Expertise on the US, Ukraine and Russia is more important than ever for Norwegian business and organisations. Geelmuyden Kiese in Norway and the Nordic region is now strengthening its team by bringing in Øystein Bogen as an associate partner.

Øystein Bogen will continue his established work as a foreign affairs commentator and speaker on geopolitical topics, and will remain an author and lecturer on a range of geopolitical issues related to the US, Russia, Ukraine, and the relationship between these countries and China and the Middle East.

“Øystein Bogen will be based in Bergen and Oslo, which also gives Geelmuyden Kiese a strong presence in Western Norway,” says May Britt Lagesen, senior adviser and Head of Politics and Society at Geelmuyden Kiese. In addition to Bergen, Geelmuyden Kiese also has a representative in Northern Norway through its collaboration with Anne Marit Bjørnflaten, who is based in Tromsø.

A solid authority with experience from a number of war zones

For several decades, Øystein Bogen has been one of Norway’s most prominent and experienced foreign correspondents. He has worked as a correspondent and foreign affairs reporter for TV 2 for most of his career, with extensive stays and assignments in the US, Russia and Ukraine. He also speaks Ukrainian and Russian.

“Øystein Bogen is joining the team and further strengthening us as an advisory environment within geopolitics, communications, media and understanding of the US, Ukraine and Russia,” says Karne Lykkebo, Head of Geelmuyden Kiese in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Through Paritee, the company also operates in 10 capitals and 6 countries, including the Nordic region, England, the US and Germany.

Geopolitics and defence are important areas of knowledge

The geopolitical team at Geelmuyden Kiese already includes Thomas Sevang in Washington D.C. in the US, and Ketil Solvik-Olsen, Geir Hågen Karlsen, Simen Johannessen and Bjørn Richard Johansen at the Oslo office, all with US expertise. In addition, Gunnar Karlsen is part of the team through Geelmuyden Kiese in Stockholm. He has broad geopolitical expertise based on his background as a former Major General and head of Sweden’s military intelligence and security service, MUST.

“I look forward to using my experience and insight from journalism, with a focus on international politics, crises, war, foreign policy and diplomacy, to help organisations understand how global developments affect their strategy and social responsibility” says Øystein Bogen.

Bogen is educated in journalism and public relations at the University of Georgia in Athens, USA. He has also studied Russian at the Norwegian Armed Forces’ language and intelligence school and the Norwegian Defence Intelligence University College, and holds a Master’s degree in comparative politics from the University of Bergen. Bogen has also completed the Senior Executive Course at the Norwegian Defence University College.

“I believe that expertise in understanding the opportunities in Ukraine and the US, and in understanding Russia, will be especially important going forward. I look forward to working more long-term with complex issues and contributing to one of Scandinavia’s most exciting and highly skilled advisory environments across national borders, “says Øystein Bogen.

The SKUP Award and the Grand Journalism Prize

During his journalistic career, he has received a number of awards for his work, including the Grand Journalism Prize and the SKUP Award. He is also the author of several books that have contributed to greater understanding of complex international relations and security-policy issues.

Here is an overview of his non-fiction publications:

• Putin and I. Russia’s road from hope to hopelessness, 2016. This is a personal and political journey through Russia’s development from Gorbachev’s glasnost to Putin’s authoritarian rule.
• Russia’s secret war against the West, 2018. A revealing book about how Russia wages a hidden war against Western democracies through espionage, cyberattacks and disinformation.
• An unusual spy: Frode Berg, Norwegian intelligence and the ghosts of the Cold War, 2019. This is the story of Frode Berg, a retired Norwegian border guard arrested for espionage in Russia, and the diplomatic complications that followed.

For more information, contact:

Karne Lykkebo, Group CEO and Head of Geelmuyden Kiese in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, phone +45-203 16 739, email: karne.lykkebo@gknordic.com

Øystein Bogen, incoming associate partner, mobile 414 23 321, email: oystein.bogen@gknordic.com

May Britt Lagesen, senior adviser, Head of Politics and Society, mobile 95 81 55 36, email: may.britt.lagesen@gknordic.com