Hvis du vil finne styrelederen, er det bare å spørre valgkomiteen.

This is because Norwegian follows the V2 rule in main clauses: the finite verb normally comes in the second position.

Here, the sentence starts with a subordinate clause:

Hvis du vil finne styrelederen, ...
= If you want to find the chairperson, ...

After that comes the main clause:

er det bare å spørre valgkomiteen

Since the sentence begins with something other than the subject, the verb er must come before the subject-like element det.

So:

• Det er bare å spørre valgkomiteen. = normal order
• Hvis du vil finne styrelederen, er det bare å spørre valgkomiteen. = V2 after the fronted clause

This is very common in Norwegian.

Hvis means if in a conditional sense.

So:

• Hvis du vil finne styrelederen = If you want to find the chairperson

You generally use hvis for real conditions.

Om can sometimes also mean if, but it is more common in indirect questions:

• Jeg vet ikke om han kommer. = I don’t know if he is coming.

In some dialects and contexts, om can replace hvis, but for learners, hvis is the safest and most standard choice in conditional sentences like this one.

Because vil is a modal verb, and modal verbs in Norwegian are followed by the infinitive without å.

So you get:

• vil finne = want to find
• kan spørre = can ask
• skal gå = will / shall go
• må vente = must wait

This is similar to English, where we say can go, not can to go.

By contrast, many other verbs do use å before an infinitive:

• prøver å finne = tries to find
• liker å lese = likes to read

Styrelederen is the definite form of styreleder, meaning the chairperson / the board chair.

Breakdown:

• styre = board
• leder = leader
• styreleder = board leader / chairperson
• styrelederen = the chairperson

The ending -en marks the noun as definite in Norwegian.

Compare:

• en styreleder = a chairperson
• styrelederen = the chairperson

Norwegian often adds definiteness as an ending, instead of using a separate word like English the.

Because Norwegian usually expresses definiteness by adding it to the noun itself.

So instead of saying something like the chairperson, Norwegian often just changes the noun form:

• en leder = a leader
• lederen = the leader

That is exactly what is happening in styrelederen.

You do sometimes see both a separate definite word and a definite ending, but that usually happens when there is an adjective:

• styrelederen = the chairperson
• den nye styrelederen = the new chairperson

So in your sentence, no separate the is needed.

This is a very common Norwegian expression.

Det er bare å + infinitive means something like:

• you just have to ...
• all you need to do is ...
• it’s simply a matter of ...

So:

Det er bare å spørre valgkomiteen
means
You just have to ask the nomination committee
or
All you need to do is ask the nomination committee

It is not really meant literally as it is only to ask. It is an idiomatic pattern.

Other examples:

• Det er bare å ringe. = Just call.
• Det er bare å vente. = You just have to wait.

Here, bare means just / simply / only.

In det er bare å spørre, it softens the instruction and makes it sound easy or straightforward:

• Just ask
• Simply ask

So the tone is: That’s all you need to do.

Be aware that bare can have different meanings depending on context:

• Jeg har bare ti kroner. = I only have ten kroner.
• Bare kom inn! = Just come in!
• Det er bare å spørre. = Just ask / All you need to do is ask.

Because spørre usually takes a direct object in Norwegian.

So:

• spørre noen = ask someone
• spørre valgkomiteen = ask the nomination committee

This is similar to English ask someone.

You do not need a preposition like to here.

Compare:

• Jeg spør læreren. = I ask the teacher.
• Hun spurte meg. = She asked me.

If you want to ask for something, Norwegian may use a different structure:

• spørre om hjelp = ask for help / ask about help, depending on context

So in your sentence, valgkomiteen is simply the direct object of spørre.

For the same reason as styrelederen: it is in the definite form.

• en valgkomité = a nomination committee
• valgkomiteen = the nomination committee

So the sentence is referring to a specific committee, not just any committee.

Also note that the noun can be written as:

• valgkomiteen
  or from the base form
• valgkomité

The ending -en marks definiteness.

Finne is the normal verb for find.

Here it means locate / get hold of / identify where someone is.

However, Norwegian also has expressions like:

• lete etter = look for
• finne fram til = find your way to / locate
• få tak i = get hold of

So there is a useful distinction:

• lete etter styrelederen = look for the chairperson
• finne styrelederen = find the chairperson

In your sentence, finne works well because the focus is on successfully locating that person.

Yes. A more direct version would be:

Hvis du vil finne styrelederen, kan du spørre valgkomiteen.
= If you want to find the chairperson, you can ask the nomination committee.

The original:

Hvis du vil finne styrelederen, er det bare å spørre valgkomiteen.

sounds a bit more idiomatic and reassuring, as if the speaker is saying:

It’s easy — just ask the nomination committee.

So both are natural, but the original has a more conversational tone.