Árni M. Mathiesen (born 2 October 1958 in

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

) is an

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

ic politician. From September 2005 through 31 January 2009, he was

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

in Iceland. From 1999 to 2005 he was Minister of Fisheries. Mathiesen was first elected to the

Althing The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...

(Iceland's parliament) for the

Independence Party Independence Party may refer to: Active parties Outside United States * Independence Party (Egypt) * Estonian Independence Party * Independence Party (Finland) * Independence Party (Iceland) * Independence Party (Mauritius) * Independence Part ...

in 1991, when he was the youngest member of the Althing at the age of 33.

Biography

Mathiesen graduated from Flensborgarskóli in

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður (), officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður (), is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region, on the southwest coast of t ...

with a university entrance diploma in 1978. He studied

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

, qualifying as veterinarian in 1983. He studied fish

pathology Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...

at the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built w ...

and in 1985 was awarded the MSc in Aquatic

Veterinary Science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

. After completing his studies, he worked as

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

in various areas of Iceland, and served as veterinary officer for fish diseases 1985–1995. Mathiesen was also the

managing director A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

firm Faxalax hf. 1988–1989. Árni M. Mathiesen was chairman of the Flensborgarskóli student association 1977–78, president of Stefnir, the association of young conservatives in Hafnarfjörður 1986–88, and vice-president of SUS, the association of young conservatives in Iceland 1985–87. He was a member of the Board of the Guarantee Division of Aquaculture Loans 1990–94, of the Board of the Icelandic Veterinary Association 1986–87, and was on the Salary Council of the Confederation of University Graduates 1985–87. He was chairman of the

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball or Olympic handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of throwing it into the g ...

division of his local FH club 1988–90 and was a member of the Flensborgarskóli school board from 1990 to 1999. Mathiesen was an Icelandic representative on the

Nordic Council The Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary Nordic cooperation among the Nordic countries. Formed in 1952, it has 87 representatives from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden as well as from the autonomou ...

1991–95; he has been a member of the Board of Búnaðarbanki Íslands and of the Agricultural Loan Fund and the chairman of the Council of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mathiesen was also a member of the

EFTA The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European Uni ...

/ EEA parliamentarians' committee from 1995 to 1999. He is the ADG of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at FAO, in Rome, where he lives with his family, from 2010 to present.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathiesen, Arni M. Arni M. Mathiesen Arni M. Mathiesen Arni M. Mathiesen Arni M. Mathiesen 1958 births Living people Arni M. Mathiesen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

Biography

See also

References