Halla Tómasdóttir Facts for Kids

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a patronymic or matronymic, not a family name; this person is properly referred to by the given name "Halla".

Quick facts for kids Her Excellency Halla Tómasdóttir
Halla in 2024

7th President of Iceland
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 August 2024
Prime Minister	Bjarni Benediktsson Kristrún Frostadóttir
Preceded by	Guðni Th. Jóhannesson

Personal details
Born	(1968-10-11) 11 October 1968 (age 56) Reykjavík, Iceland
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Björn Skúlason
Children	2
Alma mater	Auburn University at Montgomery (BBA) Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA)
Awards	Cartier Women's Initiative Awards

Halla Tómasdóttir ( born 11 October 1968) is an Icelandic former businesswoman and politician serving as the seventh president of Iceland since 2024. She is Iceland's second female president, after Vigdís Finnbogadóttir. Halla was previously a public speaker. Before becoming president, she was the chief executive of The B Team, a global nonprofit group.

Early life and education
Early career
- 2016 presidential campaign
Presidency (2024–present)
Personal life
Honours
- National honours
- Foreign honours
See also

Early life and education

Halla graduated from Verzló in 1986, and afterwards moved to the United States as an international student, where she attended Evansville Central High School and graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery with a bachelor's degree in business administration, with a focus on management and human resources, in 1993. She received a Master of Business Administration degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in 1995.

Early career

Halla is a former member of the founding team of Reykjavík University in 1998. She also co-founded Auður Capital, an investment firm. She served as the chief executive of The B Team, a global nonprofit group of business and civil society leaders working to promote business practices focused on humanity and the climate.

2016 presidential campaign

Halla announced her candidacy for the presidency of Iceland on 17 March 2016. She received 27.9% of the vote, the second-highest share after that of the winner, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, who received 39.1%.

Presidency (2024–present)

On 1 June 2024, Halla won the Icelandic presidential election, defeating former prime minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir by a roughly 10-point margin. Her campaign focused on issues such as the effects of social media on the mental health of youth, tourism development, and the role of artificial intelligence. She took office on 1 August 2024.