On Monday evening, Norwegian business leaders gather for dinner in Davos. But the man who pays for the cheese the participants will eat, does not appear.
Photo: Lise Åserud, NTB / Bjørn Haugan, VGPPublished: Published:
Less than 20 minutes ago
This time it is the Røkke company Aker who is the host and foots the bill when the Norwegian participants in the World Economic Forum (WEF) gather for a welcome dinner.
– It is true that we will organize the dinner this year. It will be the 25th in a row, says Atle Kigen, press manager at Aker, to E24.
Despite the fact that it is his own company that pays for the gala, billionaire and investor Kjell Inge Røkke shines with his absence.
– No, he is not coming, says the press manager.
– Simple dinner
It is expected that around 40 guests will attend the “Norwegian” dinner.
– It is the continuation of a tradition. It will be a simple dinner in traditional style, says Kigen.
He says that the company will be eating Swiss fondue, which is tradition, and that the cover price is just over NOK 1,000 per person.
– The place is the Seehof Hotel in Davos, there too Last year’s dinner was held.
According to own websites the hotel offers both classic Swiss cheese fondue, Chinese fondue, the Chinese fondue variant with meat and fondue with truffle cheese. The fruit cognac Kirsch and an “exquisite selection” of white and red wines are served with it.
World Economic Forum (WEF)
- Held 15 to 19 January in Davos, Switzerland
- This year’s conference has been entitled “Rebuilding Trust” and is the 54th in a row
- The meeting brings together leaders from politics, international organizations and business
- The WEF is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and works to promote cooperation between business leaders and politicians to find solutions to global problems
Kilde: World Economic Forum, SNL
Sea view
NOK 91,857
Several big Norwegian names are coming to Davos next week. There they will be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, among others.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is one of them. According to him, he will participate in the plenary talks, but also have meetings with international leaders Nato.
The Norwegian government sends Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide (Ap) and Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim (Sp).
The total costs for flight and hotel for both of them are NOK 91,857, says communications advisor Guri Solberg at the Foreign Ministry in an email to E24.
The ministers emphasize that the WEF is a forum where important issues such as trade, green transition and food security are raised.
– The World Economic Forum is a central meeting place where I want to meet colleagues and decision-makers from all over the world. The work on green transition, trade and climate will be central, says Barth Eide in a comment.
The Oil Fund invited
Head Nicolai Tangen, his personal assistant Grete Starheim and communications director Marthe Skaar will be from the Oil Fund (NBIM). In the alpine town, they will spend their time in meetings with leading investors and companies.
– The Davos summit is primarily an effective meeting place for us, writes Skaar in an email.
She also points out that Davos is a good place for the Oil Fund to promote its message as a long-term and responsible owner.
– Two of the main themes during this year’s conference are AI and climate risk, themes on which we at the fund have a strong focus.
Tangen, Starheim and Skaar have been invited directly by WEF and therefore do not pay for participation, according to Skaar.
– Good tradition
Several top managers from Norwegian business are also going to Davos:
- DNB CEO Kjerstin Braathen
- CEO Sigve Brekke in Telenor
- Hydro CEO Hilde Merete Aasheim
- CEO Svein Tore Holsæther at Yara
- DNV CEO Remi Eriksen
- CEO Anders Opedal in Equinor
Both Braathen, Brekke and Eriksen are going to the welcome dinner.
– It is a good tradition for the Norwegian participants at the conference to attend a joint dinner on the first day, writes Even Westerveld, executive vice president for communications and sustainability at DNB, to E24.
Yara states that they are sending Magnus Ankarstrand, head of Yara Clean Ammonia, to the dinner.
The Hydro manager does not have the opportunity to participate in the meeting on Monday evening, but will be informed at several events during his stay.
Equinor has not responded to whether their envoys are going to the fondue dinner.
Chairman and owner of Ferd, Johan H. Andresen, has also been a recurring participant in Davos. Last year he took his daughter Katharina G. Andresen.
Ferd has not responded to whether they are sending any participants to the summit this year.
Too expensive for Hagen
On Thursday it became known that long-time Davos veteran Stein Erik Hagen drops out of the summit.
Hagen, who through the family company Canica is the largest owner in Orkla, told VG that the group has cut everything they do not have to prioritize.
– One of the entries that smoke is the trip to Davos. In an expensive time, there is no priority task for Orkla, he told the newspaper.
The group has had membership in the WEF, which is estimated to have cost up to NOK four million.
High price level
The Norwegian companies pay millions for their Davos participation. Both DNB, Telenor and Equinor are partners in WEF.
Telenor states that their membership costs around NOK 3 million. Equinor says it pays 300,000 Swiss francs (about NOK 3.6 million) for its affiliation, in addition to the participation fee. DNB will not state what they pay.
Aker, Hydro, Yara and DNV are also listed as a type of partner on the conference’s website.
When asked what Telenor gets out of its partnership, information manager David Fidjeland says that collaboration has never been more crucial, and that it is therefore important to be present in Davos.
– Telenor’s participants have an extensive program with many meetings with partners, customers and investors. Traveling around to them, or getting them to Oslo, would be very time-consuming or impossible to carry out as effectively, writes Fidjeland in an email.
– What do you think about the price level?
– The price level is high, there is no doubt about that. We make ongoing assessments as to whether the costs are in relation to the yield, but experience this as a very valuable arena for Telenor.
2024-01-13 14:38:27
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