Following the change of government, Ms. Anita Utseth (39) was today appointed state secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.

Ms. Utseth is living in Trondheim in the middle part of Norway. Before she was appointed state secretary of the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Ms. Utseth worked as a Vice President HSE in the oil company Pertra. Her responsibilities in Pertra included health, safety, and environmental issues connected to fields in production, development- and modification projects, well operations and seismic mapping. Since 2003, Ms. Utseth has been a member of Trondheim City Council and Leader of the Culture, Sports and Outdoor Committee. From 1992 to 2000 she worked as a Principal Engineer in the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate.

Anita Utseth holds an MSc from NTH, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (1991) and a Master in Energy Economics and Environmental Management (1998). She has held a number of honorary posts, both locally and nationally.