2018. Triggered by a breakdown of talks over steel and aluminum, the European Union imposed a retaliatory tariff on American whiskey. In response, the U.S. government, led by President Trump, announced a series of sky-high retaliatory tariffs, many of which take aim at U.K.– and E.U.-produced alcohol.

Champagne producers, whisk(e)y distillers, restaurateurs, and importers on both sides of the Atlantic are still feeling the repercussions.

Despite the widespread damage, the tariff conversation came back around with Trump’s third run for president. As soon as he returned to the Oval Office in early 2025, he turned up the heat, with official announcements declaring 25%, 50%, and 200% tariffs.

Through this all, Scotch producers, Champagne makers, Bourbon distillers, Mexican tequileros, and the importers, sellers, and drinkers of all of the above have been subjected to an ongoing period of negotiating, pivoting, worrying, and navigating chaos.

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Norsk NMBU-forsker vinner prestisjefylt pris i bioteknologi

Business News, Education / Research

For første gang går den internasjonale topp-prisen Novonesis Biotechnology Prize til en norsk forsker; Vincent Eijsink ved NMBU. Prisen deles ut av Novo Nordisk Fonden og anerkjenner banebrytende forskning med høy samfunnsmessig betydning.

Prisen er en av Europas mest anerkjente forskningspriser. Den deles årlig ut av Novo Nordisk Fonden i Danmark, og hedrer forskere som har bidratt med vitenskapelige gjennombrudd eller teknologiske innovasjoner som kan få stor betydning for fremtidens bioteknologiske løsninger for et mer bærekraftig samfunn.

– Jeg er veldig glad for å motta denne prisen. Dette er et resultat av mange års hardt arbeid, felles innsats og nysgjerrighet, på et norsk universitet som har turt å satse det som kreves for å bygge opp forskningsmiljøer i verdensklasse, sier Eijsink.

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Paritee accelerates U.S. expansion and bolsters corporate advisory capabilities with acquisition of One Strategy Group

Business News, Communications/PR/Media

Oslo / New York, February 26, 2026 – Paritee, the fast-growing international communications and advisory firm, has acquired One Strategy Group, a corporate strategy and executive communications firm. The move expands Paritee’s footprint in the United States and adds to its senior-level corporate and C-suite advisory capabilities.

Founded in 2023, One Strategy Group advises CEOs and C‑suite leaders with specialist expertise in corporate positioning, reputation strategy, media relations, and executive communications. The firm has more than 20 professionals across New York City and Washington, D.C., and is recognized for helping clients navigate societal complexity, anticipate risk, and align business strategy with clear, credible, and compelling external narratives.

The acquisition initiates a new growth platform, focused on corporate advisory services, alongside Paritee’s existing U.S. presence through Brands2Life, the integrated communications agency known for its deep expertise in the tech industry. Under the leadership of CEO David Meadvin, One Strategy Group has experienced rapid growth and built a strong reputation advising large public companies as well as high-growth startups. 

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Trump’s MFN drug pricing impact still unclear in Denmark and Sweden

Business News, Government, Health

With the US administration’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) drug pricing policy still hanging over Europe, Denmark and Sweden, two of the affected countries, are investigating its potential impact.

The MFN policy, set out in an executive order by US President Donald Trump in May 2025, aims to force global drug manufacturers to reduce the price of prescription medicines in the United States or face “additional aggressive action”. It also seeks to end the perceived ‘freeloading’ by foreign nations on American-financed innovation, calling for Europe to pay more for new medicines.

“All Nordic countries are paying attention to developments surrounding the MFN policy,” Gustaf Befrits, Health Economist at the Stockholm County Council, told Euractiv.

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