Tonje Brenna again named Norway’s most powerful woman

– We think of power as something negative, but power is really the same as the opportunity to – and responsibility for – changing something for the better. I like to have power, because I like to work for change, says Brenna to Kapital.

The magazine has listed those they consider to be the 100 most powerful women in the country.

Unchanged top five

While Brenna tops the list, as last year, the rest of the top five is also unchanged.

Central bank governor Ida Wolden Bache ends up in second place, while LO leader Peggy Hessen Følsvik again comes in third. Parliamentary leader in Ap, Rigmor Aasrud, ends up in fourth place, while Sp’s parliamentary leader Marit Arnstad comes in fifth.

Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) moves up from seventh to sixth place after Ingvild Kjerkol is out of the top ten.

As a result, Høyre leader Erna Solberg also moves up one place from last year to seventh place.

Newcomers in the top 10

The last three places in the top 10 are new: Anne Nafstad Lyftingsmo, who is a government adviser, i.e. chief administrative officer at the Prime Minister’s office, is number eight, while Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug ends up in ninth place.

Industry Minister Cecilie Myrseth (Ap) is number ten.

Kapital editor Vibeke Holth, who is responsible for the award, believes that equality has come a long way in both politics and the public sector.

– Among other things, a whopping 60 per cent of the country’s top positions in the central administration, i.e. in positions such as ministerial council, are held by women. And among expedition managers, and as leaders of Norwegian directorates and supervisory bodies, the gender balance today is approximately 50/50, says Holth.