Reykjavík Energy’s (Orkuveita Reykjavíkur;OR) Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Sævar Freyr Þrainsson, now Mayor of Akranes, to the position of CEO. He will assume the job April 1st, 2023.
September last, Mr. Bjarni Bjarnason announced that he intended to retire from the position of CEO after twelve years of work, but he assumed the post on March 1st, 2011. The position was advertised in November 2022 and 21 applied. Bjarni will formally retire from Reykjavík Energy when Sævar Freyr assumes the position.
Sævar Freyr has extensive management experience having led large telecommunications and media companies. Since Akranes is among the owners of OR, Sævar Freyr has had a role to play in relation to the company as mayor, most recently supporting the progress of Carbfix and his experience has been employed in projects related to The Reykjavík Fibre Network, subsidiary of OR.
Sævar Freyr holds a cand.oecon degree in business administration from the University of Iceland with emphasis on marketing. His over 30 years’ experience in the labour market has been mostly in managerial positions. He worked at Síminn for 18 years, including seven years as CEO during difficult times in Icelandic society. He was CEO of 365 Media for three years, and since 2017 he has served as the mayor of his hometown of Akranes.
“It is fortunate for Reykjavík Energy to employ Sævar Freyr as its leader. He knows the company and its ventures very well and has extensive and successful experiences in management, both in the private and public sectors. Although Sævar Freyr receives Reykjavík Energy in a good state, there are many challenges lie ahead, not in the least regarding climate issues, where significant progress is urgent. I look forward to working with Sævar Freyr and all the OR Group’s staff in meeting these challenges,” says OR’s chairman, Dr. Gylfi Magnusson.
“Primarily, I regard Reykjavík Energy as a knowledge enterprise that is extremely rich in human capital. My role is to support these effective people, so they succeed in their work in serving society. Every day we will work to increase the quality of life in Iceland, and we are also inching our operations to the wider world. The opportunities are certainly there. Therefore, I look very much forward to getting better acquainted with the OR staff and, along with them, tackling the important projects ahead,” says Sævar Freyr Þrainsson, the newly appointed CEO of Reykjavík Energy.
Contact:
Breki Logason
Head of Communications
+ 354 6985671
