HNDIC and Schjødt enter into collaboration: legal strength for the entire membership
High North Defence Industry Cluster has entered into a collaboration agreement with Advokatfirmaet Schjødt. For member companies, this means direct access to one of the Nordic region’s leading centers of expertise in defence, security, and export control, led by partner Johan Woo Kvandal.
A collaboration that meets members’ real needs
Norwegian defence industry in the north is growing rapidly. HNDIC member companies deliver into a value chain where contracts, security requirements, export control, and industrial cooperation are often decisive in determining whether strong technology can even get into position. This is precisely where the collaboration with Schjødt comes in.
Schjødt is Scandinavia’s largest law firm, and its defence practice, Defence, Security & Aerospace, is a cross-disciplinary team with lawyers who hold security clearances and can therefore handle sensitive and classified matters. The practice covers procurement processes, defence contracts, foreign investment restrictions, export control and investigations, financing, joint ventures and M&A, and advises clients in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, with cross-border experience also provided through the London office.
What the agreement gives HNDIC’s members: (1)
Access to a consolidated team of expertise in defence procurement, public contracts, and MOD contracts.
Assistance with export control, sanctions, and ITAR, critical for members delivering outside Norway.
Advice on industrial cooperation, joint ventures, technology transfer, and R&D cooperation.
Support with supply chains and subcontracting, including KYC and due diligence of partners.
Support on IPR protection, data security, and cybersecurity in defence deliveries.
Assistance with investment screening (FDI), capital raising, transactions, and dispute resolution.
1Schjødt, Defence, Security & Aerospace, https://schjodt.com/expertise/defence-security-aerospace
Johan Woo Kvandal
Partner and head of Schjødt’s defence practice
Johan Woo Kvandal, partner at Advokatfirmaet Schjødt. Photo: Schjødt.
Johan Woo Kvandal leads Schjødt’s practice in defence, security, and aerospace. He advises clients in defence, security, technology, energy, and critical infrastructure on complex contracts, public procurement, regulatory frameworks, and strategic negotiations, work where legal precision must be combined with business judgment, industry understanding, and insight into how public decisions are actually made. (1)
His background is highly relevant for HNDIC’s members. Before moving to a private law firm, Kvandal was General Counsel at the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, Norway’s central organization for the procurement of defence materiel. There, he held legal responsibility for Norway’s defence investment portfolio, equivalent to approximately one-third of the defence budget.
This experience has provided first-hand insight into how defence capability is planned, procured, negotiated, delivered, and managed over time, from operational requirements and government-to-government processes to supplier negotiations, security requirements, export control, industrial cooperation, life-cycle support, and contract execution. For a supplier, this means an adviser who understands how the customer on the other side of the table assesses risk, value, compliance, security of supply, and long-term industrial partnership. (2)
Kvandal also has extensive experience from energy and critical infrastructure. He held several leadership roles at Statnett, ultimately as Vice President, and led legal and commercial strategy in major infrastructure projects, including as project director for NordLink, the 1,400 MW submarine cable connection between Norway and Germany. He started his career at the law firm Thommessen and has served as a deputy judge.
He is a frequently used speaker on defence, security, technology, and critical infrastructure, and has been recognized through The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist, Finansavisen’s Legal Review, and Assessit’s Top Emerging Leaders.
1Schjødt, Johan Woo Kvandal, https://schjodt.com/people/johan-woo-kvandal
2Schjødt, CV – Johan Woo Kvandal, https://schjodt.com/cv?id=189387
Education
Global Executive MBA, INSEAD (2016)
Project Management, SKEMA Business School (2012)
Advanced Negotiation, Executive Program, Harvard Law School (2010)
Financial analysis, marketing, and organizational theory, Nord University (2009)
Cand.jur., University of Tromsø (2006)
Practice areas
Defence, Security & Aerospace · Public procurement · Public contracts · Sanctions and export control · Corporate law · Dispute resolution, litigation, and arbitration · Renewable energy · Trade and industry.
| Position |
Partner, Head of Defence, Security & Aerospace |
|---|---|
|
Firm |
Advokatfirmaet Schjødt |
|
Office |
Oslo |
|
|
johan.kvandal@schjodt.com |
|
Phone |
+47 23 01 19 80 |
|
Mobile |
+47 916 37 437 |
With HNDIC to Ukraine
Hands-on in the field, supporting members and serving as legal counsel in relation to Ukrainian defence industry
In early September, HNDIC traveled to Ukraine with a delegation of member companies. Johan Woo Kvandal joined the entire trip, both as support for the participating members and as legal adviser to the companies in meetings with Ukrainian authorities and defence industry.
This is what sets Kvandal apart from a lawyer who delivers a memo from the office. He went into the field, took part in extensive testing together with several of HNDIC’s member companies, and saw the technology, requirements, and operational conditions up close. He brings that experience directly into his advice to members.
The companies Machia and SuperCap from HNDIC together with Ukrainian authorities during drone testing.
Questions about the agreement?
Members with questions about the collaboration agreement with Schjødt, and what it specifically means for their own company, may contact the Managing Director of HNDIC.
| Contact person |
Arne Dahlberg |
|---|---|
|
Role |
Managing Director, High North Defence Industry Cluster |
|
|
arne@hndic.com |
| Phone |
+47 99 20 85 71 |
|
Address |
Nerveien 251, 8534 Liland |
Subject-matter inquiries may be directed to Johan Woo Kvandal at johan.kvandal@schjodt.com or +47 916 37 437.
