Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of four 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 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 LDC 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 Audit Committee and the Visiting Committee on Islamic Art, 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 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 committee.

Ms. Karfjell is Director Property Management and Development of Statsbygg and has held various management positions across a broad range of industries. She 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 Philly Shipyard ASA, 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.

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 HSSE committee.

Ms. Hjerkinn Aarnæs has extensive experience in evaluating management and governance performance in 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 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).