About us

DMI are dedicated to bridging the gap in understanding about India in Norway.

Despite being the fifth largest economy globally and one of the fastest-growing, India remains largely unknown to many here. As a nuclear power and a major arms importer, with aspirations to lead in a multipolar world, India's rise on the global stage is increasingly acknowledged by established powers.

However, there's still a substantial knowledge gap about India. Negative perceptions in the media may be influencing public opinion, overshadowing the importance of factual understanding.

Det Moderne India is committed to shedding light on the rich tapestry of India's economy and geopolitics, fostering informed discussions and creating platforms for knowledge sharing.

Join us in exploring the endless possibilities of collaboration between Norway and India.

Bjørn Ottar Elseth

Chair

Bjørn Ottar joined Energy Vally October 2023. Elseth has more than 20 years industry experience from the aerospace, mobile communications and the energy sector working for the European Space Agency, Telenor, Norwegian Space Agency in various technology and operations and strategic management roles. He comes from the position as cluster director Arena H2Cluster, the national hydrogen cluster. Elseth has a long-time experience from innovation processes and technology transfer and is an experienced networker. He has a M.Sc. in Aerospace and Systems Engineering from Delft University of Technology.

Varda Taneja

Board member

Varda Taneja was Vice President at Invest India. Varda has also worked in close capacity with the Office of the Prime Minister of India and with senior officials from Federal Ministries and State Governments to work on policy and develop an investor outreach strategy. As a young female leader in the field of public policy, Varda has played an instrumental role in supporting and facilitating European business interests in India. Varda also led the planning and execution of business interactions of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India at various international fora such as the World Economic Forum, Davos and been a part of the accompanying delegation for other Head of State / High level Visits. Her passion and efforts have won her the recognition of BusinessWorld Disrupt 30 under 30 and EuropeIndia40 leaders.

Rina Sunder

Board member

Rina Sunder is an investor and regular commentator and speaker on India, the rise of Asia, innovation, sustainability and global trends in leading Norwegian media and academia. She has worked at Geelmuyden.Kiese, PGS and was owner of Singapore-based investment company, Tigris Capital. From 2011 to 2015 she was a speaker on all India conferences in Norway. As Chair for Norway India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) Rina repositioned NICCI and tripled the membership base. Sunder also ensured that NICCI was included in Team Norway. In 2016/2017 Sunder logged off the world and started writing the text book “Det Moderne India”.

Erik Solheim

Board member

Previous Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme

Erik Solheim has been Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme. Prior to joining UN Environment, Solheim was the chair of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. In this capacity, Solheim emphasized the role of private sector and tax in development finance, spearheading the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership and the Addis Tax Initiative. From 2007 to 2012, Solheim held the combined portfolio of Norway’s Minister of the Environment and International Development, and from 2005 to 2007 served as Minister of International Development. This unique portfolio mixture allowed him to bring a coherent approach to development and the environment.

Ganesh Shenoy

Board member

Shenoy lead the finance and IT teams in MTR with a business development focus. Leveraging IT and financial analytics for business growth is his passion. He was on the Board of Rasoi Magic Foods (India) Pvt Ltd , a fully owned subsidiary of MTR Foods Pvt Ltd. and also on the Board of Norwegian Business Association of India since June 2017. He had the honor and privilege of being included in the All India CFO 100 Roll of Honour for 6 years in succession from – 2014 onwards till 2019 by CFO India an arm of 9.9 Media Pvt Ltd.

Himanshu Gulati

Board member

Member of Parliament

Himanshu Gulati is a Norwegian politician representing the Progress Party. Gulati was the chairperson of the Progress Party's Youth from 2012 to 2014. He served as State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Public Security from 2013 to 2014, and at the Office of the Prime Minister from 2014 until 2017. In 2017 he was elected as a representative in the Norwegian parliament from Akershus, where he has served in the Committee on Justice.

Knut Linnerud

Board member

Knut was the CEO Greenstat Asia. He is an experienced serial entrepreneur with many years of management experience. In the last couple of years, Linnerud has led the start-up of the hydrogen cluster H2Cluster – the Norwegian Hydrogen Cluster. Linnerud has relevant experience in the hydrogen industry and many years of experience in establishing and further developing companies through various, demanding growth phases. His dedication to promoting sustainable energy practices aligns perfectly with our goals. Mr. Linnerud's insights will be invaluable as we explore clean energy and renewables. Knut also headed International Climate Summit in 2022 and in 2023.