Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir (born 9 February 1970) is an

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and business leader. With a BA in anthropology and a diploma in Applied Gender Studies, she has held significant roles in her family's company, Kjörís ehf. Since 2021, she has been serving as a Member of

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

, the national parliament, for the

South Constituency South () is one of the six multi-member constituencies of the Althing, the national legislature of Iceland. The constituency was established in 2003 following the re-organisation of constituencies across Iceland when the Southern constituency w ...

representing the Independence Party. From June 2023 to December 2024, she was also the

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. In March 2025, she was elected chair of the Independence Party as successor of Bjarni Benediktsson.

Early life, education, and personal life

Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir was born on February 9, 1970, in

Selfoss Selfoss may refer to: *Selfoss (town), Iceland *UMF Selfoss, a football club based in Selfoss **Selfoss men's football **Selfoss women's football *Selfoss (waterfall), Iceland *Selfoss Airport Selfoss Airport is an airport serving Selfoss, a to ...

, Iceland, to Hafsteinn Kristinsson, a pioneering dairy engineer, and Laufey S. Valdimarsdóttir, a homemaker. She completed her student degree from FSu in 1991 and later earned a BA in anthropology in 2008 and a diploma in Applied Gender Studies in 2011, both from the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' school to a modern co ...

. Guðrún has been married twice, first to Davíð Jóhann Davíðsson, with whom she has three children: Hafsteinn, Dagný Lísa, and Haukur. She later married Hans Kristján Einarsson Hagerup and became a stepmother to his three sons.

Business and political career

Guðrún's career in the business sector primarily involved working in her family's company, Kjörís ehf., where she served as Marketing Manager, managing director, and Financial Manager at different times. She also held board positions in various organizations, including Steingerðis ehf. and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise. Guðrún entered politics as a Member of Parliament for the South Constituency representing the Independence Party in 2021. She chaired important committees and was appointed the Minister of Justice in 2023. On 8 February 2025, she announced that she will be running to be chair of the Independence Party. She was formally elected at the party congress in early March, winning against

Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir (born 30 November 1990) is an Icelandic lawyer and politician who has been a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for the Reykjavík South constituency since 2016. She also served as the Secretary of the ...

by 19 votes and 50.1% of the vote.

References

External links

Biography of Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir on the parliament website (English)

Official website (Icelandic)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hafsteinsdóttir, Guðrún 1970 births Female justice ministers

Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir (born 9 February 1970) is an Icelandic politician and business leader. With a BA in anthropology and a diploma in Applied Gender Studies, she has held significant roles in her family's company, Kjörís ehf. Since 2021, ...

Living people

Women government ministers of Iceland