Halla Tómasdóttir, alumna of Arizona State University, was elected president of Iceland earlier this summer. On August 1, she was sworn in as the country’s seventh president since the foundation of the republic in 1944.
President Tómasdóttir has an extensive background in business, previously serving in several human resources, entrepreneurship, and leadership positions in Iceland and abroad. She is the co-founder of Audur Capital, a financial services and investment firm, and was the first woman chief executive officer of Iceland’s Chamber of Commerce. Prior to her presidential election, she was the chief executive officer and chief change officer of The B Team, a global nonprofit aiming to promote better business practices around the world. She has also worked in the United States, previously serving in human relations positions with PepsiCola and Mars Incorporated.
In addition to her business career, President Tómasdóttir has experience in higher education. She is a founder of Reykjavik University in Iceland, where she served as director of executive education and founder of the women’s entrepreneurship program.
President Tómasdóttir received her MBA in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. She also received a degree in human resource management from Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama.