Halla Tómasdóttir (born 11 October 1968) is an Icelandic former businesswoman and politician serving as the seventh president of Iceland since 2024. She is Iceland's second woman president, after Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. Halla was previously a public speaker. Before becoming president, she was the chief executive of The B Team, a global nonprofit group.
Halla Tómasdóttir | |
|---|---|
 Halla in 2024 | |
| 7th President of Iceland | |
| Assumed office 1 August 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Bjarni Benediktsson |
| Preceded by | Guðni Th. Jóhannesson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 October 1968 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | Björn Skúlason |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Auburn University at Montgomery (BBA) Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA) |
| Awards | Cartier Women's Initiative Awards[1] |
Early life and education
editHalla graduated from Verzló in 1986, and afterwards moved to the United States as an international student, graduating from Auburn University at Montgomery with a bachelor's degree in business administration, with a focus on management and human resources, in 1993.[2] She received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in 1995.[3]
Early career
editHalla is a former member of the founding team of Reykjavík University in 1998. She also co-founded Auður Capital, an investment firm.[4] She served as the chief executive of The B Team, a global nonprofit group of business and civil society leaders working to promote business practices focused on humanity and the climate.[5]
2016 presidential campaign
editHalla announced her candidacy for the presidency of Iceland on 17 March 2016.[6] She received 27.9% of the vote, the second-highest share after that of the winner, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, who received 39.1%.[7]
Presidency (2024–present)
editOn 1 June 2024, Halla won the Icelandic presidential election, defeating former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir by a roughly 10-point margin.[8] Her campaign focused on issues such as the effects of social media on the mental health of youth, tourism development, and the role of artificial intelligence. She took office on 1 August 2024.[9]
Personal life
editHalla was born in Reykjavík. She is married to Björn Skúlason.[10] They have two children.
Honours
editNational honours
edit
Iceland:
Grand Master and Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (1 August 2024)
Foreign honours
edit
Denmark:
Knight of the Order of the Elephant (8 October 2024)[11]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Halla Tomasdottir: A feminine response to Iceland's financial crash, TED (conference), 10:17, 2010[12] | |
| It's time for women to run for office, TED (conference), 19:19, 2016[12] |
References
edit- ^ "Audur Capital provides financial services based on women-friendly values". Cartier Women's Initiative. 2009. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ Hólmfríður Gísladóttir (22 March 2024). "Þverneitar að hafa freistast til að fegra ferilskrána". Vísir.is (in Icelandic).
- ^ "Mannabreytingar hjá Íslenska útvarpsfélaginu". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic): D12. 29 January 1998.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Halla ætlar að bjóða sig fram". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 17 March 2016. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ "Businesswoman Tomasdottir becomes Iceland's next president". France 24. 2 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- ^ "New presidential candidate emerges in Iceland". Morgunblaðið. Iceland. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
- ^ "Guðni Jóhannesson wins Iceland's presidential election". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 26 June 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ "Election week: Halla Tómasdóttir will be the president of Iceland". RÚV. Iceland. 2 June 2024. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir set to become Iceland's next president". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "Halla átti kærasta þegar þau Björn hittust fyrst" (in Icelandic). mbl.is. 22 March 2024. Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ https://www.kongehuset.dk/nyheder/islands-praesident-tildeles-elefantordenen/
- ^ a b "Halla Tómasdóttir, Change catalyst". TED (conference). 2016. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
External links
edit- Lindskog, Chad (16 August 2018). "Memorial QB, an exchange student from Iceland, lives with coach's family". Evansville Courier & Press. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- Halla Tómasdóttir at TED
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