Sigrún Ágústsdóttir appointed as director of Icelandic Environmental Agency

Sigrún Ágústsdóttir has been appointed as the new director of the Icelandic Environmental Agency, while Gestur Pétursson will lead the new Environmental and Energy Authority. This announcement was made on the official website of the Icelandic Government.

A total of eight candidates applied for the position at the Environmental Agency, and six applied for the director role at the Environmental and Energy Authority. These two agencies are part of a restructuring initiative introduced by the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate, following changes approved by the Althing (Iceland’s parliament) in July. The third new agency is the Institute of Natural History, for which the appointment of a director has yet to be announced.

According to the government statement, the newly formed Environmental and Energy Authority will assume operations from the National Energy Authority and part of the functions of the Environmental Agency. Meanwhile, the Environmental Agency will take over responsibilities for Vatnajökull National Park, as well as the nature conservation division and aspects of biodiversity and fisheries management from the former Environmental Agency. The new organizations are set to begin operations on January 1, 2025.