Date of birth: 13 October 1965 in Stokke, Vestfold
Son of furniture maker Einar Larsen (1924–1977) and gardener Jofrid Olga Larsen (born Kapstad) (1927–)

Parliamentary terms

Member of Parliament no. 6 for Vestfold, 2017–2021, Conservative Party
Member of Parliament no. 2 for Vestfold, 2021–2025, Conservative Party
Member of Parliament no. 3 for Vestfold, 2025–2029, Conservative Party

Storting committees

2017–2021

Member, Standing Committee on Health and Care Services, 12 October 2017–30 September 2021

2021–2025

Member, Standing Committee on Transport and Communications, 19 October 2021–30 September 2025

2025–2029

Member, Election Committee, 10 October 2025–30 September 2029
Member, Standing Committee on Business and Industry, 11 October 2025–30 September 2029

Parliamentary delegations

2025–2029

Member, Delegation to the Nordic Council, 21 October 2025–30 September 2026

Education and professional experience

Education

Primary School, Stokke, 1972–1981
Tønsberg Upper Secondary School, 1981–1984
Infantry Officer School (BSIS), 1984–1985
Various Flight Schools, 1985–1988 (Qualified as Commercial Pilot)
Norwegian Armed Forces, 1986–2001 (Completed ten different courses)
Crew Resource Management Instructor Course for Flight Crews, 1998 (Safety-focused training for flight operations)
BI Norwegian Business School, 2002 (Leadership and Team Development)
University of Bergen, 2003–2004 (Personnel Psychology + Work and Organisational Psychology)
Norwegian Defence University College, Senior Officers’ Course SK-27, 2022

Professional

Clerk, E-18 Auto Centre, 1980–1988
Norwegian Armed Forces, 1984–2005 (Various leadership roles; from Squad Leader to Company Commander, full-time and part-time)
Pilot, Norsk Flytjeneste, 1989–1993
Freelance Journalist for various magazines and newspapers (part-time), 1992–2013
Deputy Platoon Commander / Press and Information Officer, UNIFIL (UN Forces in Lebanon), 1993–1994
Pilot, Widerøe Norsk Air + Widerøe’s Flyveselskap, 1994–2011 (Additional roles as CRM Instructor – 5 years, and Base Manager – 5 years)
Author of ten books (as of 2023), 2006–2023
Director/Advisor, BDO, 2017

Medals and awards, etc.

Military Sharpshooter Badge in Gold
Norwegian Armed Forces Defence Readiness Medal, 1985 (with three stars)
UN Medal / UNIFIL Medal, 1993 (with numeral “2” for two tours)
Norwegian Armed Forces Medal for International Operations, 2000

Appointments

Municipal political service

Deputy Member, Stokke Municipal Council, 1983–1987
Member, Stokke Municipal Council, 2003–2007
Member, Stokke Municipal Council, 2007–2011
Mayor, Stokke Municipal Council, 2011–2015
Mayor, Stokke Municipal Council, 2015–2016

Elected party positions

Chair, Stokke Young Conservatives, 1980–1983
Deputy Leader, Stokke Conservatives, 1998–2004
Deputy Leader, Vestfold and Telemark Conservatives, 2020–2023

Elected positions in organisations

Chair, Tønsberg Defence Association Youth, 1981–1984
Editor, Norwegian Pilots’ Association, 1997–1998
Secretary and Editor, NROF Vestfold Branch, 2007–2011

Other administrative appointments

Owner Representative, Sandefjord Airport Torp, 2011–2016
Board Member, Stiftelsen Sti for Øye, 2017

Publications

Erlend Larsen: Minnebok for den norske FN-styrken i UNIFIL, kontingen XXXII, Eget Libanon 1993
Erlend Larsen: Minnebok for den norske FN-styrken i UNIFIL, kontingen XXXIII, Eget Libanon 1994
Erlend Larsen: 1905 – året som endret våre liv, E-forlag Stokke 2006
Erlend Larsen: Hvorfor fly flyr, E-forlag Stokke 2007
Erlend Larsen: Libanon, E-forlag Stokke 2008
Erlend Larsen: F-35 Lightning II – fremtidens jagerfly, E-forlag Stokke 2009
Erlend Larsen: På tur i Vestfold, Del 1, E-forlag Stokke 2010
Erlend Larsen: På tur i Vestfold, Del 2, E-forlag Stokke 2011
Erlend Larsen: Tre kommuner blir til én, E-forlag Stokke 2016
Erlend Larsen and Jan Helge Kaiser: Den kalde krigen – og Vestfold. 1948–1991, E-forlag Stokke 2016
Erlend Larsen: På tur i Rauland og Rjukan, E-forlag Stokke 2018
Erlend Larsen: Vakre Vestfold, Eget Sandefjord 2023