Oluf Arntsen
Oluf Arntsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 22, 1941 Kristiansand, Norway |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1970s–2000s |
| Known for | CEO of Sparebanken Pluss, chairman of Southern Norway Regional Health Authority, State Secretary in Korvald's Cabinet |
Oluf Arntsen (born 22 March 1941) is a Norwegian entrepreneur and politician associated with the Christian Democratic Party.
Originating from Kristiansand, he earned a cand.real. degree from the University of Oslo in 1967. Arntsen's professional journey commenced as a consultant within the Ministry of Education and Church Affairs and at a teachers' college before advancing to the role of assisting chief executive at NKI-skolen. During the period of Korvald's Cabinet (1972–1973), he held the position of State Secretary initially in the Ministry of Local Government and Labour and subsequently in the Office of the Prime Minister. Following this, he was appointed secretary-general of the Christian Democratic Party, then took on the role of director of enterprise within Vestfold County Municipality. Between 1982 and 1988, Arntsen served as a director for Anders Jahre/Kosmos, after which he became CEO of Sparebanken Pluss. He retired from this position in 2001, with Stein A. Hannevik succeeding him.
Arntsen has held leadership roles in several prominent organizations, such as chairing the Norwegian Banks' Guarantee Fund, the Norwegian Industrial and Regional Development Fund, and Mediehuset Vårt Land. Additionally, he presided over Statoil's corporate council and election committee. In December 2002, he was appointed chairman of the Southern Norway Regional Health Authority. His leadership encountered significant difficulties, particularly surrounding CEO Steinar Stokke’s departure following disputes related to patient diagnosis coding used for public funding and executive pension agreements. In January 2004, Arntsen sought to remove Stokke but was overruled by the board, prompting his own resignation; shortly thereafter, Minister of Health Dagfinn Høybråten dismissed the entire board. Stokke resigned soon after these events.
Beyond these roles, Arntsen participated on the supervisory council of Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse and chaired the political-financial committee within the Norwegian Savings Banks Association. In 1999, he led what became known as the Arntsen Committee, responsible for setting guidelines for that year's central wage negotiations in Norway. From 2005 until 2007, he chaired a committee that reviewed disability pensions, culminating in Norwegian Official Report 2007: 4.
He currently lives in Kristiansand and is a freemason. During his tenure working in Eastern Norway, Arntsen held membership on both the Asker municipal council and the Akershus county council.