The MilDef Advisory Board was formed in January 2021 to provide military focused support and guidance to ensure that MilDef aligns its strategies and product offerings with its most valuable markets. The board consists of retired 2 and 3 Star Seniors Officers based in the Nordics, UK and USA.
Major General
Berndt Grundevik
Sweden
Major General (retd) Berndt Grundevik has served at various leadership levels in the Swedish Armed Forces for more than 40 years. He retired in November 2017. Berndt Grundevik was Chief of the Swedish Army from 2007 to 2012 and in addition has experience from international service in Israel, Cyprus, Kosovo and South Korea. Today he works as Senior Advisor in a number of defense focused companies as well as being a member of the Board of Directors for MilDef Group since 2018. He was awarded the Legion of Merit (Commander)/USA and Order of National Security Merit/South Korea and is a Member of The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences.
Major General
Odin Johannessen
Norway
Major General Odin Johannessen (retd) was Chief of the Norwegian Army when he retired in 2019. His service record includes Director Operations in the Norwegian Defence Staff, Commander Brigade North and Telemark Battalion and Commandant at The Norwegian Military Academy in Oslo. He has served in NATO operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Afghanistan. Odin Johannessen is now director of The Norwegian Business and Industry Security Council, and serves the Norwegian business sector in an advisory capacity on matters relating to industrial espionage, sabotage, terrorism, organized crime, fraud, corruption, digital threats and more.
Major General
Agner Rokos
Denmark
Major General (retd) Agner Rokos left the Danish Armed Forces in 2018. His 40 years in uniform have seen him serve in multiple command and staff positions, army and joint, national and international, including extensive experience from UN, NATO, and Coalition Operations as well as International Arms Control. He has commanded at all levels from platoon to Chief of the Danish Army.
Rear Admiral
Jon Pentreath
UK
Rear Admiral (retd) Jon Pentreath commanded the UK’s Joint Helicopter Command when he retired in 2020. A former Royal Navy helicopter pilot he served in Bosnia, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, while commanding at every rank from Lt Cdr upwards. At the staff he worked in the capability development area in the MOD and Army HQ. Today Jon is a Director of Cormorant Consulting Ltd, providing strategic advice and subject matter expertise into a number of defence and security focussed companies. He is a Trustee of the National Museum of the Royal Navy, a Member of the Royal College of Defence Studies and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Lieutenant General
Arto Räty
Finland
Lieutenant General (retd) Arto Räty has worked as Permanent Secretary at the MOD from 2011 to 2015. His last assignment in the Finnish Defence Forces was Deputy Chief of Staff Operations in Defence Command. He previously served as the Chief of Staff Army HQ, Director of the National Defence Policy Unit in the MOD, Commander of Pori Brigade and in various positions within Finnish Defence Forces. He has also served as Finnish Liaison Officer at NATO HQ and PCC SHAPE in Brussels in 1994-1997. Arto Räty was the Chairman of the Finland’s Security Committee in 2011-2015 and a member of the Emergency Supply Council.
Vice Admiral
Carol Pottenger
US
Vice Admiral (retd) Carol Pottenger is a woman of many firsts in a 30+ year with the US Navy. She currently serves on private, public and non-profit boards. The first female three-star Admiral in American history to lead in a combat branch, Carol Pottenger was a pioneer throughout her Navy career.
She commanded two ships, a logistic force of 30 ships, a Japan-based strike-group of 8 ships, and the Expeditionary Force of 40,000 sailors. She was also the senior U.S. Flag Officer responsible for military transformation and sensitive military topics such as counterterrorism and cyber security while on assignment with NATO. She is a graduate of Purdue University in Lafayette, Ind, and in 2007 received an honorary PhD from Purdue.