Leif Frode Onarheim

Leif Frode Onarheim (23 August 1934 – 9 September 2021) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician for the Conservative Party.

Onarheim was board member and chair of several enterprises. He served as President of the Federation of Norwegian Industries, and later of the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise. He was appointed rector of the BI Norwegian Business School, and was elected member of the Storting from 2001 to 2005.

Biography

Early life Onarheim was born in Vestre Toten Municipality as the son of businessman Frode M. A. Onarheim (1900–1985) and housewife Lillemor Høst (1902–1990). He attended primary and secondary school in Hamar, Bekkelaget and Gjøvik. He took his higher education at various institutions, including one year at the Valdosta State College from 1955 to 1956, but from 1957 he studied at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, graduating with the siv.øk. degree in 1960.

In December 1958 he married Anne Helene Nygaard, nicknamed Annemor.

Business career In 1960 he started his professional career as salesman. From 1965 to 1967 he worked at the Indo-Norwegian Project on development aid in Kerala. In 1970 he became chief executive officer of Nora-Sunrose, and in 1981 chief executive officer of Nora Industrier. From 1981 to 1983 he also presided over the employers' association Federation of Norwegian Industries, Nora Eiendom, Norgeskreditt and Vingmed Holding. He has been a board member of Fjeldhammer Brug (vice chair), Forenede Forsikring, Wilh. Wilhelmsen, Standard Telefon og Kabelfabrik and Volvo Norge. In 2007 he agreed, somewhat surprisingly, to be a part of the Conservative Party ballot in Asker Municipality for the 2007 local election. As it turned out, he was elected to the municipal council for the term 2007 to 2011. In 1986 he was proclaimed a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.