Our Co-Founder, Tietse Stelma, divides his time between the 50 Degrees North offices in Norway and Australia. Tietse is Norwegian and was born far north of the Arctic Circle in a Sami village called Karasjok. He grew up in Hvaler in the outer Oslo fjord. Tietse joined the travel industry in the early 90’s in Norway working with off the beaten track travel, as well as specialist tours to China and Mongolia. In the late 90's he lead tours in North Asia, and later established the China product for Intrepid Travel in Australia. From 2005 to 2010 he headed up the global operations team for Peregrine Adventures to ensure high class product delivery.

With 25+ years in the industry, Tietse has spent years exploring the extraordinary northern region and knows the area better than most. Tietse speaks fluent Norwegian, English and Dutch. Tietse was recently appointed as Norway’s Consul-General in Melbourne, Australia in honour of the company's dedication and destination contribution.