Caroline Stage Olsen, a 33-year-old political figure with roots in both local government and the tobacco industry, is making her debut on the national political scene as the Minister of Digitalization for the Moderates (Moderaterne). While her name may be unfamiliar to many in Denmark, she is well-known in Copenhagen, among the Moderates, and within the tobacco sector.
Caroline Stage Olsen has accumulated political experience through her six years in the Copenhagen City Council (Københavns Borgerrepræsentation), where she represented the Liberal Party (Venstre) as political spokesperson from 2014 to 2020. In recent months, she has served as a special advisor to Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and for nearly a year and a half, she has held the position of political leader for the Moderates.
On Wednesday, she will officially take over as Minister of Digitalization, succeeding Marie Bjerre from the Liberal Party (Venstre), who has been appointed as Minister for European Affairs. According to Caroline Stage Olsen, the call from Lars Løkke Rasmussen offering her the ministerial position came as a surprise. “I was somewhat surprised by the topic,” she said in an interview with TV 2.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen highlighted the new Minister of Digitalization as highly competent during the introduction of the new ministerial team. Frederiksen noted that while Caroline Stage Olsen may be a relatively unknown face, she is a very skilled politician, and it is wise to consolidate all digitalization initiatives under a single ministry.
Although she is new to the ministerial role, Caroline Stage Olsen is not a stranger to the public spotlight. Her appointment at British American Tobacco in 2017 drew attention, especially since she was simultaneously serving as the health spokesperson for the Liberal Party (Venstre) in the Copenhagen City Council. This dual role sparked debate and scrutiny regarding her impartiality, eventually leading to her being declared unfit to participate in certain political negotiations.
Caroline Stage Olsen holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (cand.merc) from Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and lives with her partner, daughter, and two stepdaughters in Frederiksberg, a suburb of Copenhagen. She has previously stated that maintaining a balance between her political work and a position at a large international corporation has provided her with valuable experiences, while ensuring that she keeps her political involvement strictly separate from her professional life.