CURRENCY CARD - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Nomination Committee
Benedikt was born in 1974. Benedikt was appointed CEO 1 July 2019.
Benedikt joined FBA (later Íslandsbanki) in 1998, held a variety of managerial positions at Straumur-Burðarás, was managing director of capital markets at FL Group and managing director of the investment banking division of MP banki. Benedikt worked as a senior advisor for Iceland's Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and was vice-chairman of a government task force on the liberalization of the capital controls between 2013 and 2016. He served on the board of directors of Kaupthing from 2016 to 2018 and was an advisor to Kaupthing on matters relating to Arion Bank. Benedikt was elected to the Board of Directors of Arion Bank in September 2018 and served on the board until his appointment as CEO.
Birna Hlín was born in 1978. She was appointed General Counsel of Arion Bank in September 2019 and joined the Bank's Executive Committee in June 2020. In September 2023 she was appointed Chief Operating Officer.
From 2016 until joining the Bank, Birna Hlín was a partner and general counsel at Fossar. She was general counsel at Straumur fjárfestingabanki from 2011 to 2015. Birna Hlín worked for Straumur-Burðarás Investment Bank hf. between 2007 and 2011 and was the company's general counsel from 2009. She has taught financial market law at the Reykjavík University and the University of Iceland. She has served on the boards of directors of several companies and organizations in Iceland and abroad.
Birna Hlín has completed an Advanced Management Program at IESE Business School Barcelona and has a Cand. Jur. degree from the University of Iceland. She is a district court attorney and a licensed securities broker.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Information Technology & CIO
Björn was born in 1980. He was appointed Managing Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at Arion Bank in March 2023.
From 2015, until joining the Bank, Björn worked for Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Australia and the Nordics, with focus on financial institutions, information technology strategy and transformation. Before joining BCG, he held several executive roles in the Icelandic financial services sector, including Chief Risk Officer at Byr Savings Bank.
Björn has a BS in computer science and an MS in industrial engineering from the University of Iceland and an MBA from Melbourne Business School.
Job Titles:
- Back Office
- SWIFT Services /
Job Titles:
- Alternate Director
- Lawyer
Job Titles:
- Head of Treasury
- Head of Treasury / Finance
Gunnar was born in 1967. He was first elected as a Director at a shareholders' meeting on 8 August 2019, and is a non- executive director. He is not a shareholder of Arion Bank and is an independent Director. Gunnar is a member of the Board Credit Committee and the Board Risk Committee. He was also appointed to the Board Audit Committee in May 2020, which he is currently chairing.
Gunnar graduated as Cand. Jur from the University of Iceland in 1992, gained an LL.M. degree in Law from the University in Amsterdam in 1995 and received a license to practice before the District Court in Iceland in 1993 and before the Supreme Court in 1999.
Gunnar has practiced law at LOGOS legal services since 1992 and a became partner in 1995. He was the managing partner of LOGOS from 2001-2013. Gunnar has been the president of the International Federation of Icelandic Horse Associations since 2014 and a board member of the Performing of the Arts Center in Iceland since 2021. Furthermore, Gunnar serves on the Board of Harpa Conference Center.
Gunnar has previously held various directorships, including the board of directors at Gamma hf. in 2017-2019, chairman of the board of directors of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (RÚV) 2016-2017, director at the Nordic Arbitration Center, chairman of the board of directors of the Icelandic Dance Company 2013-2016 and was voted by ALTHINGI the Icelandic parliament to serve on the National Electoral Commission in 2013-2017. Gunnar also lectured in competition law in 1995-2007 at the University of Iceland, Faculty of Law.
Job Titles:
- Head of Communications & FI
- Head of Corporate Communications and Financial Institutions
Job Titles:
- Head of Corporate Communications and Financial Institutions
Job Titles:
- Alternate Director
- Member of the Board
- Public Accountant
Heimir Thorsteinsson, State Authorized Public Accountant, was appointed as a member of the Board Audit Committee by shareholders.
Rules of Procedure for the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Corporate & Investment Banking
Hákon Hrafn Gröndal was born in 1988. He was appointed managing director of Corporate & Investment Banking in April 2022.
Hákon Hrafn Gröndal joined Arion Bank in 2012, initially working at the Bank's Höfði branch in Reykjavik. Since then Hákon has held various financial advisory and credit roles at the Bank and served on several boards of directors on the Bank's behalf. Since 2013 Hákon has been a credit manager in Corporate & Investment Banking.
Hákon is a business graduate from Griffith University, has an MSc in corporate finance from the University of Iceland and is a licensed securities broker.
Job Titles:
- DEPUTY CEO and Managing Director of Retail Banking
Ida Brá has worked for Arion Bank and its predecessor since 1999 when she joined the research department. She has held various positions within the Bank including Head of a department within treasury and Head of Corporate Communications. Ida Brá was Managing Director of Investment Banking from 2016 to 2017.Ida Brá served on the board of numerous companies, including Ólafsfjördur savings bank, AFL - savings bank, Landfestar and HB Grandi hf. Ida is the vice chairman of the Board of Directors at Vörður tryggingar hf.
Ida Brá graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of Iceland in 1999 and has a Master's in finance from the Erasmus Graduate School of Business. She is also a certified stockbroker.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director of Markets
- Managing Director of Stefnir
Jóhann was born in 1979. He was appointed managing director of Markets in May 2022.
Jóhann Möller has been the managing director of Stefnir since 2020. Jóhann has worked in the financial markets for more than 20 years and joined Stefnir in 2006, managing domestic equities funds and he was head of the company's equities team between 2017 and 2020.
Jóhann is a business graduate from the University of Iceland and is a licensed securities broker.
Paul was born in 1962. He was first elected as a Director at a shareholders' meeting on 8 August 2019, and is a non-executive director. He is not a shareholder in Arion Bank and is an independent candidate. Paul is Chairman of the Board and member of the Board Risk Committee, the Board Audit Committee, the Board Credit Committe, the Board Remuneration Committee and the Board Tech Committee.
Paul graduated with M.A. Honours in music from the University of Oxford in 1983 and is an associate of the UK Chartered Institute of Bankers. Paul has extensive experience of risk and general management in retail, commercial, investment and private banking, gained across various international markets. Paul held various executive and risk management roles at Barclays PLC between 1988 and 2003. In 2003 Paul joined The Royal Bank of Scotland Group and served as an executive and senior manager of Royal Bank of Scotland PLC and was appointed to various senior risk and general management roles until June 2019. In 2012 to 2017, Paul was the chief risk officer of Coutts & Co Ltd. and CEO of Coutts & Co Ltd., Zurich, in 2016-2017. In 2018 Paul was chief risk officer of Ulster Bank DAC, Dublin, and a non-executive director at Coutts & Co Ltd. in Zurich from 2018-2021.
Today Paul serves on the board of AIB (UK) P.L.C., chairs its risk committee and is member of its audit and operational resilience committees. He also serves on the Board of LHV (UK) Ltd. and chairs its risk committee, as well as sitting as a member of its audit, remuneration and nomination committees. Finally, he serves on the Board of the UK subsidiary of The National Bank of Kuwait, chairs its Risk Committee and serves on its Audit Committee.
Job Titles:
- Alternate Director
- Member of the Nomination Committee
- Lawyer
Steinunn was born in 1972. She was first elected as a Director at a shareholders' meeting on 30 November 2017, and is a non-executive Director. She is a shareholder in Arion Bank (her shareholding is 12000 shares) and is an independent Director. Steinunn is the chairman of the Board Credit Committeeand a member of the Board Remuneration Committee, the Board Risk Committee and the Board Tech Committee.
Steinunn holds a master's degree international management from Thunderbird, Arizona, and a BA in international business and politics from University of South Carolina. Steinunn has previously held several directorships in Europe and was a board member at the Icelandic State Financial Investment (ISFI). Steinunn was previously a partner and CEO of Beringer Finance Norway in 2015-2017 and interim CEO of Beringer Finance in Iceland and global head of food and seafood in 2017. She founded Akton AS and Acton Capital AS, a management consulting and investment company in Norway, where she works with investments and consulting. Steinunn worked at Íslandsbanki (later Glitnir) as the managing director and head of the bank's UK operation and prior to that she was an executive director heading the international corporate credit and syndications.
Today Steinunn works actively with tech companies in Norway both as an investor and advisor in regard to strategy. The software companies she works with are international scale-up companies. She is also the chairman of the board of Acton Capital AS, and the chairman of the board for the Norwegian-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce. Steinunn is a member of the nomination committee of Síminn and serves as a board member at YES-EU AS and Alda hf. Finally, she is a mentor to young talented women and founded Women Empower Women and is the chairman of a charitable organization in Norway.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Arion Bank in 2019 As Head of Strategy and Development
Ólafur Hrafn was born in 1981. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in September 2021.
Ólafur Hrafn joined Arion Bank in 2019 as head of strategy and development in the CEO's Office. Between 2010 and 2016 Ólafur Hrafn worked for Royal Bank of Scotland in London and New York. In 2016 he was appointed managing director of the investment company Títan, a position he held until 2019. He previously worked for CreditInfo in Germany and Straumur Investment Bank. Ólafur Hrafn sits on the boards of directors of Vörður and Landey.
Ólafur Hrafn graduated with a cand.oecon. from the University of Iceland in 2006, majoring in accounting and auditing. He is an FSA approved person in the United Kingdom and has passed the FINRA Series 79 exam in the United States.