Halla believes in Iceland and its people and wants to advocate for a united society that has the courage to use its creativity to further economic and social progress based on sustainability, equality and peace. By doing so Iceland may help to find solutions to pressing problems and become a role model for others.

Halla has a clear vision of the importance and purpose of the Icelandic presidency and has spent her whole life catalyzing for a better world. Her diverse work and life experiences combined with a strong international network are truly unique. She has strong Icelandic roots as does her family. She spent the summers on a farm in the north from the age of 7, as a teenager she worked in fish factories on the east coast, and took on a variety of jobs as a young woman. In her adult life Halla has served in diverse leadership roles across Icelandic society. She has striven to catalyze positive societal changes for much of her adult life. She has studied and worked in Iceland, the United States, Great Britain and Denmark. Halla is passionate about Iceland and harnessing its unique strengths to drive progress in Iceland and beyond. She is brave, warm, honest and sincere.

Halla has always been engaged in initiatives focusing on how we can change our behavior for a better world. This has been her focus throughout her diverse career, ranging from a human resources perspective in the US corporate world, a university teacher talking about courage and positivity, founding a financial company and lastly but not least, through her work with the B Team in the past years.

As the CEO of B Team, Halla has been able to actively work towards changing the mindset and business ethics towards responsibility, sustainability, equality and transparency on an international scale. This has been achieved by encouraging business leaders to take responsibility for their impact on the environment and the society as well as to encourage governments to ensure that the rules of the game relating to the business world safeguard the well-being of the people and the planet. Through her position at B Team, Halla has worked with some of the most advanced leaders in the world, particularly in relation to sustainability and business ethics and she has earned their respect.

Halla has a strong network, both in Iceland as well as internationally where she is used to work across borders. Her network extends to internationally recognized NGO’s, governmental agencies as well as the business community. Halla has been awarded for her work and received international recognitions, such as being on Newsweek’s list of “150 women who shake the world” in 2012 and this year Reuters listed her along with 20 women  on the “Trailblazing Women in Climate 2024 list". 

When Halla ran for president in 2016 she started off slowly, but had an impressive final sprint and ended up as the runner-up with around 28% of the vote. A lot has changed since then and Halla approaches this presidential race with valuable experience. In the time since, Halla has for the most part worked abroad, which has given her a unique perspective of Iceland’s position and the importance of Iceland on the international stage, particularly regarding environmental matters, equality and peace.

Last year Halla published a book: Courage to make a difference, in which she shares her own journey in cultivating her courage in leading change as well as stories of people she has worked with who inspire her and others to improve themselves and their society. This book gives a good insight into what Halla stands for.