Equinor’s nomination committee has recommended that former military chief Haakon Bruun-Hanssen become a new member on its board ahead of the Norwegian major’s next general assembly.

Bruun-Hanssen’s nomination comes after long-serving member Bjorn Tore Godal decided to step down, according an Equinor statement issued Wednesday.

His past positions include head of Norwegian defence forces from 2013 to 2020 and chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy from 2009 to 2011, among other high-ranking positions overseeing naval operations.

Shareholders will cast votes for board members in an election to be held at Equinor’s corporate assembly meeting on 30 November.

Heightened security requirements

Norway has been playing an increasingly prominent role as a supplier of natural gas to Europe since the Russian assault on Ukraine, due to the diminishing role of Russian gas imports.

Air cover: F-35 fighter jets patrolling an oil rig. Photo: NORWEGIAN ARMED FORCES

Equinor is one of the biggest asset owners on the Norwegian continental shelf and security over energy infrastructure has become a growing concern, not least because of the unexplained explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea in September, and Norway’s recently inaugurated Baltic Pipe duct, which connects to Poland and Germany.

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