Businesspeople from Oslo

Martin Mehren (8 August 1905 – 2 October 2002) was a Norwegian businessperson and sportsperson.He was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of merchant Herman Mehren (1875-1941) and Agnethe Ingberg (1882-1937), and was an uncle of poet Stein Mehren.Mehren became Norwegian champion in rowing several times, and twice Scandinavian champion. During the summer of 1931, he crossed Greenland on ski with Arne Høygaard, travelling from Uummannaq to Nordfjord.Together with his brother, Arne Mehren (1910-1990), he chaired the clothing company Herman Mehren AS from 1935, which had been established by his father in 1903. He chaired the Norwegian Trekking Association from 1953 to 1957, and was a member of the advisory board from 1957 to 1981.His brother's son was the poet Stein Mehren.

Rolf Østbye (17 April 1898 – 20 November 1979) was a Norwegian businessperson.
He was born in Kristiania as a son of rector Niels Johan Hagerup Østbye (1866–1952) and Johanne Elisabeth Mellbye (1873–1962). From 1923 to 1931 he was married to Reidun Berg (1899–1976), and from 1933 he was married to Ellen Martinsen (1904–1997), a granddaughter of Gustav Martinsen.He worked in Ringnes Bryggeri, Lillehammer Bryggeri and Bjølsen Valsemølle at a young age, but took education as a chemical engineer. He was hired in Standard Telefon og Kabelfabrik in 1947, and became chief executive officer in 1949. In 1953 he was hired in Norsk Hydro, becoming Director-General (CEO) in 1956. He stayed in this position until 1966; after this he was chairman of the board from 1967 to 1970. From 1966 to 1973 he chaired the Norwegian Trade Council, which is now a part of Innovation Norway.
He was also a supervisory council member of Forsikringsaktieselskabet Norden.

Otto Sverdrup Engelschiøn (30 October 1902 – 8 May 1982) was a Norwegian marketer, businessperson, resistance member and genealogist.
He was born in Kristiania as a son of consul-general Søren Dass Brodtkorb Sverdrup Engelschiøn (1867–1909) and Janka Hansen (1869–1935). In 1928 he married Gudrun Irgens Garmann.Engelschiøn finished his secondary education in 1922 and graduated from the Royal Frederick University with the cand.jur. degree in 1926. He was an attorney from 1927, and also director of I. Sverdrup Engelschiøn which had the rights to distribute Swedish Tomten products in Norway. In 1929 it was merged with Norsk Barnengens Tekniske Fabrik. Engelschiøn spent the rest of his career in the company, from 1929 as director of the sales and marketing department and from 1948 to 1968 as co-owner.In the 1930s he was a member of Nasjonal Samling. He left the party in the 1937 party split, continuing though in the Ragnarok group around national socialist Hans S. Jacobsen, and edited the magazine Ragnarok in 1940. In 1940, however, Norway was invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany. Engelschiøn joined the resistance movement and was the head of intelligence in Milorg's District 13, Division 3 (Asker and Bærum) from 1943 to 1945. He received the Defence Medal 1940–1945 with rosette.Engelschiøn chaired the Norwegian Genealogical Society from 1957 to 1968, and thereafter served as deputy chairman. He was also a bibliophile, chairing Bibliofilklubben twice as well as the contest jury for the Most Beautiful Book of the Year. Engelschiøn also issued a crime novel under a pseudonym.He resided in Bærum. He died in 1982 and was buried at Haslum.

Ralph Mollatt (28 March 1926 – 5 August 1983) was a Norwegian businessperson.
He was born in Oslo, and studied in Syracuse, New York and Grenoble. He worked in the family company M. Peterson & Søn, and was CEO from 1963 to 1980. His younger brother Erik was later CEO from 1983 to 2002.For his work, Ralph Mollatt was decorated with the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

Leif Terje Løddesøl (24 April 1935 – 18 November 2021) was a Norwegian businessperson.
He was born in Oslo as a son of Aasulv Løddesøl (1896–1978) and Liv Marie Bjørlykke (1905–1994). He has been married twice. He graduated from the University of Oslo with the cand.jur. degree in 1960, and studied further, among others at The Hague Academy of International Law and the College of Europe in Brussels. After a period as deputy judge in Hardanger District Court he worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1963 to 1966 and the Norwegian Shipowners' Association from 1966 to 1969.He was then the chief executive officer of ScanAustral from 1969 to 1973, Wilh. Wilhelmsen from 1973 to 1980 and Den norske Creditbank from 1980 to 1988. The bank became embroiled in hardships during a banking crisis (see among others the Black Monday 1987), and an employee also defrauded the bank. Løddesøl was removed as chief executive in 1988, but returned to the corporate executive team in Wilh. Wilhelmsen, where he stayed until 2000. From 2000 to 2002 he was the president of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association.He was a board member of Den norske Creditbank in the 1970s and chaired the Norwegian Bankers' Association from 1982 to 1984. He chaired the Norwegian National Opera from 1996 to 2005 and Wilh. Wilhelmsen from 2000 to 2003. He chaired the corporate council of Statoil from 1996, and later the board from 2002 to 2003. He had to leave after the Iran case.He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Order of St. Olav in 1985.

Harald Throne-Holst (7 December 1905 – 8 December 1986) was a Norwegian industrial leader and a chemical engineer. He was managing director and later chairman of the Freia chocolate factory, and served as President of the Federation of Norwegian Industries and as chairman of Foreningen Norden.

Jens-Halvard Bratz (21 April 1920 – 19 January 2005) was a Norwegian business executive and government minister with the Conservative Party. He served as Norwegian Minister of Industry from 1981–1983.Jens-Halvard Bratz was born at Østre Aker in Oslo, Norway. He was a student at Oslo Commerce School (Oslo Handelsgymnasium) (1940) with continued studies in England and the United States (1945-1946). Bratz was married in 1946 to Sissel Lie (1922-1983) and was a son-in-law of Trygve Lie, who served as the first Secretary-General of the United Nations.In 1941, he was first employed at the ironworks firm Grorud Jernvarefabrikk in Groruddalen followed by various positions with the firm. He was for many years director of the Grorud Jernvarefabrikk (1941-1981). The ironworks had been founded by his father Ragnvald Bratz (1889-1968) in 1917. He also served in the leadership of numerous organisations. He was vice-president and president (1971-73) of the Norwegian Industrial Federation and chairman of the Norwegian Industrial Bank (1984-88). He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Mechanical Workshop Association (Mekaniske Verksteders Landsforening) and served as chairman (1970-1981). He was among the people who initiated the Norwegian Glacier Museum (Norsk Bremuseum) in Sogndal during 1991.Bratz also held various positions with the Conservative Party including chairman of the board of finance (1974-1981).

He served as Minister of Industry in the cabinet of Kåre Willoch from its accession in October 1981 until his resignation on 16 September 1983.

Sven Ivar Dysthe (25 August 1931 – 1 March 2020) was a Norwegian furniture designer born in Oslo, Norway. Among his designs is the armchair 1001 from 1960, and the chair Laminette from 1964. He was awarded Norsk Form's Jakob Award in 1986.

Willy Christian Simonsen (13 September 1913 – 4 December 2003) was a Norwegian engineer and business founder.
He was born in Kristiania as a son of chemist Einar Simonsen (1867–1918) and Alice Sophia Andersen (1877–1969). He finished his secondary education at Hegdehaugen School in 1933, and graduated in electrical engineering from the Dresden University of Technology in 1938. He worked as an engineer for Elektrisk Bureau and Chr. Michelsen Institute. During the German occupation of Norway from 1940 he was involved in the Norwegian resistance movement where he cooperated with fellow engineers Odd Dahl and Helmer H. Dahl to wiretap German forces. This was discovered and Simonsen was arrested by Gestapo, but admitted to Ullevål Hospital from which he escaped. He fled to the United Kingdom, where he started working in the Radio Production Unit of the British War Office. He developed the shortwave radio "Sweetheart".He was hired as a technical consultant for the Norwegian High Command after the war. In 1947 he started the company Simonsen Radio in Oslo, and in 1957 the company Simonsen & Mustad followed in Horten. He received initial capital from Halfdan and John Mustad. The brand name Simrad became known in the communications business, and was leading in echo sounding equipment. He backed out of these companies in 1968 and started Simonsen Elektro (in Oslo) in 1970 and Simonsen Elektro Løkken (in Løkken Verk). These companies produced automatic cell phones, in the NMT 450 system, and were leading in the Norwegian market until the 1980s.Simonsen was decorated with the Defence Medal 1940–1945, the UK Defence Medal, the Haakon VII 70th Anniversary Medal and the Order of St. Olav, and has received the Reginald Fessenden Award. He died in December 2003.

Knut Torvald Giæver (10 June 1926 – 4 March 2015) was a Norwegian publisher.
He was born in Oslo, and was a brother of Jo Giæver Tenfjord. He was assigned director of the book sales club Den norske Bokklubben from 1964 to 1991. During his period the number of club members (including subsidiaries) reached about 600,000. He chaired Norske Siviløkonomers Forening from 1970 to 1974, and has been chairman of the board of Norsk Form, and board member of Nationaltheatret.He died on 4 March 2015.