Torsten Schack Pedersen

Torsten Schack Pedersen (born 26 June 1976) is a Danish politician, who is a member of the Folketing for the Venstre political party. He was elected into parliament at the 2005 Danish general election.^[1]

Torsten Schack Pedersen
Minister of Societal Resilience and Contingency
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 August 2024
Prime Minister	Mette Frederiksen
Preceded by	Position established
Member of the Folketing
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 February 2005
Constituency	North Jutland (from 2007) Viborg (2005–2007)
Personal details
Born	(1976-06-26) 26 June 1976 (age 49) Farsø, Denmark
Political party	Venstre
Spouse	Louise Elholm

Political career

Youth politics

Pedersen served as Chairman of Venstre's youth wing, Venstres Ungdom, between 2001 and 2003.

Parliament

He was elected into parliament at the 2005 election, and was reelected in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.^[2]

In March 2023, he became the Commissioner of the Home Guard.^[3] He stepped down from the position in January 2024 to focus on his new leadership role in Parliament.^[4]

Minister of National Safety and Emergency Management

Pedersen was appointed minister of societal resilience and contingency in a cabinet reshuffle on 29 August 2024.^[5]

In January 2025, he struck a deal with the government parties and seven opposition parties to strengthen civil protection with additional resources, improve emergency coordination, and develop a new national cybersecurity strategy.^[6]

Personal life

Pedersen is married to fellow Venstre politician Louise Elholm. The couple has two children.^[2]