Eirik Wærness has broad experience gained from working in diverse roles in government, academia, and private sector companies. His experience includes positions in the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, and Total E&P Norway. He also worked at Pöyry Management Consulting, and later ECON Pöyry, following the merger with ECON Analyse.

Since joining Statoil, Mr. Wærness has occupied a number of leadership positions across a variety of divisions and business units, including corporate strategy, corporate planning and analysis, economic analysis in upstream Norway, energy market analysis, and midstream and downstream strategy, alongside his current role as senior vice president and chief economist.

Since July 2016, Mr. Wærness has served as a nonexecutive member of the board of Finanstilsynet, the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority. Previously, he served as a member of the executive board of the Central Bank of Norway from 2010 until 2013.

Mr. Wærness is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Energy, and also serves as the chief expert advisor for the forum’s annual publication, the Global Energy Architecture Performance Index Report, which highlights the key trends in energy transition by benchmarking national energy systems. He has previously served as a member of public commissions and expert groups on tax reforms.