The purpose of Arctic Circle Mission Council on Greenland in the Arctic is to encourage general activity of the Arctic Circle network beyond the Assembly and Forums and deepen awareness on issues related to Greenland. Members of the Mission Council are individuals who have in their professional capacities been particularly engaged in Greenlandic matters.

Sara Olsvig, Co-chair

Honorable Sara Olsvig is a Ph.D. Fellow at Ilisimatusarfik, the University of Greenland and the current chairperson of Greenland’s Human Rights Council. Olsvig is an assigned member of the Constitutional Commission of Greenland. She served as member of the Parliament of Denmark (2011 - 2015) and the Parliament of Greenland (2013 - 2018) and has been leader of the political party Inuit Ataqatigiit. Olsvig was Vice Premier and Minister of Social Affairs, Families, Gender Equality and Justice in the Government of Greenland from 2016 to 2018. Olsvig was the Chairperson of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region from 2013 to 2014. Olsvig holds a MSc in Anthropology.

Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen

Rasmus Gjedssø Bertelsen is Professor of Northern Studies and Barents Chair in Politics at UiT The Arctic University of Norway (Tromsø). He is a Danish, grew up in Reykjavik, and has a deep commitment to the Danish-North Atlantic relationship. Rasmus studied in Copenhagen, Reykjavik, Lausanne, Geneva and Amsterdam, Cambridge and Sciences Po, and did postdocs at Harvard, United Nations University (Yokohama) and Aalborg University. He is work package leader in H2020 Inventing a shared Science Science Diplomacy for Europe and coordinates the Norwegian-Russian PhD course Society and Advanced Technology in the Arctic and the Norway-EU Science Diplomacy Network.

Rachael Lorna Johnstone

Rachael Lorna Johnstone is Professor of law at the University of Akureyri and at Ilisimatusarfik (the University of Greenland). Professor Johnstone specialises in Polar law: the governance of the Arctic and the Antarctic under international and domestic law. She has published widely on the rights of indigenous peoples; international human rights law; governance of extractive industries in the Arctic; international environmental law; due diligence; state responsibility; and Arctic strategies. She runs the Polar Law Masters Programmes at the University of Akureyri. 

Inuuteq Holm Olsen

Inuuteq Holm Olsen is Head of the Greenland Representation at the Danish Embassy in Washington, DC as of 2014. Prior to coming to DC he served as Deputy Minister for the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Greenland, from 2004 to the end of 2012. He began his career at the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1996 and was Private Secretary to the Premier from 1997 to 1999. He was at the Danish MFA in before being posted at the Greenland Representation in Brussels from 2000 through 2003. He returned to Nuuk to be Head of Department at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. Holm Olsen earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1994 and a M.A. in International Affairs from The George Washington University in 1996.

Inga Dóra G. Markussen

Inga Dóra G. Markussen is Project and Communications Consultant in Greenland biggest seafood company, Royal Greenland. She formerly worked as a journalist and editor in chief in the Mediahouse Sermitsiaq.AG.  She also has extensive experience in public relations and corporate and strategic communications.  She is Organizational Vice-Chair in Socialdemocratic Party, Siumut and Member in Municipal Council in Greenlands largest municipality, Sermersooq

Heiðrún Jónsdóttir

Board Member, Royal Arctic Line, MD Eimskip 2012-2016

Nauja Bianco

Director, Greenlandic House/North Atlantic House, Odense; Founder and Director, Isuma Consulting

Össur Skarphéðinsson, Co-chair

Honorable Össur Skarphéðinsson is an Icelandic politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from February 2009 to May 2013. He was appointed Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism for the Social Democratic Alliance in May 2007. He was also Minister for Nordic Cooperation from 24 May 2007 to 10 June 2008. He was a member of the parliament (Althing) for the Reykjavík Constituency from 1991 to 2003, and for Reykjavík North Constituency from 2003 to 2016. Mr. Skarphéðinsson was Chairman of the Social Democratic Party parliamentary group from 1991 to 1993, Minister for the Environment from 1993 to 1995, and Chairman of the Social Democratic Alliance from 2000 to 2005.

Mira Kleist

Mira Kleist is from Nuuk, Greenland and holds a BA in international communication and a Masters in Global Studies. Kleist has worked for the Greenland Ministry of Foreign Affairs and been posted to the Greenland Representation to the European Union 2013-2016. 2018-2020 Kleist worked at the United Nations Indigenous Peoples' and Development Branch / Secretariat for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Kleist is currently a Chief Advisor at the Danish Ministry of Defence. 

Eldur Ólafsson

Eldur founded AEX Gold in 2017, having previously worked for over 7 years on integrated mining projects in Greenland. He has had an extensive career in the geothermal and mining industries, during which he built the largest geothermal district heating company in the world alongside SinopacGroup. Eldur has a successful track record of leading companies from exploration to production, as shown by his time at Orka Energy, where Eldur was responsible for securing the acquisition, and subsequent development, of the Company’s geothermal energy in both China and the Philippines. Prior to this, he worked with Geysir Green Energy, a geothermal investment company, where he led their business development. He later became the Technical Director of energy company Enex, a 100% owned subsidiary of Geysir, where he grew the Company from its inception to a position where it was operating in three Chinese provinces. Eldur holds a BSc Geology degree from the University of Iceland.

Dana Eidsness

Director, Maine North Atlantic Development Office (MENADO)

Through her work leading MENADO, Ms. Eidsness leverages Maine’s transportation, economic development, and knowledge resources to build networks that grow the Maine economy through trade in goods, services, and innovation exchanges. Her program interfaces with other Arctic and North Atlantic-focused organizations to ensure that Maine is included in important discussions regarding North Atlantic resources, sustainable development, and climate resilience

Dana is dedicated to building relationships and trade partnerships between the United States and Greenland and has organized and supported several trade and outreach missions to Nuuk. She facilitates business and high-level dialogues between State of Maine and Greenland at the Arctic Circle Assembly each year and has welcomed officials and students from Greenland to her state.

Mininnguaq Kleist

Mininnguaq Kleist has since May 2016 been the Head of the Greenland Representation to the EU in Brussels.

Prior to his posting in Brussels, Kleist worked extensively on the self-government development in Greenland, including as special advisor under the Greenland-Danish Self-Government Commission in 2005-2008. He led the Self-Government Office under the Home Rule Government in 2007-2009, during which the referendum on the introduction of Self-Government was held, followed by the introduction of the Self-Government in Greenland in 2009. Kleist subsequently worked in the management of the Department of Foreign Affairs with responsibilities on climate policies, bilateral affairs and EU relations. In 2013 he took the position as director in The Premier´s Office and from there he moved to Greenland's representation in Brussels.

Kleist has a Master of Arts in Philosophy from 2004, Aarhus University.