Trine Skei Grande

Trine Skei Grande
Minister of Education and Integration
In office 24 January 2020 – 13 March 2020
Prime Minister	Erna Solberg
Preceded by	Jan Tore Sanner
Succeeded by	Guri Melby
Minister of Culture
In office 17 January 2018 – 24 January 2020
Prime Minister	Erna Solberg
Preceded by	Linda Hofstad Helleland
Succeeded by	Abid Raja
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 17 April 2010 – 26 September 2020
First Deputy	Helge Solum Larsen Ola Elvestuen
Second Deputy	Ola Elvestuen Terje Breivik
Preceded by	Lars Sponheim
Succeeded by	Guri Melby
Member of the Norwegian Parliament
In office 1 October 2001 – 30 September 2021
Constituency	Oslo
Oslo City Commissioner of Culture and Education
In office 29 November 2000 – 7 November 2001
Governing Mayor	Erling Lae
Preceded by	Bård Folke Fredriksen
Succeeded by	Kjell Veivåg
Personal details
Born	(1969-10-02) 2 October 1969 Overhalla, Nord-Trøndelag, Norway
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Oslo

Trine Skei Grande (born 2 October 1969) is a Norwegian politician who served as the leader of the Liberal Party of Norway from 2010 to 2020. She also served as Minister of Education from January to March 2020, and as Minister of Culture and Gender Equality from 2018 to 2020. She was also a member of parliament for Oslo from 2001 to 2021.

Early life and education

Grande was born in Overhalla on 2 October 1969. She studied economics at introductory level at NTNU and later political science and history at introductory level at the University of Oslo. Prior to entering politics full-time she worked as a part-time journalist, a high school teacher and as a lecturer at Nord-Trøndelag University College.

Political career

The current Storting is her fourth consecutive term as a member, after first serving as deputy Member of Parliament from 2001 for Minister Odd Einar Dørum, and became Parliamentary Leader of the Liberal Party from 2001 until 2005. She was elected as Member of Parliament in the 2005 parliamentary election, and then re-elected in the 2009 and 2013 parliamentary elections.

Grande was a member of the Liberal Party central board in 1999–2000, and was deputy leader from 2000 until 2010. Grande was elected MP for Oslo in 2009 parliamentary election, although the Liberal Party suffered a severe blow; she and Borghild Tenden of Akershus were the only Liberal MPs to be elected.

She is a member of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights and has highlighted the legacy of her predecessor as Liberal Party leader Eva Kolstad.

Party leadership

Following the resignation of Lars Sponheim as party leader, she was elected leader of the Liberal Party at the General Assembly in 2010.

In 2013, under her leadership, the Liberal parliamentary group grew with seven more members of parliament. After January 2018, the Liberal Party entered government as a junior partner with the Conservative and Progress parties, taking three positions in the cabinet. On 11 March 2020, she announced her intention to resign as party leader, minister and not stand for re-election in 2021. She was succeeded by fellow party member Guri Melby as Minister of Education two days later, and as party leader at the party conference in September.

Standing committee membership

• 2013–2017 member of Foreign Affairs and Defence
• 2009–2013 member of Education, Research and Church Affairs
• 2009–2013 member of Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs
• 2009–2013 member of Scrutiny and Constitutional Affairs
• 2009–2013 member of Election Committee
• 2005–2009 member of Family and Cultural Affairs
• 2005–2009 member of Election Committee
• 2001–2005 member of Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs
• 2001–2005 member of Enlarged Committee on Foreign Affairs
• 2001–2005 member of Election Committee