Knut Arild Hareide

Knut Arild Hareide (born 23 November 1972) is a Norwegian businessperson and the leader of the Christian Democratic Party. Hareide served as Minister of the Environment from 2004 to 2005. Hareide received his share of criticism during this time; environmental press groups spoke out against him on numerous occasions, and even pressed legal charges following a controversial case.

Before his tenure as government minister, Hareide had sat through one term in the municipal council of his native Bømlo, served as a deputy representative to the national parliament as well as working two years as a State Secretary. He was also second deputy leader of his party from 2003 to 2007, having come through the ranks of the party's youth organization. An economist by education, Hareide currently works for the media conglomerate Schibsted. In 2007 he announced his stepping down from the national political scene for the time being, but he returned when announced as the top candidate for the Christian Democratic Party ticket in Akershus in the 2009 election. After Dagfinn Høybråten stepped down as party leader, Hareide was unanimously elected to take his place at the 2011 party convention.