Management Team
Management team
Paul L. Eckbo, Ph.D.
Chairman and CEO
Paul Eckbo is the founder, chairman and CEO of Green LNG Services. His career includes fundamental analysis and entrepreneurship within the technology, oil, energy and shipping sectors. Dr. Eckbo has held senior positions in academia and business and has been extensively involved in global business ventures with responsibility for business development, strategy and corporate finance.
Dr. Eckbo has a B.A. from the Norwegian School of Economics (Bergen) and a Ph.D. in Management from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.
Tor Christensen, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer and Director
Tor Christensen joined Green LNG Services in 2013 as Chief Technology Officer and Partner. In 2022, he joined the board of directors. Prior to joining GLS, Dr. Christensen held a leading research positions in a major oil company, as co-founder and partner of a process technology company serving the international energy industries, and as an independent process consultant to major oil and shipping companies. Dr. Christensen is the holder of several patents and has more than 20 years of experience in the oil, gas and power industries.
Dr. Christensen holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MSc in Chemical Engineering from NTNU.
Rune Bjørnson
Commercial officer
Mr. Bjørnson is a partner and director of Key Energy Expert Network (KEEN), contracted by GLS to perform commercial services.
Since joining Equinor in 1985, Mr. Bjørnson has held numerous senior management positions in Equinor’s natural gas business. From 2004 to 2011 he served as the executive vice president for Natural Gas in Equinor’s executive committee, responsible for all elements of global natural gas value chains. This responsibility included marketing, trading, sales, shipping, and processing of pipeline natural gas and LNG from conventional resources in Europe and the Caspian region, and shale gas in the USA. From 2014 he headed up and was responsible for all Equinor’s global marketing and trading of crude oil, natural gas, oil products, power, and emissions.
Bjørn R Jacobsen
Commercial officer
Mr. Jacobsen is a partner and director of Key Energy Expert Network (KEEN), contracted by GLS to perform commercial services.
Mr. Jacobsen has 30+ years of experience from Equinor with senior executive positions within marketing, trading, strategy, planning and finance. From 2006 to 2013 he had the role of senior vice president for gas marketing, with responsibility for long term sales of pipeline gas and LNG. From 2013 Mr. Jacobsen was senior vice president for European trading of natural gas and power, and global trading of LNG. After leaving Equinor in 2015, he has worked as an independent energy consultant.
Jon Ajaxson Larsen
Commercial officer
Mr. Ajaxson Larsen is a partner and director of Key Energy Expert Network (KEEN), contracted by GLS to perform commercial services.
Mr. Ajaxson Larsen has work experience from the finance and energy sectors since 1980 in Oslo, Stavanger, London, and Singapore. He has held positions such as currency and commodity trader, trading manager, head of trading, global head of trading, director of trading, member of executive management committee and as a board member. Mr. Ajaxson Larsen is highly experienced in finance, oil, gas, electricity, and emissions.
Annika Hedstrom
Director of Administration
Annika Hedstrom has been engaged by Green LNG Services since 2013, serving as Director of Administration. Ms. Hedstrom handles administration and corporate services for the GLS group.
Ms. Hedstrom holds a B.S. in Political Science from Uppsala University, Sweden and Trinity College, University of Dublin, Ireland.
Board of Directors
Karin Thorburn, Ph.D.
Director
Karin Thorburn is Research Chair Professor of Finance at the Norwegian School of Economics. and Adjunct Full Professor of Finance at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thorburn is Director of the board of Maritime & Merchant Bank ASA and Falck Advisory.
Peter Mellbye
Director
Peter Mellbye has served in leadership positions at Statoil/Equinor ASA for 30 years; Executive Vice President of Development & Production, International and Executive Vice President, Natural Gas. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Halfwave AS, Qinterra AS and is on the Board of Directors of TechnipFMC, acting as chairman of the Compliance and Governance Committee. Mr. Mellbye has a master's degree from the University of Oslo and a bachelor's degree from the University of Bergen.
Advisory board
Barry B. White
Advisor
Barry B. White served as the US ambassador to Norway from 2009 to 2013. Prior to his appointment, Ambassador White was the Chairman and Managing Partner (CEO) of Foley Hoag LLP for over 13 years, where he was a senior partner in the firm’s business, corporate, international and government strategies practice areas. He practiced law at Foley Hoag for 40 years. Ambassador White also served as Chair of Lex Mundi, the world’s largest international association of independent law firms, and co-founded the "Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation", to provide pro bono legal advice to social entrepreneurs around the world. Ambassador White chaired the U.S. presidential campaign of US Senator Tsongas and has been active in the campaigns of many US Senators and Congressmen.
Ambassador White holds an A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College and a J.D., magna cum laude, from The Harvard Law School where he served as an Editor of The Harvard Law Review.
Arlie G. Sterling, Ph.D.
Advisor
Marsoft preforms credit risk, market analysis and management services for Green LNG Services. Arlie Sterling is President and co-founder of Marsoft Incorporated. He is responsible for the development and commercialization of Marsoft’s decision support, risk management, and credit rating services. Dr. Sterling advises shipowners, investors and financial institutions regarding the development and execution of effective investment, chartering and risk management strategy.
Dr. Sterling has an S.B. from MIT, an M.S. from Northwestern University, and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.