Board of Directors

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

Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani
Executive Chairman

Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani is an experienced oil and gas executive and has served as DNO’s Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2011.

Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani serves concurrently as Executive Chairman of Oslo-listed RAK Petroleum plc, DNO’s largest shareholder. He is a Trustee of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art where he chairs the audit committee and is a member of Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council. 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). He is a member of the nomination and remuneration committees.

Gunnar Hirsti
Deputy Chairman

Gunnar 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.

Mr. Hirsti 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. He was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2007 and is a member of the audit and remuneration committees.

Shelley Watson
Director

Shelley Watson began her career as a reservoir surveillance and facilities engineer with Esso Australia in its offshore Bass Strait operation.

Subsequently she held management positions with Novus Petroleum, Indago Petroleum and RAK Petroleum PCL where she served as General Manager until 2014. She was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of RAK Petroleum plc in February 2017 and Chief Financial Officer in May 2017. Ms. Watson holds a First Class Honours degree in chemical engineering and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne. She has served on DNO’s Board of Directors since 2010. Ms. Watson chairs the HSSE committee and is a member of the audit committee.

Elin Karfjell
Director

Elin Karfjell is Director Property Management and Development of Statsbygg and has held various management positions across a broad range of industries.

Ms. Karfjell is Managing Partner of Atelika AS and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Fabi Group, Director of Finance and Administration at Atea AS and partner of Ernst & Young AS and Arthur Andersen. Directorships include Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, North Energy ASA and Contesto AS. Ms. Karfjell is a state authorized public accountant with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences and a Higher Auditing degree from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. She was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2015 and is a member of the audit committee.

Anita Marie Hjerkinn Aarnæs
Director

Anita Marie Hjerkinn Aarnæs has extensive experience in managerial and consulting roles in the energy sector.

Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs 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 with responsibility for board assessments and as Management Consultant with PA Consulting Group. Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs has been a member of the Board of Directors of Norwegian Finans Holding ASA and is also Managing Partner Nordics, The Board Practice. She is a graduate of the University of Oslo (Cand Mag) and Harvard University (MPA). Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs was elected to DNO’s Board of Directors in 2022 and is a member of the HSSE committee.