The 2021-22 Rising Leaders class – comprised of twenty-one women and eight men between the ages of 23 and 35 – bring with them experience from healthcare, classical music, urban planning, organizational psychology, immigration, engineering, communications, technology, teaching, economics, finance, and marketing. All 29 program participants have demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurial, and/or business excellence in their educational pursuits and careers thus far. 

Rising Leaders Board

Lauren Guido

President

Lauren is an American who is passionate about developing sustainable businesses and exploring the outdoors. She currently works at Xynteo, where she supports global leaders in using commercial muscle to tackle some of the biggest societal challenges of our time. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in international environment and development studies from The Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Romée Gerritsen

Vice President

Originally from the Netherlands, Romée works as a Market Access & Reimbursement Manager at Zyberia, a Humane Tech company in Oslo, where she is leading and coordinating market entry of a digital health platform.

She holds a master’s degree in Health Economics from the University of Oslo. Additionally, she specialized in Cognitive Psychology. Her drive is to build a more holistic global healthcare system.

Nicole Tobar

Secretary

Originally from Ecuador, Nicole is a Marketing expert with a passion for learning and building relationships. Throughout her career, she has successfully led various projects and multi-functional teams, showcasing her adaptability to change.

In 2020, Nicole relocated to Oslo and joined L’Oréal Norge. In this new adventure, Nicole is eager to discover the Norwegian business culture and share her experience. 

Nicholas Favero

Program DEvelopment Officer

Nicholas is an American who moved to Oslo, Norway in 2014. Upon receiving his master’s degree, he began working at American College of Norway (ACN). Nicholas looks forward to continuing this success with the Corporate Communications team at Yara International. 

Nicholas is an advocate for diversity and inclusion, utilizing his past experiences to help educate and lead future generations. 

Georgeta Negraru

Alumni Chair

Georgeta is one of the original participants in the first iteration of the program. Her role as Alumni Chair is to keep the past Rising Leaders connected to the current participants.

Her diverse cultural and professional background helps her to develop human potential in sustainable results, as both a teacher and a coach.

New Rising Leaders Participants

Martin Aamodt Haugen

Participant

Norway

Gentry Allen

Participant

USA

Martine Bomann

Participant

Norway

Gagan Chhabra

Participant

Norway

Sofia Cecilia Dall'Osto

Participant

Italy

Celine Kleivdal

Participant

Norway

Eirik Andreas Ledesma Stroem

Participant

Norway

Lorena Muñoz Carmona

Participant

Spain

Kari Offerdal

Participant

USA & Norway

Kathrine Olsen Flåte

Participant

Norway

Alyssa Maria Rivera

Participant

USA

Tobias Rosendal Bech

Participant

Norway

Frida Rustøen

Participant

Norway

Pia Sooriyamoorthy

Participant

Norway

Continuing Rising Leaders Participants

Sarmilan Gunabala

Participant

Norway

Christina Espey-Sundt

Participant

USA & Norway

Demet Gul

Participant

Turkey

Joann Alli

Participant

USA & Nigeria

Gabrielle Dompierre

Participant

USA

Ha Nguyen

Participant

Vietnam

Tzuwei Yang

Participant

Taiwan

Arianit Pllana

Participant

Norway & Albania

Meagan Leber

Participant

USA

About the Rising Leaders Program

Rising Leaders, a joint AmCham-US Embassy initiative, brings together entrepreneurs, young professionals, and student leaders in an innovative program to promote diversity and connect promising talent. Through the program, participants engage international business leaders, learn about AmCham member companies, explore careers, and gain business and leadership skills.

For more information about the program, or to learn how your organization can get involved, please contact Madeleine Brekke.

Past Rising Leader Events

Rising Leaders Afterwork with PortalOne

For the last afterwork of 2022 and the program finale, Rising Leaders participants and AmCham members had the opportunity to visit hybrid gaming company and Norwegian unicorn, PortalOne’s brand new offices at Aker Brygge.

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