NAC currently has 4 employees and a student intern at the office in Oslo, and more than 800 employees at the various offices in Afghanistan. Here you can see who works in Oslo and who leads our regional offices in Afghanistan.
Our employees
Liv Kjølseth
Secretary General
Oslo, Norway
Liv has a major in political science and extensive experience from work with aid in Afghanistan, financial management, contact with authorities and communication work. She has been Secretary General at NAC since 2007.
Ragnhild Sørheim
Digital Content Developer
Oslo, Norway
Ragnhild is educated in film- and television production with long and varied work experience in Norway and abroad (including conflict areas and sensitive contexts such as Afghanistan, Syria, Turkey, Mexico and Sierra Leone). Her work has been shown on national TV in Norway and abroad, including NRK and the BBC. She previously worked as a content producer at Doctors Without Borders.
Terje Watterdal
Country Director
Kabul, Afghanistan
Terje has worked with Afghanistan for more than 10 years, and before that he worked 10 years with development in Asia and the Middle East. He has been Country Director at NAC since 2013.
Silje Martine Bøe Olssøn
Organization and Campaign Adviser
Oslo, Norway
Silje has a Master’s degree in social economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS with specialization in conflict and security studies. She has broad experience from organizational work in Norway, Italy and England, as well as extensive experience abroad.
Sayed Ehsan
Deputy Country Director and Director of Support Services
Kabul, Afghanistan
Sayed has worked at NAC since 1998, including as an accountant. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Kabul. At the office in Kabul, he is responsible for 72 employees.
Elise Svarstad
International Project Manager
Kabul, Afghanistan
Elise has a master’s degree in Human Geography, with experience from various types of project-, emergency- and aid work. She has previously worked for FHI, MedEasy, the Norwegian Red Cross and other international organisations.
Tonje Merete Viken
Special Adviser
Oslo, Norway
Tonje has a master’s degree in Middle Eastern and North African studies. She has more than 20 years of experience in communication, political influence, research and journalism. She is a former chairman of the board at NAC and has since that had several assignments for the committee. She has experience from a number of Norwegian development organizations and has field experience from countries such as Afghanistan, Yemen and Palestine.
Simin Walid
Head of North-Eastern Regional Office
Badakhshan, Afghanistan
Simin has worked at NAC since 2011, when she started as a Public Health Adviser. Since June 2020, she has been the Head of the Regional Office in Badakhshan. She has previously worked for the Government with in health, for Doctors Without Borders and other international organisations. She is currently responsible for 52 permanent employees and over 1,000 project employees.
Wahida Ghorob
Head of North-Western Regional Office
Faryab, Afghanistan
Wahida has both a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and is a trained midwife. She has over ten years’ work experience from human rights work in Afghanistan, and has worked at NAC since 2016. In Faryab, she manages 20 employees.
Sayed Naweed
Head of Southern Regional Office
Ghazni, Afghanistan
Ghafar has worked at NAC since 2014. He has an MBA from India and is responsible for the 36 employees at the Ghazni office.
Mohd. Mehdi Hussaini
Head of Central Regional Office
Ghazni, Afghanistan
Mehdi has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Kabul Polytechnic University. Since 2010, he has worked in various roles at NAC, including infrastructure and program coordination. He is particularly interested in sustainable development and climate change. Mehdi is responsible for 59 employees.
