Karl Kristian Bekeng was appointed State Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Care Services on 14 October 2021. Bekeng holds a Master of Laws and a master’s degree in Latin from the University of Oslo, as well as a bachelor’s degree in Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. He has worked with public health for the Norwegian Directorate of Health and has written for several newspapers and periodicals. Bekeng has held political positions in the Norwegian Labour Party and has worked as part of the Labour Party’s parliamentary group.