Nina Frisak

Frisak in 2016

Nina Frisak (born 28 November 1950) is a Norwegian judge and civil servant. She is the current Secretary to the Government.

She was born in Oslo.^[1] She graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.jur. degree in 1977, and was a lawyer's trainee in London from 1977 to 1978 and in Oslo from 1979 to 1981. She then worked as an assistant secretary in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police from 1981 to 1988.^[2] From 1988 to 1991 she was a lawyer in the Nordisk Defence Club.^[1] She was then a presiding judge in Eidsivating Court of Appeal from 1991 to 1995, went back to the bureaucracy as deputy under-secretary of state in the Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister from 1995 to 2000, and then became a judge again; a Supreme Court Justice from 2000 to 2001.^[2]

In 2001 she was hired as permanent under-secretary of state in the Office of the Prime Minister,^[1] succeeding Bjørn T. Grydeland. This particular position was not called permanent under-secretary; rather Secretary General at the Office of the Prime Minister, but in November 2001 the name was changed to Secretary to the Government (Norwegian: regjeringsråd).^[3] The position is the highest-ranking civil servant position in Norway, and entails, besides leading the Office of the Prime Minister, to lead the secretariat of the entire Council of State.^[4] The first woman to hold this position, Frisak has been ranked among Norway's most powerful women on numerous occasions.^[2][5] The position is non-partisan.

Frisak is also the chancellor for the committee that awards the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.^[2] She was decorated as a Commander with Star of the Order in 2004.^[6] Frisak is holds the Grand Cross (First Class) of the Estonian Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana.

She is married to organizational leader Øystein Dahle.^[2] Through him she is also the stepmother of author Gro Dahle, born 1962.^[7]

References

1. Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "Nina Frisak". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
2. Matlary, Janne Haaland (2008). Åmås, Knut Olav, ed. Hvem er hvem? (in Norwegian). Oslo: Aschehoug. p. 164. ISBN 978-82-03-23561-0.
3. "Secretary to Norway's Council of State". Government.no. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
4. Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "regjeringsråd". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
5. One example is Kapital's 2009 list, where Frisak was ranked third. Haugen, Marius B.; Skarsgård, Marianne L. (17 June 2009). "Norges mektigste kvinner kåret" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 January 2010.
6. Libell, Henrik Pryser (6 August 2009). "Juristene som blir riddere". Juristkontakt (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 January 2010.
7. Henriksen, Petter, ed. (2007). "Gro Dahle". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 January 2010.