About us

W Initiative is a humanitarian foundation dedicated to improving quality of life for children and young people. Gustav Magnar Witzøe grew up on a small island on the Trøndelag coast, in a small town where the spirit of hard work and a supportive community were as given as the autumn rain. W Initiative, a foundation established by Gustav Magnar, will continue this spirit of service through structured measures and initiatives.

Gustav Magnar Witzøe

Founder and chairman of the board

Gustav Magnar Witzøe is a Norwegian business owner in the seafood industry. He is the heir of the fish farming company Salmar and the main shareholder of the holding company Kvarv AS. Witzøe is also involved in local real estate projects and invests in various start-ups. Gustav Magnar Witzøe started W Initiative to contribute to better living conditions and increased opportunities for children and young people.

Heri Ramampiaro

Boardmember

Heri Ramampiaro is head of department and professor at the Department of Computer Technology and Informatics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). He was previously group leader of the research group for Data and Artificial Intelligence and head of Telenor – NTNU AI-Lab (now Norwegian Open AI-Lab). Heri is passionate about research for the benefit of society.

Kristina Jørgensen

Boardmember

Boardmember Kristina Jørgensen works as a legal assistant in civil and criminal cases at the law firm Wiig og Co in Trondheim. Jørgensen has a master's degree in law from UiB and LLM with a specialization in international criminal law. She has taught and researched child welfare law, and also has work experience from the legal aid service Gatejuristen.

Elisabeth K. Vesterbekkmo

Boardmember

Elisabeth K. Vesterbekkmo is chief physician at the Department of Cardiology at St. Olav's Hospital and at the Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Exercise Training as Medicine for Cardiopulmonary Conditions. She is a specialist in internal medicine and heart disease and part of the Olympic Summit's external subjects and health network. Elisabeth also holds several board positions.

Magnus Witzøe

Boardmember

Magnus is a civil engineer specializing in the fields of industrial economics and technology management at NTNU. He works daily with business development in electric mobility for Circle K. Magnus was born and raised in Oslo but spent many of his childhood summers with family in Frøya and is very proud of his connection to the island.

Eirik Bøe Sletten

CEO

Eirik Bøe Sletten is a lawyer educated at the University of Oslo and works at the Pretor law firm in Trondheim. Sletten has previously worked as a senior adviser / planning coordinator at the Office of the County Governor in Nord-Trøndelag. He currently works mainly with planning and building law, real estate, and privacy. Sletten is also the constituency leader for Sør-Trøndelag in the Gjensidige Foundation and holds several board positions.

Projects