Having been a member of Bergen city council from 1956 to 1967, he chaired the local Conservative Party chapter from 1967 to 1970. In 1972 he led the county chapter of Ja til EF, the organization campaigning for "Yes" in the 1972 Norwegian European Communities membership referendum. Svendsen also chaired the board of the theatre Den Nationale Scene from 1960 to 1991, the Norwegian Theatres Association from 1970 to 1992, and the board of Den norske Creditbank's department in Bergen. He helped found the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, chairing its board for ten years. He was also a board member of the Bergen International Festival, and an ordinary member of the National Wages Board.
