Board of Directors

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors consists of 7 regular members and 2 alternates elected by the Annual General Meeting for a term of one year.

Ultimately responsible for the Bank’s activities as provided for by laws, regulations and its Articles of Association.
Formulates the Bank’s general strategy and ensures that the Bank’s organisation and activities are effective.
Monitors the Bank’s general activities and ensures that control of accounting and financial management is satisfactory.
Helga Björk Eiríksdóttir, formaður bankaráðs

Helga Björk Eiríksdóttir

Chairman

Helga Björk Eiríksdóttir was born in 1968. Helga Björk works in real estate development and consultancy and operates accommodation services in Akureyri. Previously, she handled public relations for Marel and chaired the Board of Directors of Sparisjóður Svarfdæla. Helga Björk holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh. She graduated from the University of Iceland in 1997 with a BA degree in English and Italian and completed a degree in journalism from the same institution in 1999. Helga Björk completed a degree in marketing and export management with the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Iceland in 2002 and has studied brokerage at the University of Reykjavík. She worked as an independent consultant in 2010-2012. In 2009 and 2010, she handled PR for the Resolution Committee and Winding-up Board of Kaupthing hf. Previously, Helga Björk spent eight years working as marketing and PR manager of Nasdaq OMX Iceland. Helga Björk has also worked in media, various other jobs and worked for savings bank Sparisjóður Svarfdæla at Dalvík for a longer period. Helga Björk was elected to the Board of Directors of Landsbankinn in April 2013. She is Chairman of the Board of Directors and chairs the Remuneration Committee.

Berglind Svavarsdóttir, varaformaður

Berglind Svavarsdóttir

Vice-chairman

Berglind Svavarsdóttir was born in 1964. She is a Supreme Court Attorney and partner at Lögfræðistofa Reykjavíkur. Berglind is a law graduate of the University of Iceland 1989, was admitted to the bar as a District Court Attorney in 1995 and a Supreme Court Attorney in 2008. Berglind holds a diploma in general management from the University of Akureyri 2006. She worked at the Directorate of Tax Investigations in Iceland in 1988-1989 and for the District Commissioner at Húsavík in 1990-1996. She was owner of a legal firm and real estate agency in 1996-2003, partner in Regula lögmannsstofa ehf. in 2003-2010, and partner in Acta lögmannsstofa in 2011-2016. The last firm merged with Lögfræðistofa Reykjavíkur on 1 April 2016. Berglind has held various executive and confidentiality positions. She was on the Board of Directors of Icelandic Bar Association in 2015-2021, three years thereof as chairman of the association. She was a member of the Winding-up Board of SPB hf. in 2009-2016. She currently sits on the presiding election board of the South-West constituency and chairs the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland Complaints Board. Berglind was elected to the Board of Directors in April 2016 and is its Vice-chairman.

Elín H. Jónsdóttir

Elín H. Jónsdóttir

Director

Elín H. Jónsdóttir was born in 1966. She is Dean of Law at Bifröst University. Elín is a law graduate of the University of Iceland 1993 and completed an LL.M. degree from Duke University in 1996. She was awarded an MBA from Stockholm School of Economics in 2018 and is a licensed securities broker. She worked in securities market regulation for the Financial Supervisory Authority in 2001-2005, as managing director at Arev Securities in 2005-2009, as Director of Icelandic State Financial Investments in 2010-2011, and as managing director of asset management at Íslandsbanki in 2014-2017. Elín has in addition worked as a consultant and teacher. She has sat on the boards of various companies, including Reginn Real Estate, Tryggingamiðstöðin, Promens, Icelandair, Borgun and Skeljungur. Elín has also served on the board of directors of Kvennaathvafið, the Women’s Shelter, in 2013-2020, and is the chairman of the board of Arnrún hses, Kvennaathvarfið’s construction company. Sigríður was elected to the Board of Directors in March 2021.

Guðbrandur Sigurðsson

Guðbrandur Sigurðsson

Director

Guðbrandur Sigurðsson was born in 1961. He his managing director of Brynja leigufélag, lease company. Guðbrandur completed a BSc degree in food science in 1985 and an MBA from the University of Edinburgh in 1994. He worked for Íslenskar sjávarafurðir and its predecessors in 1985-1996 and was one of its managing directors when it was founded in 1991. He was managing director of ÚA and Brimir in 1996-2004. In 2005-2008, he was managing director of MS, managing director of Nýland ehf. in 2008-2010 and managing director of Plastprent ehf. in 2010-2012. He was later managing director of auditing firm PwC in Iceland between 2013-2016, managing director of Heimavellir hf. in 2016-2019, and managing director of Plastprent ehf. in 2019-21. Guðbrandur has served on the boards of numerous companies and associations, including BL hf., Hagar hf. and Reitir hf. He currently sits on the Board of Directors of Talnakönnun hf. Guðbrandur was elected to the Board of Directors in April 2019 and chairs the Risk Committee.

Guðrún Ó. Blöndal

Guðrún Ó. Blöndal

Director

Guðrún Ó. Blöndal was born in 1960. Guðrún completed a cand.ocean. degree from the University of Iceland in 1990. Guðrún worked for Kaupthing in 1982-2002, first in asset management and later as marketing director, HR manager and head of the custody department until 2002. She was managing director of Arion custody, a subsidiary of Kaupthing, from its establishment in 2002 until it merged into Arion Bank in 2012. Guðrún has been a director of the board of Eimskipafélag Íslands hf. since 2018. In 2012-2013, she was a director of the boards of Framtakssjóður Íslands slhf., Reginn hf., Vörður tryggingar hf., Vörður líftryggingar hf. and Míla ehf. Guðrún was managing director of Nasdaq verðbréfamiðstöð hf. from 2013 to 2018. Guðrún was elected as alternate to the Board of Directors of Landsbankinn in March 2018 and became a regular member in April 2021.

Helgi Friðjón Arnarson

Helgi Friðjón Arnarson

Director

Helgi Friðjón Arnarson was born in 1957. He graduated with a cand.oecon. degree from the University of Iceland in 1983 and became a legally certified accountant in 1987. Helgi worked as a certified accountant and partner at KPMG in 1984-2020. His duties involved auditing and other services for financial undertakings and pension funds. He served as auditor of banks, savings banks, pension funds and other entities in the financial market for several years. Helgi has taught KPMG courses in auditing and financial reporting for financial undertakings, and courses for managers of financial undertakings preparing for eligibility assessments administered by the Financial Supervisory Authority. Helgi was elected to the Board of Directors in March 2021 and chairs the Audit Committee.

Þorvaldur Jacobsen

Thorvaldur Jacobsen

Director

Thorvaldur Jacobsen was born in 1963. He is managing director of Landsnet’s system administration division. Thorvaldur completed a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Iceland in 1987 and a degree in computer science from the same institution in 1988. He completed a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. Thorvaldur worked for Opin kerfi as a sales manager in 1990-1996 and as a sales and marketing manager of Teymi in 1996-1999. He became managing director of Vísir.is ehf. in 1999 and led that company until 2001. Thorvaldur worked for the Nýherji Group for several years, first as managing director of communications solutions in 2001-2005 and later as managing director of core solutions in 2005-2008. He acted as CEO of Dansupport A/S (a Nýherji subsidiary in Denmark) for a six-month period in 2007-2008, was a managing director at Skyggni 2009-2011, managing director at UAB Baltic IT Services 2010-2012 (a Nýherji subsidiary in Lithuania), and finally managing director of operating solutions at Nýherji in 2011-2012. Thorvaldur was managing director of development at VÍS in 2012-2017 and worked for Valcon Consulting A/S in management consultancy and change control in 2017-2019. He has served on the boards of various companies and associations in his field. Thorvaldur was elected as alternate to the Board of Directors of Landsbankinn in March 2018 and became a regular member in April 2019.

Alternate members

Sigríður Olgeirsdóttir

Alternate

Sigríður Olgeirsdóttir was born in 1960. Sigríður is a graduate of applied computing from EDB skolen, Denmark in 1984, holds an MBA from Reykjavík University 2005, an AMP from Harvard Business School 2017 and completed a course in business operation and administration from the Department of Continuing Education at the University of Iceland 1991. She has extensive management experience in the field of IT and the financial sector. She was director of International Service at Valka ehf in 2019-2021, managing director of operation and IT at Íslandsbanki in 2010-2019, director of Humac ehf. in Iceland in 2007-2008, managing director of Skipti in 2006-2008, managing director of Ax hugbúnaðarhús in 2001-2006, managing director at Ax Business Intelligence A/S in Denmark in 1999-2001, and managing director and director of Tæknival in 1994-1999. Sigríður served the boards of Penninn, Arion securities custody, Reitir, Auðkenni and Kerfi. She was also on the board of directors of Sensa and chairman of the audit committee of Kópavogsbær Civil Servants’ Pension Fund. Abroad, Sigríður served the boards of IT companies in the Nordic countries and is currently a director of the board of Opin kerfi. Sigríður was elected as alternate to the Board of Directors in March 2021.

Sigurður Jón Björnsson

Alternate

Sigurður Jón Björnsson was born in 1966. He completed a cand.oecon. degree from the School of Accounting and Finance from the University of Iceland in 1994 and became a licensed securities broker in 2009. Following graduation, he worked as assistance sales manager for Íslensk Ameríska hf. in 1995-1997. He worked as head of finance, deputy managing director and analyst in investment banking at Framtak Fjárfestingarbanki hf. in 1997- 2003. He headed up the financial administration department of Air Atlanta in 2003-3006 and was CFO and deputy managing director of financial administration at Norðurál in 2006-2007. He worked as a corporate consultant at Capacent in 2007 and later became a partner at securities house Capacent Fjárfestingarráðgjöf, later Centra Fyrirtækjaráðgjöf hf. Alongside his consultancy role, Sigurður served as Compliance Officer for the securities house. Sigurður was CFO of the Housing Financing Fund in 2011-2017 and was, among other things, responsible for risk management at the fund in 2011-2015. Sigurður was chairman of the board of tech company Betware in Iceland from the company’s establishment in 1998 and until it was sold to foreign parties in 2014. He has also served on the boards of companies Stoðir hf., Íslandsflug hf., Landsafl hf., IMSI Inc., and SPC Holding AS. Sigurður was elected as alternate to the Board of Directors in April 2019.

Committee members that are not Directors of the Board

Hjörleifur Pálsson

Member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors

Hjörleifur Pálsson was born in 1963. Hjörleifur completed a cand.ocean. degree from the University of Iceland in 1988. He became a certified public accountant in 1989 and worked as an auditor to 2001. He was managing director of finance at Össur hf. from 2001 to 2013. Since 2013, Hjörleifur has sat on the boards of various companies and invested in and supported start-ups. He is currently chairman of the board of Sýn hf., chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the university council of Reykjavik University, on the investment council of Akur fjárfestingar slhf., a director of the board of Brunnur vaxtarsjóður slhf., Lotus Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd in Taiwan and Ankra ehf. Hjörleifur chairs the nomination committee of Icelandair Group hf. He became a member of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors in November 2019.

Sub-committees

Four sub-committees operate within the Board of Directors, preparing discussion by the Board of specific areas of operation and investigating in more detail matters related to them.

Appointment of sub-committees Risk committee Audit committee Remuneration committee    
     
Helga Björk Eiríksdóttir, chariman of the Board of Directors Chairman
Berglind Svavarsdóttir, vice-chairman of the Board of Directors Member  
Elín Jónsdóttir Member
Guðbrandur Sigurðsson Chairman  
Guðrún Blöndal Member Member
Helgi Friðjón Arnarson   Chairman
Hjörleifur Pálsson Member
Þorvaldur Jacobsen Member Member

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