History

The world is marked by growing geopolitical unrest, shifting balances of power and sharpening conflicts. At a time when compromise is ever harder to reach, the need for dialogue only grows. With the theme Balancing the Scales, The NHH Symposium 2025 took that very imbalance as its starting point, and explored how balance might be created in an increasingly unpredictable world. Speakers included WTO Chief Economist Ralph Ossa, The Economist Deputy Editor Tom Standage, EQT CEO Christian Sinding and African Union Commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid, who together made the conference an arena for international dialogue — precisely when it was needed most.

The theme of the conference was the future of globalisation, and its purpose was to give insight into the geopolitical situation by looking at shifts in the global balance of power and the rising degree of populism and protectionism. It examined what those changes mean for Europe and for European business, and how they can be met. The conference also placed a focus on business and human rights. Speakers included Yngve Slyngstad, Isabel Hilton, Henrik Syse, Vidar Helgesen and Kerry Kennedy.

In 2015 the conference was held on 18 and 19 March at the Norwegian School of Economics.

The theme in 2015 was productivity. The conference set out the problems around slowing productivity growth, and took up the relationship between technology, innovation, labour and sustainable business.

Speakers that year included former Prime Minister Erna Solberg, current Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, NHO Director General Kristin Skogen Lund, and Jon Gunnar Pedersen, former State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance and partner at Arctic Securities.

The NHH Symposium 2007 shattered the attendance record from 2003, with 440 registered participants in all. H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon was one of them.

Risk and unpredictability — today's threats, tomorrow's opportunities was a burning theme, and it drew many high-profile speakers. Among them were Anne Aasheim, Finn Bergesen Jr., Kjell A. Nordström and Kåre Valebrokk. The conference closed with a talk by PwC's global chief executive, Samuel DiPiazza Jr.

Perhaps it was the record attendance that pushed tidying our office down the list? Either way, the year's conference and its red-hot theme drew a crowd. Among the contributors were PR guru and Stabæk Fotball enthusiast Ingebrigt Steen Jensen and Svein Mollekleiv of Det Norske Veritas.

The NHH Symposium entered the new millennium with a Norwegian theme for the first time in the conference's history. NHH professor Victor Norman opened a conference with a speaker list full of Norwegian chief executives. Tormod Hermansen of Telenor Norway, Svein Aaser of DnB, Christian Thommesen of Glamox and Åge Korsvold of Storebrand ASA delivered their reflections on the new economy.

King Harald V lent his lustre to The NHH Symposium in 1995. That year's speakers were IMD professor Stéphane Garelli, Deutsche Bank Group chief economist Norbert Walter, London Economics Ltd. chairman John Kay and The Economist editor Nicholas Colchester.

The NHH Symposium of 1987, In Quest of the 90's, was strongly shaped by the yuppie era of the day, and the focus lay on new ideas and thinking about the coming decade. The conference's most memorable moment came when Volvo chief Pehr Gyllenhammar foresaw the stock market crash that would arrive six months later.