Paul Chaffey
Paul André Chaffey | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 10, 1965 Oslo, Norway |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | Member of the Norwegian Parliament; Managing director of Abelia; State Secretary under Minister of Local Government Jan Tore Sanner |
Paul André Chaffey (born 10 July 1965) is a Norwegian entrepreneur and ex-politician who initially represented the Socialist Left Party until 1997. From 2000 onwards, he has supported the Conservative Party and presently holds the position of State Secretary under Minister of Local Government Jan Tore Sanner.
Chaffey was born in Oslo to Patrick Nigel Chaffey (1938–2006), a university lecturer, and Arnhild Mæhle (born 1945), an advisor. He spent his childhood in Bærum and completed his upper secondary education at Valler Upper Secondary School in 1984. At the University of Oslo, he pursued minors in political science (1985–1986) and history (1988–1989). His early political engagement included significant roles within the Socialist Youth, such as county secretary (1984–1985), organizational secretary (1986–1988), and leader (1988–1990). Additionally, he was a member of both the national board and central committee of the Socialist Left Party between 1986 and 1989. During this time, he authored two publications: Lik rett til utdanning (1986) and Grønn framtid?: vår miljøpolitiske utfordring (1989).
Chaffey was elected to the Parliament of Norway representing Akershus in both 1989 and 1993. In his initial term, he contributed to the Standing Committee on Foreign and Constitutional Affairs as well as its Enlarged Committee, while during his subsequent term, he served as secretary for the Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment.
In 1997, he shifted his focus to the corporate sector by joining Statoil as an advisor. Between 1999 and 2001, he held director-level positions overseeing occupational safety, strategy, communications, and marketing. In 2001, Chaffey assumed the role of managing director at Abelia, an employers' organization affiliated with the national Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise. He chaired the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs from 2002 until 2005 and was involved in board memberships for Europaprogrammet (1990–1997) as well as for the University of Oslo.
Marking his ideological transition, Chaffey distanced himself from his former socialist alignment, casting his vote for the Labour Party in 1997 before endorsing the Conservative Party throughout the 2000s. In 2008, he acknowledged the effectiveness of a market economy and even commended representatives of the Progress Party during their national gathering.