Ingrid Schulerud

Ingrid Schulerud
Schulerud at the Oslo Opera House, 2009
Norwegian Ambassador to Belgium
In office
17 April 2015 – 9 October 2019
Prime MinisterErna Solberg
Preceded byNiels Engelschiøn
Succeeded byPer Strand Sjaastad
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Norway
In office
17 October 2005 – 16 October 2013
Prime MinisterJens Stoltenberg
Preceded byBjørg Bondevik
Succeeded bySindre Finnes
In office
17 March 2000 – 19 October 2001
Prime MinisterJens Stoltenberg
Preceded byBjørg Bondevik
Succeeded byBjørg Bondevik
Personal details
Born (1959-07-08) 8 July 1959 (age 65)
Oslo, Norway
Political partyLabour
Spouse
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2

Ingrid Schulerud (born 8 July 1959) is a Norwegian diplomat.[1][2]

She served as Norway's ambassador to Belgium from 2015 to 2019.[3][4]

Personal life

Early life

Schulerud is the daughter of Mentz Schulerud, an author and radio personality well known for his encyclopedic knowledge of their home city of Oslo. Her aunt—Mentz' sister—was the children's book author Anne-Cath. Vestly.[1]

Education

Schulerud attended Oslo Cathedral School, where she met Jens when they were both 17 years old. Here, she defeated her future husband in the election for Representative to the National Students’ Union, running for the Socialist Left Party.[2]

Family life

Schulerud is married to Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, and the former Norwegian Prime Minister. Being the spouse of the Norwegian Prime Minister during two different periods of time, (2000–2001 and 2005–2013), she has chosen a somewhat withdrawn social position. During the first period she did not accompany her husband on any official state visits for over a year, until they visited India together in April 2001. In general though, she has chosen to stay out of the media's scrutiny primarily to shield her children. The couple have a son and a daughter.[2]

Career

After travels in Latin America, Schulerud wanted to work for developmental organisations; however, she was engaged by the Ministry of International Development to study the environmental impact of World Bank projects. This led her to break off her ongoing master's degree, and undergo the basic training for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that she finished in 1988.

In 1990, while she was stationed at the Norwegian embassy in Budapest, Hungary, her husband was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment, and this caused her return home to Norway. Subsequently, she has held different positions in the Ministry, mostly with matters relating to the Baltic countries and Central Europe.

She was the Deputy Director General for Central Europe and EEA-financing in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway until becoming the Norwegian Ambassador to Belgium in April 2015.[5][6]

She has been active in the Norwegian Civil Service Union, and has attended the Norwegian National Defence College; an institution for education on military and strategic matters for both military personnel and civilians.

References

  1. ^ a b "Schulerud Becomes Ambassador to Belgium". VG News, Norway. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "World Biography for Jens Stoltenberg of Norway". NotableBiographies.com. Encyclopedia of World Biography. 20 May 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  3. ^ Karlsen, Kirsten (17 April 2015). "Ingrid Schulerud blir Belgia-ambassadør". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  4. ^ "Ingrid Schulerud Becomes Ambassador in Brussels, Belgium". E24, Oslo, Norway. 17 April 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. ^ "Inauguration Speech by Ambassador Schulerud, Norway". YouTube.com. CVAR/Severis Foundation, Norway. 15 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Transcript of Inauguration Speech by Ambassador Schulerud, Norway". CVAR/Severis Foundation, Norway. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2017.