Here you can read the presentations from the candidates in the 2025 election.

Norsk versjon: Kandidater til styrevalget - teknisk-administrativt ansatte

Back to Elections 2025 and Valgweb

Gaute Bjørnli

Senior engineer, Joint Administration

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

NTNU faces great opportunities – but also challenges. Technology should simplify, not complicate. We must ensure that digital solutions enhance education, research, and administration. Today, many systems that could be effective are not used optimally. That must change. As a senior engineer in learning support, I see daily how we can use technology smarter. We need solutions that reduce frustration, free up time, and make life easier for staff and students. At the same time, we must meet strict security, GDPR, and AI Act requirements. Cloud-based solutions must be used wisely, and NTNU must take the lead in developing safe, sustainable, and future-proof digital services. Sustainability and resource management must guide our tech choices. We must demand environmentally friendly procurement and solutions that minimize digital waste. NTNU must be a responsible actor – also digitally.

I will be a strong voice for technical-administrative staff. We hold critical expertise, yet are often overlooked in decision-making. That must change. Through collaboration, clear strategy, and practical solutions, we can create an NTNU that works better for everyone. I hope to earn your vote!

Are Wendelborg Brandt

Laboratory leader, Faculty of Engineering (IV)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

My name is Are W. Brandt and I have worked at NTNU for three years. Prior to that, I worked for 25 years at SINTEF, the Norwegian Fire Research Laboratory (now RISE Fire Research). I have a versatile professional background where I have worked both as a researcher and with management. In 2006, I was unlucky and was exposed to an accident that resulted in a serious spinal cord injury, which has given me a unique experience and perspective that I carry with me. In relation to board experience, I have been entrusted with several national and international positions both professionally and privately.

NTNU has been through a challenging financial period, and we must get used to a new everyday life, but it also offers great opportunities to become even better. I think NTNU has a great potential to highlight itself even better, despite the fact that we are located on the outskirts of Europe by cultivating and highlighting what makes us unique. In connection with the co-location of the two environments at Dragvoll and Gløshaugen, there are many opportunities, but also challenges that must be solved.

I believe that with both my academic and private background, I have a unique experience that can contribute positively to the work that NTNU's board will embark on and continue in the future. I am strongly motivated to contribute to NTNU developing in the best possible way in a turbulent and uncertain world situation.

Peder Berntsen Brenne

Adviser learning environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences (NV)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

NTNU must adapt to reduced funding and new framework conditions without losing its distinct identity and autonomy. We must ensure the necessary room for action and the right balance in our core tasks. Employees and students are our most important resource. Restructuring should not be random, and we must avoid undesirable consequences. NTNU has the lowest proportion of technical-administrative staff in the sector, - not necessarily a good thing. We are a highly competent workforce! We need solid management, efficient workflows, user-friendly digital solutions, and good internal cooperation.

We should take pride in NTNU’s unique reputation. The great challenges of our time need NTNU’s contributions. In a tense security situation, fundamental values are being challenged. NTNU must navigate complex ethical dilemmas and have the courage to take a stand. In the coming board term, unforeseen issues will surely arise. At the same time, we know what lies ahead: a new development agreement with KD, decisions on governance model, defense sector collaboration, and difficult priorities in construction projects. Education, research, innovation, and dissemination take place at NTNU’s departments in Ålesund, Gjøvik, and Trondheim. We must never forget that. With long experience close to NTNU’s core activities, I know the university well.

During my year on the board, I have contributed to good, knowledge-based decisions for NTNU’s best interests. If you agree, I am happy to continue doing so.

Veruska De Caro-Barek

Adviser, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences (SU)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

I am running for the board election because I believe our role as an employee group at NTNU must be elevated and better recognized. We are a quiet group that doesn’t usually make much noise, BUT we keep NTNU’s machinery running so that academic staff can better focus on their work and students on their studies. One of NTNU’s biggest challenges in the future will be to succeed in a time of increasingly tight financial conditions. This will directly affect us: budget cuts may lead to unrealistic efficiency demands and increased workloads. So far, digitalization and reorganizations have not necessarily resulted in an easier workday, and many feel that their voices have not been heard in important decisions. I want to change that. What I stand for:

• Better working conditions with realistic expectations and support for competence and career development.
• A stronger voice in the board with real co-determination in changes that affect us.
• Smarter digitalization that actually makes our work easier instead of creating more bureaucracy.
• Recognition of our role – Technical-administrative staff should not be seen as a background support function but as an equal part of NTNU.

I want to be a clear voice for us on the board – but I need your support! Vote for me for a stronger NTNU, where we as technical-administrative staff are heard, valued, and given the tools we need to do our jobs in the best possible way. Together, we make a difference!

Per Andre Munkeby Fenne

Senior executive officer, Faculty of Architecture and Design (AD)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

I have worked at NTNU since August 2021, during this time, I have held many different roles. Including various periods as a student-advisor, project economist, purchaser, and management support. Since May 2024, I have been permanently employed as a project coordinator at the Department of Design.

In NTNU's strategy for 2018-2025, one of NTNUs aims for the end of the strategy period is that: "we have developed and modernized the technical-administrative support system and provide services with the right quality tailored to the needs of the users." I believe that NTNU still have a long way to go here. The biggest challenge in this regard is that employees are still using IT-solutions that were outdated around the same time as some of the current NTNU students were born. This affects the quality at all levels and should be a top priority on NTNU's list of challenges to be addressed in the future.

Furthermore, one of the goals of NTNU's 2018-2025 strategy is that: "each employee's competence is valued and systematically developed." According to NIFU report 2024:2, good systems for professional career development for TA-staff in the higher education sector are lacking. Based on my experience, I would argue that this is also something NTNU needs to work better on in the future. There are many discussions that should be had related to this, including salary development for TA-staff at NTNU. If you want a board member who will address the mentioned challenges, please vote for me.

Håkon Gravem Isaksen

Senior executive officer, Faculty of Humanities (HF)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

NTNU is facing a future where fewer students will enroll in higher education, and our funding from government budgets is in decline. At the same time, Knowledge for a better world is more relevant than ever. We need to prioritize development and investment in our employees to succeed in our mission of research and education. In this effort, the technical-administrative staff are a vital component. Where our academic colleagues shape the premises for the direction, content and knowledge which make up our research and education, we shape the premises of the structures, systems and supporting infrastructure that enables and facilitates this education and research.

My visions are that NTNU:

• Prioritizes strengthening our technical-administrative staff. Out workday must be defined by supported development, ownership and a sense of mattering. We deserve to be proud of the work we are doing, and it is time we enact structural measures to ensure this.
• Commits to being an attractive employer for newly educated people. This includes creating healthy social environments that become spaces for inclusion, and to ensure we are recruiting appropriately qualified people.
• Has tools, routines and systems in place which allow us to experience ownership and mattering when solving our tasks. This includes encouraging a critical relationship to one’s own work, where constructive feedback on potential development and innovation is welcomed by leaders.

Camilla Mortensen

Skilled worker, Joint Administration

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

I believe that finances will be NTNU's biggest challenge, also in the future. Being able to continue to be an attractive workplace, while at the same time providing high-quality education must be the goal, even with less funding than before.I am committed and interested in NTNU as a workplace.

I have been employed at NTNU since 2014 and have good insight into the university's facilities, such as the physical learning and working environment. I work in the property department, we are over 400 great employees who manage, operate and develop the campus. Such a large department should also have a place on the board at NTNU. As a skilled worker,I can give the board a broader perspective, as there are few of us at a strategic level,I will be able to provide insight that you would not otherwise have had. It is important that the operational employees are represented and heard. This will also create a more democratic board.

I am in my 3rd term as a safety representative, and have good insight into the working environment at NTNU. I am a skilled worker in cleaning,but have also studied facility management and am now studying labor management.I believe it is important to have good communication across the organization.

We in operations are there for the entire NTNU and they depend on us to have a good day at work,for the buildings to be adapted so that they can do what they are there to do, and that together we can create an NTNU for the future as well.

Vanessa Necchi

Adviser, Faculty of Humanities (HF)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

I am running for the board because I want to ensure strong representation for all technical-administrative staff. NTNU must adapt to new framework conditions and meet high expectations for adaptation. This means we must work more efficiently with fewer resources. It is crucial to have a representative who understands these challenges when the board makes decisions on behalf of all employees. It is essential to maintain academic freedom for our academic staff. This can be achieved through a supportive and competent administrative and technical apparatus. We are all part of a large machinery that depends on each other's efforts. By collaborating, we can stand firm in a time when many of our colleagues globally are at risk of losing their rights.

Through my union work, I have gained a deep understanding of NTNU. I have visited many employees, including technical staff, laboratories, and administrative staff at all levels. The goal of 'One NTNU' is a strong desire within the organization. However, many feel that the goal has not yet been achieved. Through conversations with employees, I have gained broad insight into what is happening in the workplaces. I can bring this knowledge to the board meetings.

If you choose me, you choose a representative with a solid background in the humanities, where critical thinking and analytical skills are deeply rooted. I will work to promote collaboration and development across NTNU and ensure that all employees are heard.

Sunniva Saksvik

Adviser, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences (SU)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

With experience from board work in both the voluntary, private and public sectors, I am a person who rolls up her sleeves, tackles the problems and finds concrete solutions.

STRATEGY AND FUTURE - NTNU must be aware of our role in society. We must participate in debates on climate, technological development, peace work and social justice. We must start from a pride in what we ARE to look at what we can BECOME.

ORGANIZATION AND DIGITALIZATION - We are threatened by budget cuts, redundancies and demands for external funding. But NTNU already has a lot of resources we could have utilized better with a better flow in work processes and decision-making, and with good digital tools.

CAMPUS AND OFFICE - NTNU must focus on its employees, their development and well-being. The campus must support our core activity. Large prestige projects should not be prioritized over study spaces, learning areas, laboratories and office spaces for employees, especially for employees with work that requires concentration.

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY - NTNU shall be an inclusive workplace that offers opportunities for development, a principle that applies both during recruitment, employment and career support. Diversity must also be safeguarded in the form of academic freedom. Equality is not a passive virtue, but an active action.

ACCESSIBILITY AND TEA - As a board member, I will strive to be accessible and responsive. You are welcome to argue with me - knock on the door, and I will put on the kettle for tea. You may, however, need to dry the dishes afterwards.

Anneli Torsbakken Østlien

Senior adviser, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (IE)

Brief description of what you stand for: What are NTNU's biggest challenges going forward and why voters should vote for you?

NTNU's biggest challenge is all the changes happening at the same time. The funding is not increasing as we were used to; instead, the expenses are rising. Academic freedom is being pressured, artificial intelligence is challenging traditional teaching methods, and the geopolitical situation is limiting who we can collaborate with. At the same time, we expect the youth cohorts to decrease, and we see an increased tendency of young people choosing vocational education over academic. This development, combined with the introduction of tuition fees, will likely result in greater competition for students and fewer students for several of our programmes. What should we prioritize, and possibly what should we deprioritize, while ensuring the security of our jobs?

With 15 years of experience from Gjøvik University College and NTNU, I hope to contribute with a broad knowledge base and multiple perspectives in the tough prioritizations ahead of us. I have previously worked as a caseworker for study programmes and currently in research administration, thus having experience from various parts of the administration, but also at different levels in the organization.

I hope to bring with me a commitment to clearer career paths for technical-administrative staff if I were to be elected as a board member.