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Entrepreneur Halla Tómasdóttir takes over as Iceland's president

The Guardian

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August 02, 2024

A feminist entrepreneur who started an investment fund with the musician Björk at the height of Iceland's 2008 financial crisis and gave a Ted talk on applying "feminine values" to finance became her country's president yesterday.

Entrepreneur Halla Tómasdóttir takes over as Iceland's president

Halla Tómasdóttir won more than 34% of the vote in elections in June, beating a crowded field that included Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who resigned as prime minister to run.

Shewill replace Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, who is stepping down after eight years in office despite considerable popularity.

Halla was previously chief executive of The B Team, a non-profit organisation that was co-founded by Sir Richard Branson. She was also the head of Iceland's chamber of commerce and co-founded the now defunct financial services company Auður Capital. She first ran for president eight years ago.

This time Halla, 55, campaigned on issues including artificial intelligence, tourism and the effect of social media on mental health. Afterwards, she said that people had "voted with their hearts".

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