Höskuldur H. Ólafsson hired as Arion Bank's CEO

The Board of Directors of Arion Bank has hired Höskuldur H. Ólafsson as the CEO of Arion Bank; he will start no later than 1 June.

Arion Bank's new board, which took over on 18 March, has been engaged in hiring Höskuldur H. Ólafsson for the past several weeks. In selecting a new CEO keen emphasis was placed on finding a person with broad management experience, including experience in the financial sector, and skills to manage the operations of one of Iceland’s largest banks during a period of economic transformation. Mr. Ólafsson has been the CEO of Valitor – VISA Iceland for the last four years, he previously held diverse management positions at Eimskip Transport for 17 years, both in Iceland and abroad.

Höskuldur H. Ólafsson: "I am looking forward to taking on the various and demanding projects awaiting me as CEO of Arion Bank. We are going through a very important period of restructuring and build-up in Icelandic society which presents numerous opportunities. My first task will be to get acquainted with my new co-workers and on-going tasks and projects within the bank. I will then turn my focus to the future vision and goals of Arion Bank in close cooperation with the Board of Directors and the bank's employees."

Monica Caneman, Chairman of the board of Arion Bank: "The Board of Directors welcomes Mr. Ólafsson. He has broad knowledge and experience that will serve the bank well. His previous work has demonstrated competence in coping with extensive and demanding projects. We have great expectations for our collaboration and look forward working with Mr. Ólafsson in building up a dynamic bank which has the benefit of its customers as its main focus and guiding light."