Björk Sigurgísladóttir appointed Deputy Governor for Financial Supervision
Based on the conclusions of the legally mandated adjudication committee and upon nomination by the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Prime Minister has appointed Björk Sigurgísladóttir to serve as Deputy Governor for Financial Supervision for a term of five years, effective 1 May 2023. The position was advertised on 7 February 2023.
For the past 15 years, Björk has worked in the field of financial supervision, first at the Financial Supervisory Authority and then at the Central Bank of Iceland after the merger of the two institutions at the beginning of 2020. She graduated from the University of Iceland Faculty of Law in 1998 and was admitted to the bar as a District Court Attorney in 2000. She received a master’s degree in International Law and Comparative Law (LLM) from the University of Iowa in 2004 and a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Northern Iowa in 2008. Upon completing her law degree, Björk joined the Consumers' Association of Iceland, where she worked from 1998 until 2001. She began working as a lawyer in the Loans Department of the Financial Supervisory Authority in 2008 and became head of Compliance in the Supervisory Department in 2012. In 2018 she was appointed Director of Compliance and On-site Inspections at the Financial Supervisory Authority, and upon the Authority’s merger with the Central Bank, she transferred to the Bank, where she has most recently been Director of Supervision of Conduct.
Björk has served on a large number of committees relating to financial supervision, including the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs’ task force entrusted with reducing risk in the financial system and bolstering resilience against financial shocks; a task force on the advantages and disadvantages of separating commercial banking from investment banking; and a European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) task force entrusted with coordinating EU member states’ requirements vis-à-vis UK securities firms applying for licences to operate in other countries in connection with Brexit. Björk has also participated in a wide range of working groups and committees within the Central Bank and has participated actively in work aimed at strengthening the internal working practices in the institution.
See further information on the web of the Prime Minister's Office (in Icelandic).