Christian Thommessen

CHRISTIAN H THOMMESSEN is an accomplished business leader, impact investor, and social entrepreneur based in Oslo, Norway. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board at CHOOOSE, a position he has held since January 2019.1

Career Highlights

Throughout his career, Thommessen has demonstrated expertise in various sectors:

Corporate Leadership:: He began his career with McKinsey & Company in the Nordics before taking on senior executive roles in multinational companies. His positions included:

• Deputy CEO of IBM Nordics
• President & CEO of IBM Norway
• General Manager of Internet Services for IBM Europe, Middle East & Africa
• President & CEO of Glamox1

Sustainability and Social Impact:: For the past two decades, Thommessen has focused on combining sustainability, social impact, and entrepreneurship:

• Founding Director of UNDP's Private Sector Division
• Vice Chair of responsAbility investments AG, a major impact investment fund manager
• Established responsAbility Nordics AS to create a Nordic market for impact investments1

Entrepreneurship and Investment:: Thommessen has co-founded, invested in, and chaired numerous companies, particularly in the venture ICT sector. Notable examples include:

• Opera Software, a $2 billion internet software company
• EVO Fitness
• Climate tech ventures like CHOOOSE and Zerolytics
• Real estate development with Hovedstaden Utvikling AS1

Board Positions and Advisory Roles

Thommessen has held various board and advisory positions:

• Member of EU's e-Europe Steering Committee
• Board member of Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
• Board member of Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• Served on boards of Scandinavian stock-listed and private companies, including Tomra Systems ASA and Kistefos AS1

Current Focus

Thommessen is actively involved in building and investing in impact companies across various sectors:

• Climate tech: CHOOOSE and Zerolytics
• Edutech: Eduplation
• Health: SPOND and EVO

He remains committed to social entrepreneurship as:

• Chairman of the Prospera Foundation, engaging professionals in pro bono social entrepreneurship
• Board member of NOAS, Norwegian Organization for Refugees and Asylum Seekers1

At CHOOOSE, Thommessen leads a multi-prize winning Norwegian climate start-up that has opened voluntary B2B and B2C markets for carbon credits. The company funds UN-verified CO2-reducing projects in developing countries and has customers in over 40 countries, including more than 100 top brands and companies.1