Board of Directors |
Sophia Demetriades Toftdahl | Co-Chair Sophia Demetriades Toftdahl is the founding President and longest standing Director of the Board at Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce (2014). She was responsible for writing the strategy that lead to NACC winning the International Chamber Award in 2018. Sophia is currently the Chief Executive of the newly founded Dubai Chamber in Australia. She is an advisor to the Estonian Chamber of Industry of Commerce, is on the Council for the Nordic Chambers, a Co-Chair of the Revenue Enablement Society - Australia Chapter, and a reciprocal Member of the European Australian Business Council. She has over 20 year experience in International Relations, and ran her own award winning business consulting and career coaching practice for almost 10 years. She holds a Certificate of Philosophy & Psychology from the University of Oslo, a Bachelor of Communications from WSU, a Bachelor of Communications with Honors from UTS, a Master of Management from UTS, and a Certificate of Professional Coaching from the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL). |
Stig Falster | Co-Chair Stig is the Sales Director of Interock, a long-established provider of project and management consultancy to major industry sectors, as well as being a supplier of a range of specialised, hi-tech, wear components for the steel, aluminium and packaging industries. He was the president of Chatswood Chamber of Commerce and has 25 years experience working in delivering recruitment, leadership and management development solutions. Stig holds a degree in Chemistry and Microbiology from UNSW. |
Uma Baeko | Director VIC Uma is a Co-founder and CMO of FWH that is an international employment solution that has helped Australia and Norwegian companies efficiently employ permanent software developers in Vietnam without the risk of software outsourcing and more ease than setting up a foreign entity. Uma has more than 20 years experience in the marketing industry and holds a bachelor of Commerce in Marketing from the University of Wollongong. |
Yngve Amundsen | Director NSW Yngve Amundsen is the Director and Country Manager for DNV Business Assurance in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). With a background in the oil and gas industry, he has held senior leadership roles in Risk Management and Business Assurance for over 30 years across Australia, New Zealand, and the Middle East. In his current role, Yngve oversees management system certification, training, and best practice services, contributing to the growth and sustainability of businesses in the region. |
Sara Pontoppidan | Director Pontoppidan is the Design Director at CLANDESTINE DESIGN GROUP; an award-winning industrial design consultancy specialising in market reconnaissance, innovation strategy and new product development. She is a Good Design Ambassador, international design judge and occasionally a TV presenter for ByDesign. |
Siddharth (Sid) Setia | Director WA Siddharth (Sid) Setia is currently the General Manager, APAC at Kongsberg Digital, where he leads Business Growth and Strategy across the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on Australia, New Zealand, India, and Japan. With over two decades of industry experience, Sid joined Kongsberg Digital in early 2024 after spending 15+ years at the Fortune 500 Japanese multinational Sumitomo Corporation. There, he held various leadership roles in Supply Chain, Field Operations, Strategic Account Management, and Regional Management, as well as serving as Head of Digital Transformation and a Regional Advisor for the New Technology Investments division. Sid holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from India and a postgraduate qualification in Petroleum Engineering from Curtin University, Australia |
Board Advisors
Erik Svedahl Erik is a career diplomat with 35 years of experience in the Norwegian Foreign Service. He has served as Norwegian Ambassador to Ukraine (2020–2023) and Consul General in Murmansk, Russia (2017–2020), with previous postings in Moscow, London, Beijing, and Bangkok. Erik is currently the Deputy Head of the Norwegian Embassy in Canberra. |
Honorary Consul Generals |
Tietse Stelma Tietse is a Norwegian national with Dutch heritage, born in Karasjok, a village situated north of the Arctic Circle in Sápmi, the traditional lands of the Sami people. He began his career in the travel industry in the early 1990s in Norway, focusing on off-the-beaten-path travel with several small-group adventure tour operators. In 2010, he founded 50 Degrees North, a Nordic specialist tour operator, in Melbourne, starting the business from the ground up. Today, 50 Degrees North employs nearly 60 staff across offices in Melbourne, Øyer (Lillehammer), and Minneapolis (Minnesota). Tietse holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Swinburne University. In recognition of his significant contributions to promoting Norway and the Nordic countries in Australia, he was appointed as Norway's Consul-General in Melbourne in 2018. |
Rob Lord Robert Lord is currently Chairman of Wilh Wilhelmsen Investments Pty Ltd, and has previously held senior positions at other large Norwegian owned business which have included being regional Oceanic Head for both Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics and Norske Skog. Rob Lord was appointed Norwegian Consul General in Australia in 2015. Rob serves on several boards and will act as a valuable and important advisor to the NACC Board. |
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