Kari Gjesteby facts for kids

Kari Gjesteby, born on May 16, 1947, is a well-known Norwegian politician. She was a member of the Labour Party. Even though she was never a member of the Norwegian Parliament, she held several important roles.

Kari Gjesteby served as a State Secretary three times. She was also a Minister of Trade and Shipping in 1981. Later, she became the Minister of Justice and the Police from 1990 to 1992. After her time in politics, she worked in important leadership positions. These included being a director at the Bank of Norway and leading the National Library of Norway. From 2009 to 2013, she made history as the first woman to be the State Conciliator of Norway.

Kari Gjesteby's Journey

Early Life and Education

Kari Gjesteby was born in Oslo, Norway. Her father, Omar Gjesteby, was also a politician. She started primary school in Bjølsen in 1953. She finished secondary school at Oslo Commerce School in 1965.

From 1967 to 1970, she studied economics at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. During her studies, she also worked at Landsbanken and Universitetsforlaget.

Starting in Politics

Kari Gjesteby became interested in politics when she was a teenager. She joined the Workers' Youth League. She led the secondary school branch from 1964. She also served as a secretary for the group starting in 1966. She was a board member of her local Labour Party group.

Key Political Roles

In 1972, Kari Gjesteby started working for the Ministry of Local Government and Labour. She then became a political secretary in the Ministry of Government Administration and Consumer Affairs in 1974.

In January 1976, she was promoted to State Secretary. This role was in the Ministry of Church and Education. She left this position in 1978. However, she returned to government in October 1979. This time, she was State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

On February 4, 1981, Kari Gjesteby became the Minister of Trade and Shipping. She was part of the first government led by Gro Harlem Brundtland. This government was known for having many women in top roles. This cabinet served until October 1981.

From 1981 to 1982, she worked as a secretary for the parliamentary group. She also supported Gro Harlem Brundtland, who was then the minority leader. When Gro Harlem Brundtland formed her second government in May 1986, Gjesteby became State Secretary again. This time, she worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She held this role until May 1988.

From November 1990 to September 1992, Kari Gjesteby served as the Minister of Justice and the Police. This was during Gro Harlem Brundtland's third government.

Career After Politics

Between her political roles, Kari Gjesteby worked for the Nordic Council of Ministers. In 1990, she was hired as a director at the Bank of Norway.

She took a break from the Bank of Norway to lead other important institutions. From 2002 to 2004, she was the director of the National Library of Norway. From 2005 to 2006, she led the Norwegian Library of Talking Books and Braille.

In 2009, Kari Gjesteby was appointed the State Conciliator of Norway. This was a very important role. She was the first woman ever to hold this position. She served in this role until 2013.

Kari Gjesteby has also been a board member for several organizations. These include the Bank of Norway and the Nordic Investment Bank. She also served on the boards of companies like Norsk Hydro and SAS Norway.

She lives in Enerhaugen.