- Name: Kaja Tvedten Jorem
- Age: 32
- Current location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Home town: Bergen, Norway
- Education: Master of Business, with focus on emerging and developing markets, Bachelor of Arts with a focus on anthropology, business, contemporary arts
- Current position: Programme Officer, Private Sector Development and Culture, Embassy of Norway, Tanzania
- Organization description: Official diplomatic mission of Norway in Tanzania.
- Bio: Kaja's international lifestyle started from an early age, growing up in Norway, Angola and Namibia. She went to an international boarding school at age 16, after which she moved to Canada to pursue a Bachelor of Arts at Simon Fraser University, which combined business, anthropology and contemporary art. From the age of 21, she started working as a freelance producer at arts festivals in Norway. Kaja later moved to Denmark to complete a masters in business, with a focus on emerging markets. After working in research, international business development consulting, and several more festivals, Kaja married her passions with her current role in Tanzania with the Embassy of Norway, leading private sector development and managing the cultural events portfolio. In 2017 she will be moving back to Norway to lead an intercultural arts institution.
- Countries I've worked in: Norway, Canada, Mozambique, Denmark, Tanzania, France
- Sector / subsectors: International business, diplomacy
- Areas of expertise: Project management, international experience, business in new markets, arts management
- Country: Tanzania
- Region: Africa
- Sector: Government
- Degree subject: Business & commerce
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Tell us about the organization you work for and what your role is.
Kaja takes us inside of her multifaceted portfolio as the Private Sector Officer at the Norwegian Embassy in Tanzania.
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Can you tell us what a regular week is like for you?
Kaja's work at the embassy means she keeps a pulse on business, politics, and development issues through her multi-faceted role collaborating with government, private sector and arts organizations.
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Can you tell us the story of your career trajectory?
From her studies in Canada, to running festivals in Norway, to jobs in France, Mozambique and Denmark, Kaja talks about how her passions of arts, anthropology and business came together in her current role.
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How did you make the transition from working in the arts to international relations and international business?
"Fake it 'til you make it." Kaja shares some of her transferable skills between arts management and international business, as well as a bit of advice to make those bigger leaps.
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What do you love the most both personally and professionally about living abroad?
Kaja couldn't picture her career and life as anything but international.
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What are the challenges of international work?
The hardest part is saying goodbye.
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What sort of abilities and qualities do you think it takes to succeed in international work?
Kaja shares her wisdom on what it takes to succeed: curiosity, adaptability, inclusiveness, and the guts to make things happen.
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What sort of openings do you see for people looking to launch a career in international business or diplomacy?
According to Kaja, the diplomatic world is slowly changing. You might see more and more business people in these functions.
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What are some of the entry points for international work?
Kaja challenges the standard entry points to diplomatic work.
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What are the tangible next steps or networking advice that you can offer?
Kaja shares tips on how to build and 'be' a network.
