Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir is the Managing Director of Festa – Centre for CSR and Sustainability in Iceland. She was previously the chair of the board of the Icelandic Technology Development Fund, which supports innovation. She is also the co-director and script writer of the documentary InnSæi—the Sea Within (2016), which explores the art of flourishing, leading and innovating in an age of distraction and transformation.
Following the Icelandic financial crisis in 2008, she designed and directed an innovative, cross-disciplinary university program, which was recognized by the Nordic Council for responding efficiently to the needs of today’s labor market. As a consultant, Hrund works regularly for the UN, specifically on gender and post-conflict reconstruction. Hrund was the program manager for UNIFEM in Kosovo and a statistician at the UNECE.
Her creative writing and art work include short films, a three-dimensional book of poetry, and a play that premiered at Reykjavik’s Art Festival. Hrund has served/serves on various boards related to the arts, innovation, global leadership, education, and human rights. She was also named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2011.
Hrund holds a BSc from the University of Iceland, an MSc from the London School of Economics and Diploma from Harvard Kennedy School.