CEO and the Executive Committee

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Bank pursuant to set policies and resolutions of the Board.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Bank pursuant to set policies and resolutions of the Board. The CEO is also to ensure that the Bank’s operations are in compliance with applicable law and the Bank’s Articles of Association at all times. 

The CEO hires the Bank‘s Compliance Officer and appoints members of the Executive Committee and other Senior Management Committees.

Together with the CEO, the Executive Committee manages the daily activities of the Bank according to the strategy set out by the Board. It consists of seven people, including the CEO.

Birna Einarsdóttir

Chief Executive Officer since October 2008

From 1998 - 2004, Birna was Senior Product Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland. She was the Executive Vice President of Commercial Banking at Íslandsbanki, having previously served as Managing Director of Sales and Marketing, Branch Manager and Marketing Director at the Bank. Birna has as well worked as Marketing Manager for the Icelandic Broadcasting Company Stöd 2 (Channel 2) and Íslensk getspá. Birna has also served on the executive boards of the SA Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise and the Iceland Chamber of Commerce.

Birna holds a Cand. Oecon. degree in Business Administration from the University of Iceland and an MBA degree from the University of Edinburgh.

Birna first started working for Íslandsbanki‘s predecessors in 1987.

Jón Guðni Ómarsson

Chief Financial Officer since October 2011

Jón Gudni was Head of Treasury at the Bank from 2008 -2011. He has had various other roles within the Bank and its predecessors, including advising customers on hedging strategies and leading arrangements and participations in syndicated loans. He also worked as an ALM consultant at SunGard in Boston.

Jon Gudni holds a B.Sc. degree in Industrial Engineering and an M.Sc. degree in Quantitative and Computational Finance (QCF) from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. Jón Guðni is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and a security broker licensed by the Icelandic Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

Jón Gudni has been with Íslandsbanki and its predecessors since 2003.

Sigríður Hrefna Hrafnkelsdóttir

Managing director of Personal Banking since May 2017

Sigrídur Hrefna worked as Managing Director of retail for Olíuverzlun Íslands hf. from September 2014. Before, she was an Executive Director of Investment Banking for Arion Bank, Managing Director of the resolution committee of Sparisjóðabanki Íslands, the Managing Director at Atlas Ejendomme A/S and an attorney of law at LEX Law Offices. Sigrídur Hrefna has also served on the boards of various companies, both in Iceland and abroad.

Sigrídur Hrefna holds a Cand.Jur. degree from the University of Iceland, is a district court attorney and holds an MBA degree from Copenhagen Business School.

Sigrídur Hrefna has been with Íslandsbanki since 2017.

Guðmundur Kristinn Birgisson

Chief Risk Officer since October 2018

Guðmundur joined Íslandsbanki in 2011 as Executive Director of Risk Monitoring where he oversaw the implementation of the Bank´s Operational Risk Management Framework and monitoring of the execution of credit processes. 

From 2017 until he was appointed CRO, Guðmundur served as Executive Director of Lending in the Bank´s Personal Banking Division.

Guðmundur has a wide range of professional experience and has for example served as Assistant Professor of Mathematics Education and Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the Iceland University of Education.

Guðmundur holds a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics Education from Indiana University and a B.A. in Philosophy and Science from the University of Iceland.

Guðmundur has been with Íslandsbanki since 2011.

Una Steinsdóttir

Managing Director of Business Banking since May 2017

Una joined Íslandsbanki in 1991 and has a broad background from varied divisions within the Bank. Una was Managing Director of Retail Banking from October 2008 until May 2017, Managing Director of the Bank’s branch network from 2007 - 2008, and Keflavík Branch Manager from 1999. Prior to that she held various positions in the Bank’s International Banking division, loan supervision and service management. 

Una holds a Cand. Oecon. degree in Business Administration from the University of Iceland and has completed an AMP management programme from IESE, Barcelona.

Una has been with with Íslandsbanki and its predecessors since 1991.

Ásmundur Tryggvason

Managing Director of Corporate and Investment Banking

Ásmundur was Executive Director of the Bank‘s Corporate Finance department from 2012 to 2019. Ásmundur has as well worked in the Bank’s Research department and in business banking. He has also served on the boards of various financial, technology, industrial, telephone, and publishing companies.

Ásmundur holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law of the University of Iceland, is a District Court Attorney and has completed a degree in securities trading.

Ásmundur first started working for Íslandsbanki‘s predecessors in 1996.

Riaan Dreyer

Managing Director of Information Technology since September 2019

Riaan has been in various Chief Information Officer roles in South Africa, most notably Standard Bank and Liberty Life, before he relocated to Iceland in 2016.  He then joined Meniga within the Engineering space after which he joined Arion as the Head of Development.

Riaan holds a Masters degree in Information Technology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa in addition to Bachelor degrees in Actuarial Science and Economics. He has also completed the Advanced Management Programme from IESE, Barcelona.

Riaan has been with Islandsbanki since 2019.

Senior Management Committees

Senior Management Committees are advisory committees appointed by the CEO. Senior Management Committees are divided into two categories:

The Executive Committees: Executive Committee and All Risk Committee, are responsible for the implementation of the Board approved business strategy, risk appetite and policies and Business Committees: the Asset and Liability Committee, the Senior Credit Committee, the Investment Committee, the Operational and Security Committee, which are responsible for the approval of business proposals and their operational framework and implementation subject to internal rules and guidelines issued by the All Risk Committee and the Board. The committees are appointed by the CEO, and their letters of mandate and rules of procedure are documented in a charter set by the CEO and presented to the Board.

  • The Executive Committee, chaired by the CEO, is responsible for implementing the Board approved business strategy.
  • The All Risk Committee is responsible for the review and implementation of the risk management and internal control policies issued by the Board. The All Risk Committee translates Board risk policies into risk limits for individual and business desks and issues guidelines for risk assessment and individual risk thresholds or limits in accordance with Board approved risk appetite.

The Business Committees decide on individual business proposals in accordance with the rules and procedures issued by the All Risk Committee and the Board. All business proposals discussed by the business committees are initiated and owned by a business unit and although authorisation has been given by a committee, the business decision itself is made and owned by the business unit.

  • The Senior Credit Committee decides on proposals on lending and is the formal venue for discussion and review of individual loan proposals.
  • The Asset and Liability Committee decides on proposals regarding market risk, liquidity risk, funding, capital and internal and external pricing.
  • The Investment Committee decides on prposals regarding the purchase, sale and valuation of equity stakes and other investments of the bank.
  • The Operational and Security Committee decides on proposals regarding new products and services, continuous operation and material changes in systems and procedures.
  • The Sustainability Committee is a formal forum for reviewing and discussing issues related to sustainability risk, sustainable procurement and business opportunities.