Executive Board

Hera Grímsdóttir, Executive Director of Research and Innovation, holds a master's degree in civil engineering with an emphasis on construction and decision-making, as well as an MBA from Reykjavik University. From 2018-2022, she was the Dean of the School of Technology at Reykjavik University, having previously been the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering within the university's School of Science and Engineering. Hera has extensive experience in management and project management in complex projects. She previously worked at the engineering firm EFLA, first in the energy division and later in the construction division. From 2011 to 2015, she managed international high-tech projects at the prosthetics manufacturer Össur.

Snorri Hafsteinn Þorkelsson, CFO, has extensive international experience and joins Orkuveitan from Baader in Iceland and Skaginn 3X. Before that, he worked for a good decade as CFO at Marel in Iceland and later as CFO of the fish industry at Marel. Snorri was also the CFO of Dohop for four years. Snorri graduated with a BSc in Business Administration from Reykjavík University in 2005 and an MAcc in Accounting and Auditing from the same university two years later.

Ellen Ýr Aðalsteinsdóttir, Managing Director of Human Resources and Technology at Orkuveitan (Reykjavik Energy), holds a Diploma in Human Resource Management from the University of Iceland and has worked in human resources since 2006. First as an HR consultant in the HR department at Síminn and from 2017 as an HR lead at Orkuveitan. Ellen has been involved in various human resources matters at Orkuveitan and has, among other things, supported managers in implementing HR strategy and acted as a so-called growth agent and a torchbearer for change, with the goal of creating value for customers, staff, and the operations of Orkuveitan.

Sólrún Kristjánsdóttir, Managing Director of Veitur, completed a BA in Pedagogy and Education from the University of Iceland in 1998 and a master's degree in Management and Strategy from the same university in 2004. She began working in Human Resources at Orkuveitan in 2004, was in charge of professional development from 2006, and became Director of Human Resources in 2012. Previously, Sólrún worked as a teacher and as a counsellor at Stuðlar, the state-run treatment centre for adolescents.

Einar Thorarinsson, the CEO of Ljósleiðarinn, holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Reykjavik University. Einar's previous roles include Director of Operations and Information Security at Vodafone, where he also led the company's IT affairs. He was also the Director of Services at Advania and later the Managing Director of Services and Marketing. Before joining, Einar worked at the health tech company Sidekick Health, where he was responsible for the product design and development of the core part of the technical solution, in addition to leading the planning of technical operations and infrastructure.

Arni Hrannar Haraldsson, CEO of Orka náttúrunnar, completed a B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Iceland in 1997 and an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in 2000. Árni Hrannar lived in Switzerland from 2011 and worked as a managing director, responsible for the supply chain at MSPharma, an international pharmaceutical company with operations worldwide. Árni Hrannar has also held key roles at Xantis Pharma in Switzerland, Actavis, and 66° North. Árni Hrannar has extensive experience as a senior manager in market-leading companies both domestically and in the international market. He has managed diverse teams and been responsible for extensive operations, e.g., procurement, production, and management of complex supply chains.

Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir is the CEO of Carbfix and a carbon capture specialist. She is a chemical engineer and completed her PhD at the University of Iceland in 2011. Edda started working at Orkuveitan (Reykjavik Energy) in 2003 and served as the Head of Innovation and Future Vision in the Research and Innovation Division of Orkuveitan. She was also the project manager for the Carbfix climate project from 2011. In her work for Orkuveitan, Edda led strategic projects concerning sustainable resource utilization for the future, in addition to managing large international innovation projects funded by the EU's framework program for energy and climate issues. Edda has worked tirelessly to disseminate information about carbon capture as a mitigation measure against the climate crisis, including in many of the world's most widespread media outlets and at strategic events for national leaders.

Breki Logason, Communications Director of Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, graduated with an MBA from Reykjavík University in 2015. He has extensive experience in the media, having worked as a journalist and reporter, as well as being the news director of Stöð 2. He has also worked in the advertising industry, as a consultant in the Ministry of Health, and as the managing director of the tourism company Your Day Tours, which he founded in 2015.

Elín Smáradóttir, General Counsel of Orkuveita Reykjavíkur, graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Iceland in 1994 and was admitted to the bar as a District Court Attorney in 1996. She worked at the Icelandic National Planning Agency from 1994-2003 and then at Orkustofnun (the National Energy Authority) until 2008, when she joined Orkuveita Reykjavíkur.

Birna Bragadóttir has extensive experience in operations, human resource management, and service, including as the general manager of Sandhotel and in human resources and service management at Icelandair, Orkuveitan, and Capacent. She holds an MBA from Reykjavik University, a BA in Sociology, and has completed a certificate in Design Thinking from MIT and executive coaching at Coach University.

Birna has extensive experience in board governance. She was the Chairman of the Board of Ljósleiðarinn and the Icelandic Design Fund, has served on the board of KÍO, Orkuveitan's VOR Science and Entrepreneurship Fund, and the steering committee of Hringiða, an innovation accelerator for green solutions. Today, she sits on the boards of Orka náttúrunnar and the Iceland Geothermal Cluster.