Bjarne Kveim Lie to join the Fritt Ord Foundation Board

May 31 2023

Growth investor Bjarne Kveim Lie will join the Board of the Fritt Ord Foundation as of 14 June 2023, succeeding Christian Bjelland.

Lie graduated with an MA in History from the University of Oslo/European University Institute in Florence, Italy. He later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. Lie is currently managing partner and chief investment officer at Verdane Advisors (www.verdane.com), which he co-founded some 20 years ago. Verdane invests between five and ten billion NOK in unlisted growth enterprises each year. Ten per cent of Verdane is owned by a foundation focused on sustainability globally and diversity locally.

Bjarne Kveim Lie is engaged in activities that extend across multiple industrial sectors and far beyond the borders of Norway. He has extensive experience of micro-finance in developing countries, and is currently a member of the European Council of The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental organisation. He has maintained his ties to the humanities by serving a total of 12 years as an independent director at the department and faculty levels at the University of Oslo.

Following Lie’s appointment, the Fritt Ord Foundation’s Board will consist of Grete Brochmann (chair), Bård Vegar Solhjell (deputy chair), Bjarne Kveim Lie, Frank Rossavik, Sigrun Slapgard and Sylo Taraku. Knut Olav Åmås is executive director of the Fritt Ord Foundation. The Fritt Ord Foundation is a private non-profit foundation that is intended to protect and promote freedom of expression, public debate, art and culture.

News

Mykhailo Tkach, Andrei Aliaksandrau, Arevhat Sahakyan (Factor TV), Nino Bakradze (iFact), and Lola Tagaeva (Verstka).

Free Media Awards for 2026. Press freedom under pressure in wartime: – Silence does not protect democracy

September 29 2026

This year’s winners of the Free Media Awards from the Fritt Ord Foundation and Zeit Stiftung Bucerius received their awards in Toppsalen at the Munch Museum in Oslo on 29 September 2026.
The Belarusian journalist and media manager Andrei Aliaksandrau came straight to Oslo after spending over five years in prison for his work. Aliaksandrau dedicated the award to imprisoned journalists and editors in Belarus and quoted the Liverpool FC anthem: “You’ll never walk alone”.

Mykhailo Tkach heads investigations at Ukrainska Pravda, which uncovers corruption, even in a Ukraine fighting an existential war against Russia.
– I face charges in at least thirteen cases related to my work. I have been threatened. My team has been threatened. And what is our answer? To keep digging. Silence does not protect democracy. Journalism does.

Mykhailo Tkach

Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian, Russian and Belarusian journalists and media to receive five Free Media Awards for 2026

September 3 2026

This year’s prize laureates for the Free Media Awards from the Fritt Ord Foundation and Zeit Stiftung Bucerius are:
The investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach from Ukraine
The investigative media outlet iFact from Georgia
The online media Factor TV from Armenia
The online media Verstka from Russia (in exile)
The journalist and media director Andrei Aliaksandrau from Belarus (imprisoned)*

Fritt Ord's grants for master’s degrees

August 30 2026

Is your master’s project about freedom of expression, social debate or journalism? If so, you can apply for a student grant from the Fritt Ord Foundation.

The Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute 2026

August 18 2026

The rap duo Karpe has been awarded the Freedom of Expression Foundation Tribute for giving voice to the experiences of many young people from minority backgrounds. Through the language of rap, they are expanding the space for the expression of identity and belonging.