About us
The Whale is owned by The Whale AS, a company established in May 2018. The largest shareholder is Andøy Municipality. The other shareholders are AH Holding AS, Norlandia Holding AS, Eidissen Consult AS, Hvalsafari AS, Whale2Sea AS and Andøy Reiseliv SA.
The Board of The Whale AS
Benn Eidissen
Chairman of the board
Eidissen Consult AS
Rune Rydningen
Deputy chair
A.H. Holding AS
Judith Aarstein Johansen
Board member
Andøy kommune
John Ivar Busklein
Board member
Norlandia Holding AS
Lisbeth Seppola
Board member
Andøy Reiseliv SA
Gunnar Jan Olsen
Board member
Whale2Sea AS
Administration
Børre Berglund
CEO
Børre Berglund has held prominent roles including Sales Director at Top of Europe Norway, Director for NORTRA in Germany and the Netherlands and Division Director at Innovation Norway. He holds a Cand. Mag. degree in Education from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and a diploma in export marketing from the Norwegian Export School. Børre currently works on development projects through BBR AS, serving as cluster leader for Arctic365 and project manager for business networks. Børre is a certified process facilitator in destination development and sustainable tourism and has extensive experience in marketing, product development and sales.
Hanne Strager
Head of experience and content
Hanne Strager is a museum developer with more than 25 years of experience in master planning, content development and exhibition production. She has led exhibitions at the Natural History Museum of Denmark and has extensive experience in strategic leadership and project management. Hanne holds an M.Sc. in Biology from Aarhus University, specialising in the vocalisations of killer whales. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Hanne is an experienced science communicator and author, having developed numerous exhibitions and projects for museums, national parks and UNESCO World Heritage sites. Hanne has a proven ability to create engaging and informative content that resonates with a broad audience.
Camilla Ilmoni
Head of Sales, Marketing & PR
Camilla Ilmoni is the initiator of The Whale. She has more than 20 years of experience in tourism and regional development in Andøy and Vesterålen. Through her roles as general manager of whale and nature safari companies and the destination company Visit Andøy, Camilla has gained extensive experience developing whale and nature-based experiences. Moreover, she has made a major contribution to enhancing the visibility of Andøy as a tourist destination nationally and internationally. Camilla holds an M.Sc. in Ecology from the University of Helsinki, an M.Sc. in Marine Biology from the University of Bergen and additional education in sustainability from UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Camilla was nominated as the “Vesterålen Person of the Year” in 2020.
Roger Pettersen
Project manager for construction
Roger Pettersen has extensive experience in management, project development and execution, having worked as a client, contractor and consultant. He holds an MSc in Civil Engineering and Construction and an MBA (Master of Business Administration). Roger has held director roles at companies such as Skanska and Corponor. Since 2016, Roger has contributed to the development of Indira’s operations. He is currently the Regional Director for Northern Norway at Indira. He has solid experience in strategic management and implementing complex projects. Roger also holds several board positions in business and sports organisations.
Team members
Joakim Engel
Project manager for experience and content
Joakim Engel is an exhibition developer with over 20 years of experience in research, planning and exhibition production. He has an M.Sc. in Natural History Conservation and has had key roles at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, where he was responsible for exhibition production and the implementation of 3D technologies. Joakim has developed physical and digital exhibitions for museums and private companies in several European countries. He is also a graphic designer and 3D artist and published a children’s book about dinosaurs in 2020.
Catherine DeNardo
Copywriter and content researcher
Catherine DeNardo has more than 20 years’ experience as an editor, writer and designer specialising in science communication. She has served as editor for award-winning science magazines and has authored books and articles on natural history and marine species. Catherine has an M.Sc. in Behavioural Ecology from the University of Aberdeen and has conducted research on killer whales in Norway. Throughout her career, she has held key roles in science communication and has extensive expertise in making complex scientific topics accessible and engaging for a broad audience.
Stine Berglund
Sales manager
Stine Berglund has a background in international B2B sales, tourism development, and export, working with tour operators and distributors in global markets. She has developed strategy and communication plans for tourism companies and destinations and has experience in project coordination through the Arctic-365 tourism cluster. Stine is Head of Sales at The Whale. She holds a Master’s degree in Organization and Management from UiT – The Arctic University of Norway and a Bachelor’s degree in Innovation and Project Management from Østfold University College.