Olav Ulleren
Encyclopedia
Olav Ulleren is a Norwegian organizational leader, civil servant and former politician for the Centre Party
. A veterinary by education, he was a mayor and State Secretary
during his political career, and has since made his mark as general director of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
. He is a veterinarian by education. He is currently CEO of The Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization's clinics
, and finished
his secondary education in 1973. He took the cand.med.vet. degree at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
in 1978, was a research assistant
in 1979 and acting municipal veterinary in Tinn in 1980. He then held two substitute jobs before doing his compulsory military service. From 1983 to 1991 he worked as the municipal veterinary in Tinn. He later took a master's degree in Knowledge Management from the Norwegian School of Management
.
, he became the first non-Labour
mayor of Tinn since 1945. With Ulleren at the helm, the Centre Party almost reached 45% in polls. Ulleren was re-elected in 1995 for a second four-year term, but on 10 May 1999, some months before the 1999 election, he was appointed State Secretary
in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
as a part of the first cabinet Bondevik
. Subsequently, the Centre Party in Tinn plummeted with 27.3 percentage point
s. Ulleren lost his State Secretary position when the first cabinet Bondevik lost a vote of no confidence on 17 March 2000.
During his time in politics, Ulleren was a member of the central committee of the Centre Party for ten years, and also chaired the county chapter in Telemark
for six years. He ran as a candidate for the position as vice party leader on multiple occasions, but was never chosen.
Among his non-political assignments during this period was the contribution to the Norwegian Official Report
1998: 11. He was also chairman of the Industrial Development Corporation of Norway
and Tinn Sparebank and a board member of Telemark University College
during the 1990s.
of Akvaforsk, and later as a member of the board of the Southern Norway Regional Health Authority
and of Blefjell Hospital Trust. He was also a member of the Norwegian Council for Quality Improvement and Priority Setting in Health Care. Ulleren stopped paying the membership fee for the Centre Party in 2001, and in 2006 he described himself as "without a political attachment".
In 2002 Ulleren was hired as general director of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
(KS). In addition to the usual task of negotiating wages with the trade unions of employees in the municipal sector, Ulleren marked himself as more politically involved than several of his predecessors. Notably, in 2006 Ulleren proposed that a Norwegian municipal reform be considered. In light of the recent reform in Denmark, it has been suggested that the number of municipalities of Norway
be reduced, through mergers, from the current tally at around 430. Ulleren stated while a direct import of the Danish model was undesirable, something should be done in the way of merging some municipalities. Ulleren has also supported a regional reform. In 2003 he predicted the future abolishment of the county municipality and the county council
, though at the end of his term in 2009, both still existed.
in 2009, succeeding Per Harald Grue who was due to retire. The permanent under-secretary of State is the highest-ranking position in a Ministry, except for the partisan
positions of Minister and State Secretary. Among the tasks in the Ministry of Agriculture is to represent the state party in the annual general price settlement on agricultural produce.
The decision to appoint Ulleren was criticized by Hans Frode Asmyhr
of the Progress Party
for being a perceived consolidation of the Centre Party. First, the Minister who was responsible for the appointment, Lars Peder Brekk
, represents the Centre Party. Second, Asmyhr insinuated that the other parties in the agricultural settlement also represented the Centre Party.Quote: In English: "Now, sympathizers of the Centre Party will be seated on all sides of the table." (remark made by Asmyhr, written by the journalist in Nynorsk
) While both leaders of the main farmers' interest organizations, Pål Haugstad of the Norwegian Agrarian Association
and Ole-Anton Teigen
of the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
, did support the appointment, Teigen is an active politician for the Socialist Left Party
. Lars Peder Brekk deemed Asmyhr's allegations to be "clear-cut piffle", citing that Ulleren had the necessary qualifications for the position. In addition, other politicians from opposition parties, including Leif Helge Kongshaug
(Liberal) and Torbjørn Hansen
(Conservative
), defended the appointment of Ulleren.
and Oslo
. He still owns 20,000 decares of land in Tinn, which includes fields, forest and freshwater. Although he owns two dozen sheep, and sells licenses for fishing and Lagopus
hunting on his estate, he uses the land mainly for recreation. Ulleren's hobbies include telemark skiing
.
Centre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
. A veterinary by education, he was a mayor and State Secretary
State Secretary (Norway)
In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...
during his political career, and has since made his mark as general director of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is an employers' organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1972 as a merger between the Union of Norwegian Cities and the Norwegian Association of Rural Municipalities...
. He is a veterinarian by education. He is currently CEO of The Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organization's clinics
Early career
Ulleren was born in TinnTinn
Tinn is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Rjukan....
, and finished
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
his secondary education in 1973. He took the cand.med.vet. degree at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
Norwegian School of Veterinary Science
Norwegian School of Veterinary Science or NVH is a public university located at Adamstuen in Oslo, that educates veterinarians and veterinary nurses as well as research within aquatic medicine, food safety, comparative medicine and mammalian diseases, health and welfare. The institution has about...
in 1978, was a research assistant
Research assistant
A research assistant is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research...
in 1979 and acting municipal veterinary in Tinn in 1980. He then held two substitute jobs before doing his compulsory military service. From 1983 to 1991 he worked as the municipal veterinary in Tinn. He later took a master's degree in Knowledge Management from the Norwegian School of Management
Norwegian School of Management
BI Norwegian Business School former name BI Norwegian School of Management is the largest business school in Norway and the second largest in all of Europe. BI has in total 6 campuses with the main one located in Oslo.-History:...
.
Political career
Ulleren was a member of Tinn municipal council from 1983 to 1987, was not re-elected in 1987 but then returned in 1991. In 1991 he was elected deputy mayor, and in 1994 he became mayor of Tinn municipality. Representing the Centre PartyCentre Party (Norway)
The Centre Party is a centrist and agrarian political party in Norway, founded in 1920. The Centre Party's policy is not based on any of the major ideologies of the 19th and 20th century, but has a focus on maintaining decentralised economic development and political decision-making.From its...
, he became the first non-Labour
Norwegian Labour Party
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....
mayor of Tinn since 1945. With Ulleren at the helm, the Centre Party almost reached 45% in polls. Ulleren was re-elected in 1995 for a second four-year term, but on 10 May 1999, some months before the 1999 election, he was appointed State Secretary
State Secretary (Norway)
In Norway, a State Secretary is a partisan political position within the executive branch of government. Contrary to the position Secretary of State in many other countries, the Norwegian State Secretary does not head his or her Ministry, rather, they are second in rank to a Minister...
in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is a Norwegian ministry established in 1948. It is responsible for the housing and building, regional and rural policy, municipal and county administration and finances, and the conduct of elections...
as a part of the first cabinet Bondevik
First cabinet Bondevik
Bondevik's First Cabinet governed Norway between 17 October 1997 to 3 March 2000. It was led by Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and consisted of the Christian Democratic Party, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party. There was a major reshuffle in March 1999. It had the following...
. Subsequently, the Centre Party in Tinn plummeted with 27.3 percentage point
Percentage point
Percentage points are the unit for the arithmetic difference of two percentages.Consider the following hypothetical example: in 1980, 40 percent of the population smoked, and in 1990 only 30 percent smoked...
s. Ulleren lost his State Secretary position when the first cabinet Bondevik lost a vote of no confidence on 17 March 2000.
During his time in politics, Ulleren was a member of the central committee of the Centre Party for ten years, and also chaired the county chapter in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
for six years. He ran as a candidate for the position as vice party leader on multiple occasions, but was never chosen.
Among his non-political assignments during this period was the contribution to the Norwegian Official Report
Norwegian Official Report
A Norwegian Official Report is a report published by a panel or committee appointed by the Norwegian government. The Norwegian Parliament may request the government to establish such a committee....
1998: 11. He was also chairman of the Industrial Development Corporation of Norway
Industrial Development Corporation of Norway
The Industrial Development Corporation of Norway or SIVA is a Norwegian state enterprise responsible for government investment in incubators, science parks, industrial parks and real estate through partial ownership of 150 companies...
and Tinn Sparebank and a board member of Telemark University College
Telemark University College
Telemark University College is the fourth largest university college in Norway. The University College has about 5000 students. It is split between four different locations. The campuses are located in Bø, Notodden, Porsgrunn and Rauland.-Hierarchy:The university college is organised into four...
during the 1990s.
Leaving politics
When his tenure as State Secretary ended, Ulleren did not return to local politics. Instead, he was hired as director in Bioparken. He also served as chairChair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
of Akvaforsk, and later as a member of the board of the Southern Norway Regional Health Authority
Southern Norway Regional Health Authority
Southern Norway Regional Health Authority is a defunct Regional Health Authority that covered the counties of Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Telemark, Vest-Agder and Vestfold in Norway, as well as the national hospitals in Oslo...
and of Blefjell Hospital Trust. He was also a member of the Norwegian Council for Quality Improvement and Priority Setting in Health Care. Ulleren stopped paying the membership fee for the Centre Party in 2001, and in 2006 he described himself as "without a political attachment".
In 2002 Ulleren was hired as general director of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities
The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities is an employers' organisation in Norway.It was founded in 1972 as a merger between the Union of Norwegian Cities and the Norwegian Association of Rural Municipalities...
(KS). In addition to the usual task of negotiating wages with the trade unions of employees in the municipal sector, Ulleren marked himself as more politically involved than several of his predecessors. Notably, in 2006 Ulleren proposed that a Norwegian municipal reform be considered. In light of the recent reform in Denmark, it has been suggested that the number of municipalities of Norway
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
be reduced, through mergers, from the current tally at around 430. Ulleren stated while a direct import of the Danish model was undesirable, something should be done in the way of merging some municipalities. Ulleren has also supported a regional reform. In 2003 he predicted the future abolishment of the county municipality and the county council
County council (Norway)
A County Council is the highest governing body of the county municipalities in Norway. The county council sets the scope of the county municipal activity. The council is led by a chairman or county mayor...
, though at the end of his term in 2009, both still existed.
Civil servant
In late 2008, it was announced that Ulleren would become the new permanent under-secretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and FoodNorwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Foods is a Norwegian ministry established on February 17, 1900, and is responsible for agriculture, forestry and food in Norway. It is led by Minister of Agriculture and Food Lars Peder Brekk...
in 2009, succeeding Per Harald Grue who was due to retire. The permanent under-secretary of State is the highest-ranking position in a Ministry, except for the partisan
Party Politics
Party Politics is a peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the field of Political Science. The journal's editors are David M Farrell and Paul Webb...
positions of Minister and State Secretary. Among the tasks in the Ministry of Agriculture is to represent the state party in the annual general price settlement on agricultural produce.
The decision to appoint Ulleren was criticized by Hans Frode Asmyhr
Hans Frode Asmyhr
Hans Frode Asmyhr is a Norwegian politician representing the Progress Party. He is currently a representative of Akershus in the Storting and was first elected in 2005.-Storting committees:...
of the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
for being a perceived consolidation of the Centre Party. First, the Minister who was responsible for the appointment, Lars Peder Brekk
Lars Peder Brekk
Lars Peder Brekk is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was private secretary to the Minister of Fisheries 1985-1986, and himself Minister of Fisheries in 2000. He was elected to parliament in 2005. From 20 June 2008, he has been Minister of Agriculture and Food...
, represents the Centre Party. Second, Asmyhr insinuated that the other parties in the agricultural settlement also represented the Centre Party.Quote: In English: "Now, sympathizers of the Centre Party will be seated on all sides of the table." (remark made by Asmyhr, written by the journalist in Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
) While both leaders of the main farmers' interest organizations, Pål Haugstad of the Norwegian Agrarian Association
Norwegian Agrarian Association
The Norwegian Agrarian Association is the largest Norwegian interest organization for farmers.It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union. It negotiates with the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union and the Norwegian Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion about agricultural...
and Ole-Anton Teigen
Ole-Anton Teigen
Ole-Anton Teigen is a Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party.Born in Lyngen, took his higher education in 1979. He was a member of Lyngen municipal council from 1991 to 2007, and of Troms county council from 2003 to 2007...
of the Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union
The Norwegian Farmers and Smallholders Union is a Norwegian interest organization for farmers.It functions both as a labour union and as a trade union...
, did support the appointment, Teigen is an active politician for the Socialist Left Party
Socialist Left Party (Norway)
The Socialist Left Party or SV, is a Norwegian left-wing political party. At one point one of the smallest parties in Parliament, it became the fourth-largest political party in Norway for the first time in the 2001 parliamentary election, and has been so ever since...
. Lars Peder Brekk deemed Asmyhr's allegations to be "clear-cut piffle", citing that Ulleren had the necessary qualifications for the position. In addition, other politicians from opposition parties, including Leif Helge Kongshaug
Leif Helge Kongshaug
Leif Helge Kongshaug is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Møre og Romsdal in 1997, but not re-elected in 2001. During the second cabinet Bondevik, Kongshaug was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food...
(Liberal) and Torbjørn Hansen
Torbjørn Hansen
Torbjørn Hansen is a Norwegian politician representing the Conservative Party . He is currently a representative of Hordaland in the Storting and was first elected in 2001.-Storting committees:...
(Conservative
Conservative Party of Norway
The Conservative Party is a Norwegian political party. The current leader is Erna Solberg. The party was since the 1920s consistently the second largest party in Norway, but has been surpassed by the growth of the Progress Party in the late 1990s and 2000s...
), defended the appointment of Ulleren.
Personal life
After leaving Tinn in 1999, Ulleren has lived in BærumBærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. He still owns 20,000 decares of land in Tinn, which includes fields, forest and freshwater. Although he owns two dozen sheep, and sells licenses for fishing and Lagopus
Lagopus
Lagopus is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily. It contains three existing species.-Species:* Willow Ptarmigan or Willow Grouse, Lagopus lagopus* Rock Ptarmigan , Lagopus muta...
hunting on his estate, he uses the land mainly for recreation. Ulleren's hobbies include telemark skiing
Telemark skiing
Telemark skiing is a form of skiing using the Telemark turn. Unlike alpine skiing equipment, the skis used for telemarking either have a binding that only connects the boot to the ski at the toes, just as in cross-country skiing, or may be released to only connect there.Telemark turns are led with...
.