Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of seven members with Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani as the Executive Chairman.

Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani
Executive Chairman

Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani has served as DNO’s Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2011. He chairs the Finance and Investment Committee and is a member of the Nomination and Remuneration committees.

Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani’s full-time role encompasses strategic, managerial and operational responsibilities at DNO, of which he is the largest shareholder. An experienced industry executive, he has served as Chairman of the Board of RAK Petroleum plc between 2013-2022, co-founder and Chairman of Foxtrot International since 1998 and founder and first Chief Executive Officer of Apache International Inc. between 1988-1992. In addition to his industry positions, he is active in philanthropy, education and the arts. He is a Trustee of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art where he chairs the Visiting Committee on Islamic Art and is a member of the Finance Committee, a Director of the Persepolis Foundation and a member of Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council and of Princeton University’s Nassau Hall Society. He has published more than ten books on global energy markets and was decorated Commandeur de l’Ordre National de la Côte d’Ivoire for services to the energy sector of that country. Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani is a graduate of Princeton (AB) and Harvard Universities (MPA).

Gunnar Hirsti
Deputy Chairman

Gunnar Hirsti was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2007, chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and is a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Mr. Hirsti has extensive experience from various managerial, executive and board positions in the oil and gas industry as well as the information technology industry in Norway. He was Chief Executive Officer of DSND Subsea ASA (now Subsea 7 S.A.) for a period of six years. He also served as Executive Chairman of the Board of Blom ASA for eight years. Mr. Hirsti holds a degree in drilling engineering from Tønsberg Maritime Høyskole in Norway.

Elin Karfjell
Director

Elin Karfjell was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2015 and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Ms. Karfjell has held various management positions across a broad range of industries, including Director Property Management and Development of Statsbygg, Managing Partner of Atelika AS and Chief Executive Officer of Fabi Group, Chief Financial Officer of Atea AS and partner of Ernst & Young AS and Arthur Andersen. Current directorships include North Energy ASA, Contesto AS and Scale Leap Capital I AS. Ms. Karfjell is a state authorized public accountant with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from OsloMet and a Higher Auditing degree from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH).

Anita Marie Hjerkinn Aarnæs
Director

Anita Marie Hjerkinn Aarnæs was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2022 and is a member of the Heath, Safety, Environment and Cyber Committee.

Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs is Managing Partner Nordics at The Board Practice. She has extensive international experience with strategy development, governance and organizational effectiveness across industries and in particular within the energy sector. She held the position as Director of Human Resources in the Company from 2012 to 2015, prior to which she had served as Managing Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and as Management Consultant with PA Consulting Group. Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs was a member of the Board of Directors of Norwegian Finans Holding ASA from its inception. She is a certified EFQM assessor. She holds a degree in Public Law and is a graduate of the University of Oslo (Cand Mag) and Harvard University (MPA).

Najmedin Meshkati
Director

Najmedin Meshkati was elected to DNO's Board of Directors in 2023 and chairs the Heath, Safety, Environment and Cyber Committee.

Dr. Najmedin Meshkati is a Professor of Civil/Environmental Engineering; Industrial & Systems Engineering and International Relations at the University of Southern California. As a global leader and expert in human performance and safety culture, Dr. Meshkati has served on numerous boards, councils and panels, including the United States panel analyzing the causes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion. Dr. Meshkati holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and a BA in Political Science from Sharif (Arya-Mehr) University of Technology and Shahid Beheshti University (National University of Iran), respectively. He holds a MS in Engineering Management and a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Professional Ergonomist.

Grethe Kristin Moen
Director

Grethe Kristin Moen was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2025 and is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.

Ms. Moen has extensive experience from various managerial, executive and board positions within the Norwegian oil and gas industry. She was Chief Executive Officer of Petoro AS from 2013- 2020 and prior to that held the position as Vice President Mature Oil Fields of the company. Ms. Moen has also served in different management positions at Equinor (1982-2007) and Shell (2007-2011). She has served on numerous boards of directors, including the board of Sval Energi AS. Ms. Moen holds a MSc in chemical engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Ferris J. Hussein
Director

Ferris J. Hussein was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2025 and is a member of the Finance and Investment Committee.

Mr. Hussein is a Partner in the Carlyle Group focused on global energy and infrastructure opportunities. Prior to joining the Carlyle Group, he worked at ExxonMobil where he served as a Vice President involved in strategic acquisitions globally. Earlier Mr. Hussein served as the Chief Legal Advisor to the Republic of Iraq’s Higher Judicial Council. He is a graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (M.B.A.), the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D.), and the University of Michigan (B.A.). Mr. Hussein serves on multiple boards of directors of private companies and non-profit organizations.