Joakim Lystad

Who is Joakim Lystad?

Joakim Theodor Haagaas Lystad is a Norwegian civil servant. Since 2010, he has been the Labour and Welfare Director, i.e. the head of the Labour and Welfare Service and Labour and Welfare Administration. He served as Director General of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority from 2003 to 2010.

He was born in Oslo a grandson of the mathematician Theodor Haagaas. He received his cand.agric. degree from the Norwegian College of Agriculture, and worked as a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. From 1991 to 1995 he was Assistant Director General in the Ministry of the Environment, and from 1995 to 2002 he was director of planning and control at the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority.

In 2002, he was appointed by the King-in-Council as the first Director General of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, that was established the following year.

In 2010, he was appointed by the Norwegian government as head of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, a position he did not originally apply for.