Musher Details

Kjell Inge Røkke, 67 (Expedition Class), was born in Norway and has longstanding ties to Alaska. He began his business career in the U.S. in 1982 with the purchase of a fishing vessel, eventually building a leading global fisheries company. His success enabled broader investments in both the United States and Norway. Since 1996, Mr. Røkke has been the main owner and chairman of Aker ASA, a publicly listed industrial investment company and one of Norway’s largest private employers. He is the driving force behind Aker’s development of knowledge-based industry with international reach. A noted philanthropist, he is a signatory of The Giving Pledge, committing to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes. His major recent initiative is REV Ocean, a state-of-the-art research vessel dedicated to ocean science and sustainability. Mr. Røkke learned mushing from Thomas Wærner and Joar Leifseth Ulsom. He has four children.