Managers
Chief Executive Officer
© Einar Örn Jónsson
Sævar Freyr Þráinsson is the CEO of Reykjavík Energy (OR)
An executive with broad experience, Sævar he was the CEO of Síminn, Iceland‘s leading telecommunications company, 365 Media media corporation, and, most recently, served as the Mayor of Akranes municipality. Since Akranes is one of the owners of OR, Sævar had a previous role to play in relation to the company where he, for example, supported the progress of Carbfix, and used his experience and background in projects related to Ljósleiðarinn (Reykjavík Fibre Network).
Sævar has a cand. oecon in business administration from the University of Iceland with a focus on marketing. He worked at Síminn for 18 years, including seven years as the CEO. He was the CEO of 365 Media for three years before returning to his hometown of Akranes to serve as Mayor in 2017.
Sævar has been either the chairperson or board member of 17 companies in IT, software development, telecommunications, financial technology and banking solutions, pension funds, marine sales and R&D center in Iceland, UK, Sweden, and Denmark. He has also served on the boards of several charitable, social, or business-related associations, such as The Chamber of Commerce, a football club, and a hospital charity foundation to name a few.
Managing directors
Human resources & culture
Ellen Ýr Aðalsteinsdóttir, head of human resources management, has a Diploma in human resources management from the University of Iceland and has worked in human resources since 2006. First as a human resources consultant at Síminn and from 2017 as a human resources leader at Orkuveita Reykjavíkur. Ellen has been involved in various matters related to human resources at OR and has, among other things, been a sponsor for management in the implementation of human resources policy. Ellen has also been so-called growth agent whose goal is to create value for customers, staff and operations of OR
Research & innovation
Hera Grímsdóttir is the managing director of the Development division. Hera has a master's degree in civil engineering with a focus on construction and decision-making, as well as an MBA degree from the University of Reykjavík. Since 2018, she has been the president of Reykjavík University's Faculty of Industry and Technology, but was previously the director of the construction department at the school's Faculty of Technology and Engineering. Hera has extensive management and project management experience in complex projects. She previously worked at the engineering firm EFLA, first in the energy department and later in the construction department. Between 2011 and 2015, she managed international high-tech projects at the prosthetics manufacturer Össur.
Managing directors of subsidiaries
Veitur
Sólrún Kristjánsdóttir is the Managing Director of Veitur Utilities , completed a BA in pedagogy and teaching from the University of Iceland in 1998 and a masters in Strategy and Business Administration from the same university in 2004. She started working in human resources management at Reykjavik Energy in 2004, was in charge of staff development from 2006 and head of human resources from 2012. Sólrún previously worked as a teacher and consultant at Stuðlar, a state rehab centre for young people.
Reykjavik Fibre Network
Einar Þórarinsson has a B.Sc. degree in Computer Science from the University of Reykjavík and worked i.a. as director of operations and IT at Vodafone. Then he was the director of services and inside IT at Advania and later the executive director. Since 2021, Einar has worked at the health technology company Sidekick Health in product design and development of the central part of the technology solution, as well as leading the planning of technical operations.
ON Power
Árni Hrannar Haraldsson has been based in Switzerland since 2011, where he was most recently the Executive Vice President of Global Supply Chain at MS PHARMA for several years, a multi-national generic pharmaceutical company with operations around the world.
Árni Hrannar has also worked in leadership roles at Xantis Pharma in Switzerland, Actavis, and 66° North. Árni has extensive experience as an executive in market-leading companies, both domestically and internationally, and has been responsible for extensive operations in those companies.
He completed his B.SC. in chemistry from the University of Iceland in 1997, and M.SC. degree in operational engineering from Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) in 2000.
Carbfix
Edda Sif Pind Aradóttir is the CEO of Carbfix and carbon disposer. A chemical engineer, she completed her doctorate from the University of Iceland in 2001. Earlier, Edda worked as director of innovation and prospects in the department of research and innovation at Reykjavík Energy (RE), as well as project manager at Carbfix from 2011. In her work for RE, Edda was leader of strategic projects regarding sustainable utilisation of natural resources, and headed extensive international innovation projects, supported by EU climate and energy framework. Edda has been a tireless speaker about carbon disposal as a countermeasure against climate crisis, in some of the world’s most widely distributed media platforms, and at strategic events organised by various heads of state. Edda started working for RE in 2003.
Principal units
Under the CEO there are nine heads of specialised divisions, who work with all the units in the Group.
Strategy
Guðrún Erla Jónsdóttir, Strategy officer, completed a M.Sc. degree in marketing and international business from the University of Iceland in 2006 and completed her doctorate, PhD, from the same school in 2022. She was a visiting student at three foreign universities during her M.Sc. and PhD studies, San Diego State University, Copenhagen Business School and Syddansk Universitet. Her specialization is in the field of governance and the strategic role of boards. Guðrún Erla was the first woman to act as a managing director of Husavik Energy from 2008 until she joined OR in 2015. She was the first woman to take a seat on the board of Samorka, the association of energy and utility companies, in 2012 and the first woman to be elected vice chairman, a position she held from 2016 until 2019.
Communication & community
Breki Logason is an experienced Head of Communication and Marketing at Reykjavík Energy with a diverse background in media, journalism, and business. He graduated with an MBA degree from Reykjavík University in 2015, which further enhanced his knowledge and skills in communication and marketing. His career has been marked by extensive experience in the media industry, where he has worked as a journalist, reporter, and news director. Breki's versatility and strategic thinking have allowed him to excel in diverse professional settings, including the advertising sector. He also founded a tourism company, Your Day Tours, in 2015, and played a key role in the company's growth and success.
HSE
Reynir Guðjónsson is head of safety at Reykjavik Energy. He has a long track record in this field. He worked for the Capital Area Fire Department for many years and was a safety representative for Rio Tinto-Alcan and quality manager there. He also worked as a prevention officer at the VÍS insurance company for two years.
Environment
Hólmfríður Sigurðardóttir, director of environmental affairs, is a biologist with a masters degree from the University of Iceland in 1983, another masters in soil mechanics from the University of Aarhus in Denmark and an MBA from the University of Reykjavik. Hólmfríður has a long track record in environmental issues and, among other things has worked for the National Planning Agency for a period of 12 years, mostly as the head of the environment division. She started working for Reykjavik Energy in 2007.
Legal affairs
Elín Smáradóttir, Reykjavík Energy’s General Counsel, graduated in law from the University of Iceland in 1994 and qualified as District Court advocate in 1996. She worked for the National Planning Agency between 1994-2003 and later at the National Energy Authority until 2008 when she joined Reykjavik Energy.
Project management
Aðalheiður Sigurðardóttir is the Director of the Project Management Office at Reykjavik Energy. She is a business administration graduate and has completed a master’s degree in project management (MPM) along with other related studies from Stanford Center for Professional Development. From 2011, she worked as project manager at Össur and led their project management office from 2016. For the last few years, Aðalheiður has also been a lecturer in project management studies at master’s level.
Sustainability
Eiríkur Hjálmarsson is Reykjavík Energy’s Head of Sustainability. He holds a BSJ degree in Journalism and a master’s in project management (MPM). Eiríkur worked in various media for 15 years, including as a reporter at Channel2 TV, programming director of Bylgjan Radio and editor-in-chief of Vísis.is. He was a political advisor to the mayor of Reykjavík until moving to communications at OR in 2006. Eiríkur has led the implementation of sustainability criteria in OR's reporting and the UN’s Global Goals in the group's strategic planning since 2015.
Elliðaárstöð
Birna Bragadóttir is the Head of Elliðaárstöð and Geothermal Exhibition. She has an MBA degree from the University of Reykjavik and a BA degree in Sociology. She has worked in consulting in the fields of strategic planning, workplace culture, and service management. Birna was the managing director of Sandhotel and led the hotel's development. She also worked for a long time in human resources and service management for both Icelandair and OR. Birna was the chairman of the board of the Icelandic design Fund and is a board member of KÍO."
Coordination and administration
Sigríður Auður Arnardóttir, director of coordination and administration, has an official degree in law from the University of Iceland. Sigríður has held the position of undersecretary in the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate, formerly the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, since 2014 after being deputy undersecretary. She also held the position of office manager in the office of environment and planning since 2012, the office of law and administration since 2007 and the office of law and information affairs in the ministry since 2003.