Håvard Kristiansen has over 25 years of experience in technology development, leadership, and business development, with a background in international companies across various industries. He has an engineering degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, and has developed extensive expertise in Lean, change management, and digitalization.

Throughout his career, Håvard has led large development projects, scaled businesses, and established new business areas within the energy sector, oil and gas, construction, and the service industry. He has particular expertise in strategy development, innovation, and the commercialization of technology.

As a Senior Business Developer, Håvard helps entrepreneurs, growth companies and cluster members identify opportunities, navigate complex markets, and realize their full potential. With a combination of technical insight and commercial understanding, Håvard assists companies in creating sustainable and profitable businesses.

Victoria Næss Jensen holds a MSc in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Norwegian University of Life Science, Ås, with Technology Entrepreneurship from Rice University – Jess H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Houston, Texas.

Formerly, Victoria worked as a PMO for Sykehuspartner’s IT projects to the new hospital, Sykehuset Østfold Kalnes. Her role was to support the management in the program and to support interaction between various projects in Prosjekt Nytt Østfoldsykehus (PNØ).

At her current position in Smart Innovation Norway, she is involved in realizing innovative project ideas, both towards the clusters and towards our smart cities and communities.

Victoria works systematically and carry out plans with commitment and persistence, ensuring progress in project activities. She is motivated by innovation, progress, change and improvement.

Hermund Arntzen Dale has the position as Project Manager in the research section in Smart Innovation Norway, coordinating the research projects on renewable energy and energy markets.

Hermund holds a bachelor’s degree in Innovation and Project Management from The Collage University of Østfold. He also has education in leadership from one of the Non-commissioned officer schools in the Norwegian Army.

He has worked several years in the Norwegian Army. Gaining experience in planning and execution of tactical operations at platoon level. After finishing his military career, Hermund got experience in entrepreneurship after founding a SaaS-startup. He also worked for the el-tech startup Becour, as Project Manager and Commercial Manager.

Hermund is passionate about environment and climate. He describes himself as a team player, and a detail-oriented and creative problem solver.

Stian Melhus is cluster leader for the Cluster for Decommissioning and Repurposing at Smart Innovation Norway, facilitating collaborations and developing a knowledge base for the new industry growing out of Norway’s plans to decommission its nuclear reactors.

He holds a bachelor's degree in Innovation and Project Management from Østfold University College with a focus on developing leaders. He has worked actively with marine restoration with local environmental groups, both with practical restoration and with facilitating creative think tanks for problem solving.

Stian is an energetic people person who loves to create arenas where people can flourish and be creative and share knowledge in large groups. He is passionate about green technology and innovation and dreams about a world where businesses have a circular approach to business and development.

Tore Lie is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in consulting, project management, architecture, and development. After spending seven successful years at eSmart Systems as a member of the team that established Grid Vision as one of the leading virtual inspection tools for powerline inspections, Tore has joined Smart Innovation Norway as Cluster Leader of Cluster for Applied AI to help others succeed in using AI as a tool for change.

Tore's diverse background includes previous roles as a Consultant/Project Manager at Metier & CA and an Architect/Developer at IBM & Concrea. Additionally, he has a passion for performance, having previously been a table hockey hero and a producer/actor. Tore enjoys being on stage and discussing topics related to AI and other subjects.

Overall, Tore Lie brings a wealth of expertise and unique perspectives to his work, making him a valuable asset to any team or organization he joins.

Tor Ø. Frydenberg holds a M.Sc. degree in Radio Technology and Information Systems from the Norwegian University for Science and Technology (NTNU).

Tor held the position of CEO at Ericsson, Norway from 1999 to 2010, and as Vice President of Ericsson Professional Services in the Nordic and Baltic regions for 5 years in the same period.

Prior to 1999, he served as General Manager of Ericsson Radar, Kongsberg Ericsson Communications and Telettra Norge. Tor began his career as a scientist at Telenor Research & Development.

He is currently serving as an investor, chairman and member of the board for a number of start-up companies. At Smart Innovation Norway, he is engaged as a Special Advisor and Senior Consultant, specifically within the ICT industry.

Elena Calzado is International Project Manager at Smart Innovation Norway. She has a BS in Chemistry from Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

During the last 20 years, she has been involved in Research & Development & Innovation activities in different sectors, including energy, agri-food, environment and health. She has been involved in numerous R&D projects at national and international level, as Innovation and Exploitation Manager, supporting international organisations, research centres and industrial partners in the identification of their innovation potential, the identification of opportunities of financing and proposal preparation.

Elena has worked at CDTI in the international department, she has also worked as R&D consultant, as a coach for entrepreneurs, as a technician of knowledge transfer, as manager of several national technology platforms, as R&D and quality manager and also as external evaluator of R&D proposal for both Spanish Ministry and the European Commission.