28. 01 2021 - 10:00 - 13:00

Festa January Conference 2021 – A New Beginning

@Electronic event


After the broadcast on January 28th, the conference in its entirety can be accessed here.



This year marks Festa's 10th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the conference will be particularly auspicious. It will be held electronically, open to all free of charge, thanks to our sponsors Landsbankinn, Íslandsbanki, Vörður – tryggingar, Landsvirkjun and the Swedish Embassy.


The conference will be broadcast from 9-12 on January 28. It will be streamed on Festa's media channels along with several major news outlets in the country.


With this, we want to open this largest platform for sustainability and social responsibility to all those who are interested.

Hvetjum ykkur til að skrá ykkur hér fyrir ofan (“Skrá mætingu”) og við sendum ykkur nánari upplýsingar og hlekki á efni tengt ráðstefnunni.

  • Icelandic subtitles will accompany the talks delivered in English.


The title of this year's conference is The Great Reset, in the spirit of the focus of leading organizations such as the World Economic Forum and the B Team, which are leading the way in the transformations that need to take place in global business and governance.

There, we focus on ensuring that the reconstruction that awaits us in the aftermath of Covid-19 will be based on sustainability, as we build an economic life that benefits all stakeholders.

Kynnið ykkur áherslur The Great Reset: B Team og  World Economic Forum

Why New Beginning/Great Reset – 1:30 min video.

Clearly, the will to build a better society does exist. We must use it to secure the Great Reset that we so badly need. That will require stronger and more effective governments, though this does not imply an ideological push for bigger ones. And it will demand private-sector engagement every step of the way. 

Below you can find the conference program and learn more about the group that will be attending this year's conference.



Looking forward to tackling a new beginning with you!


Dagskrá:


  • Festa 10 ára
  • Tómas N. Möller formaður Festu og Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir framkvæmdarstjóri Festu


  • What is the New Beginning – The Great Reset?
  • Nicole Schwab, CEO of Nature Based Solutions @World Economic Forum


  • What is your role in New Beginnings?
  • Halla Tómasdóttir, CEO of B Team


  • Leiðtogar úr íslensku atvinnulífi taka stöðuna


  • AÐILDI 2021 kynnt til leiks


  • Which Gray Rhinos will be on our way this year?
  • Michele Wucker metsöluhöfundur og forstjóri Gray Rhino & Company


  • Miklar umbreytingar: Hröðum framgangi heimsmarkmiðanna
  • John McArthur forstjóri miðstöðvar um sjálfbæra þróun hjá Brookings stofnuninni


  • Dream investment 2035
  • Sasja Beslik forstjóri sjálfbærra fjárfestinga hjá J. Safra Sarasin Bank


  • Leiðtogar úr íslensku atvinnulífi taka stöðuna


  • Are Icelandic managers on a green journey? – The Green Journey, a Deloitte survey of managers on corporate climate action
  • Rakel Eva Sævarsdóttir Project Manager Deloitte


  • Leiðtogar úr íslensku atvinnulífi taka stöðuna


  • Hvernig gekk að innleiða hringrásarhagkerfið á árinu? – Fjögur fyrirtæki settu sér hringrásar markmið í upphafi árs 2020 – hvernig gekk?


  • Sustainable welfare – thought-provoking
  • Elísabet H. Brynjarsdóttir Nurse and Project Manager Mrs. Ragnheiðar



  • Fundarstjóri: Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir


Það er einvala teymi sem við höfum fengið með okkur sem ræðufólk og þátttakendur í umræðu pallborðum.


Leaders from Icelandic business who will examine New Beginnings in the Icelandic context in a panel discussion:

Your role in The Great Reset


Halla Tómsdóttir forstjóri B Team



Halla Tómasdóttir has been the CEO of the unique B Team since 2018. B Team is an international sustainability platform for influential people from politics and business. B Team was founded in 2013 by Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, and Jochen Zeitz, then CEO of Puma, and the B Team board includes CEOs from many of the world's largest companies, leaders from international organizations such as the UN, and former national leaders.



Halla hefur í gegnum tíðina starfað sem stjórnandi í atvinnulífinu, frumkvöðull og fjárfestir ásamt því að vera forsetaframbjóðandi. Hún hefur alla tíð lagt áherslu á að stíga fram sem tilgangsmiðaður, einlægur og hugrakkur leiðtogi sem talar fyrir réttlátum heimi fyrir alla. 



Halla is co-chair of the international organization Imperative 21, Imperative 21 – The Imperative of the 21st century is to RESET our economic system. The organization was founded by international business leaders in 2020 with the aim of working to start a new beginning, that is, to reset our global economy – “reset of our economy so that it works for everyone and for the long term”.



Halla began her career as a manager in the United States at large corporations Mars and Pepsi Cola. During her career, Halla has been involved in many areas. Among other things, she helped develop Reykjavík University and led the project "Wealth through Women", which was launched in 2000 to promote job creation for women.



Árið 2006 tók hún við stöðu fram­kvæmda­stjóra Viðskiptaráðs og var hún fyrsta konan til að gegna því hlutverki. Halla sagði þar upp störf­um til að stofna fyr­ir­tækið Auði Capital. Auður Capital komst skaðlaust í gegnum efnahagshrunið árið 2008 og var eigið fé Auðar Capital metið á 1,1 millj­arð króna árið 2010 og var fé­lagið þá skuld­laust.



Í kjölfar hrunsins tók Halla virkan þátt í umræðum og verkefnum sem sneru að uppbyggingu Íslands. Halla var hluti af þeim hóp sem hrinti í framkvæmd Þjóðfundi árið 2009, þar sem slembiúrtak íslensku þjóðarinnar kom saman í Laugardalshöll til að ræða þau grunngildi og þá framtíðarsýn sem myndi varða leið uppbyggingar í kjölfar hrunsins.


Árið 2016 var Halla einn af frambjóðendum til embættis forseta Íslands. Framboð Höllu vakti verðskuldaða athygli um allan heim þar sem þrátt fyrir að kannanir hafi lengi vel ekki spáð henni miklu fylgi þá hlaut hún á endum 30% atkvæða og lenti í öðru sæti með gott forskot á aðra frambjóðendur. 



  • Twitter: @hallatomas
  • LinkedIn
  • The B Team | From the UN General Assembly to Climate Week and Beyond,…
  • Bold and Brave Leadership for a New Economy – hlaðvarps viðtal við Höllu frá september 2020. Bold and Brave Leadership for a New Economy | by BBMG | B The Change
  • How Coronavirus Could Reboot Capitalism ( myndband frá Trust Conference) How Coronavirus Could Reboot Capitalism (ft. Halla Tomasdottir) | TC Talks – YouTube
  • Halla's TED Talk – Halla Tómasdóttir | Speaker | TED


„Now, we must RESET our economy to deliver shared prosperity and well-being for all stakeholders. “

Hvað felst í Nýju upphafi – The Great Reset?



Nicole Schwab, Executive Director of Nature Based Solutions at the World Economic Forum


Nicole Schwab er einn af framkvæmdastjórum The Platform to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions og  1t.org hjá Alþjóðaefnahagsráðinu. Hún hóf feril sinn í stefnumótunarvinnu við uppbyggingu heilbrigðiskerfis á Andes svæðinu fyrir yfirvöld í Bolivíu og Alþjóðabankann. Nicole kom að stofnun vettvangsins Young Global Leaders innan Alþjóðaefnahagsráðsins, ásamt föður sínum Klaus Schwab stofnandi Alþjóðaefnahagsráðsins. Hún er í dag formaður stjórnar Young Global Leaders. 



In 2009, she founded the EDGE Certified Foundation, a certification standard for gender equality in the workplace, which is now used by over 250 global companies in 40 countries. Nicole has since served as a consultant and policy advisor to NGOs working on the environmental and gender equality nexus, including the National Geographic Society's Campaign for Nature. In 2014, she published the award-winning book The Heart of the Labyrinth.



Síðustu misseri hefur hún stýrt átaki World Economic Forum, The Platform to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions, sem snýr meðal annars að því að atvinnulífið taki sér stöðu þegar kemur að því að hafa auðgandi áhrif (e. regenerate) á náttúrauðlindir. Þar vinnur hún að því að skapa skýra tengingu á milli loftslagsbreytinga og líffræðilegs fjölbreytileika og hvernig við getum tekið ábyrgð og verið hluti af lausninni. Þarna hefur hún bent á þau gífurlega tækifæri sem felast í “The Great Reset” í kjölfar Covid-19, tækifæri til að skapa breytingar og leggja fram lausnir.



  • Upplýsingar um Nicole Schwab af heimasíðu Alþjóðahefnahagsráðsins: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/nicole-schwab
  • Nicole Schwab | LinkedIn
  • InTent Round Table 2020 with NICOLE SCHWAB – YouTube


„The crisis has shown us that things can shift very rapidly when we put our minds to it“



Miklar umbreytingar: Hröðum framgangi heimsmarkmiða SÞ (e. Great Transitions: Doubling Down on the Sustainable Development Goals)


John McArthur, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution.


John is a senior fellow at Brookings, a senior advisor to the United Nations Foundation, and the chair of the International Development Research Centre. He serves on the UNICEF Advisory Board and the Government of Canada’s Vision and Strategy Steering Group. He is a co-founder of the “17 Rooms” initiative, an innovative way to catalyze action to accelerate progress on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.



McArthur var áður forstjóri Millennium Promise, alþjóðlegra samtaka um þúsaldarmarkmið Sameinuðu þjóðanna. Hann var aðstoðarforstjóri UN Millennium Project, sjálfstæðu ráðgjafaráði Kofi Annans, fyrrverandi aðalritara Sþ. Ráðið hafði það hlutverk að ráðleggja við gerð aðgerðaráætlunar sem miðuð var að því að ná þúsaldarmarkmiðunum. Hann hefur víðtæka reynslu af því að leiða saman aðila í stefnumótun um allan heim, utan um þúsaldarmarkmiðin og nú heimsmarkmiðin.



He was then Director of Policy at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. A lecturer at Columbia University, Chair of the International Committee on Education and Sustainability in Action, Project Manager of the Global Competitiveness Report, and a research fellow at the Harvard Institute for International Development.

John McArthur lagði drög að þverfaglegu háskólanámi sem miðar að því að þjálfa kynslóð sjálfbærnisérfræðinga, námsleiðin er nú kennd í fimm heimsálfum. Hann var formaður Global Agenda Council hjá Alþjóðaefnahagsráðinu og situr nú í ráðgjafaráði Alþjóðaefnahagsráðsins um sjálfbærni og samkeppnishæfni. Þá á hann sæti í alþjóðlegu framtíðarráði Alþjóðaefnahagsráðsins sem er með fókus á alþjóðlega stjórnun og samstarf milli einka- og opinbera geirans.



John McArthur has published a number of books and academic articles, including Leave No One Behind: Time for Specifics on the Sustainable Development Goals, published in 2019, and From Summits to Solutions: Innovations in Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, published in 2018. John's research and articles, and interviews with him, have appeared in all major media outlets and specialist publications in his field.




„Everyone can contribute. The opportunity is a world of inclusion, resilience, and sustainability for all“

Nýtt upphaf og gráir nashyrningar á veginum (e. The Great Reset and the Gray Rhinos Ahead of Us)


Michele Wucker, metsöluhöfundur, forstjóri og stofnandi Gray Rhino & Company.


The company, The Gray Rhino & Company, is named after Michele’s international bestseller – The Gray Rhino: How to Recognize and Act on the Obvious Dangers We Ignore. She advises leaders, organizations, and communities of all kinds on how to spot and prepare for “Gray Rhino risks”: a term coined to describe challenges that are obvious but often overlooked, despite their magnitude – and sometimes because of their magnitude.



Among the leaders who have tapped into Michele’s world of knowledge is Chinese President Xi Jinping. He referenced Michele’s work in a famous speech to the Communist Party of China meeting in January 2019, when he told top party leaders that China must be on guard against highly unlikely, unthinkable “black swans” while at the same time guarding against highly probable but often overlooked and neglected “gray rhinos.”



Michele hefur yfir þriggja áratuga reynslu af strategíum, hagfræði og fjármálum og opinberri stefnumótun og áhættustjórnun. Michele hefur komið fram á CNN, í The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, National Public Radio í Bandaríkjunum ásamt fjölda annara fréttaveita um allan heim.



Among the recognitions she has received for her work are Guggenheim Fellow, American Council on Germany Young Leader, Women's Media Center Woman Making History, World Economic Forum Young Global Leaders.



She is the former president of the World Policy Institute, vice president for international studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, and Latin America reporting director at the International Financing Review.




„No, the coronavirus pandemic wasn’t an ‘unforeseen problem“

 Draumafjárfestingin árið 2035 (e.The dream investment in 2035)


Sasja Beslik, Director of Sustainable Investments at J. Safra Sarasin Bank in Switzerland.


Sasja is an award-winning international investor in the field of sustainability. Sasja Beslik was named Banker of the Year in Sweden in 2016, and received the King's Order of the Crown in 2013 for outstanding contributions to development, environmental issues and sustainability within the Swedish financial sector. He has unique knowledge and insight into the opportunities that come with sustainable investing.



Sjálfbærnisjóður sem Sasja stofnaði hjá Nordea árið 2011 var valinn besti hlutabréfasjóðurinn í Svíþjóð 2017, fyrsti sjálfbærnisjóðurinn til að fá þessi verðlaun. Hann var valin Young Global Leader af Alþjóðaefnahagsráðinu árið 2011. Frá árinu 2009 starfaði hann fyrir Nordea sem yfirmaður samfélagslega ábyrgra fjárfestinga, forstjóri fjárfestingasjóða í Svíþjóð 2011 og forstjóri sjálfbærra fjármála áður en hann færði sig yfir til J. Safra Sarasin. Sasja gaf út bókin Guld och gröna skogar árið 2019.



Earlier this year, Sasja launched a weekly e-newsletter: ESG* on a Sundays. There, he reviews the latest in the world of sustainability, investment, and global business on a weekly basis. The newsletter has attracted a lot of attention and certainly doesn't compromise or dance around things – we recommend subscribing.

Sasja Beslik vakti mikla athygli hér á landi þegar hann tók þátt í Viðskiptaþingi, Viðskiptaráðs Íslands, á árinu 2020.


*E/U= umhverfi, S/F= social issues og G/S = stjórnarhættir

„Green bonds do offer benefits, and despite a tough time during COVID-19, the green bond market is likely to continue to grow over the next decade.“

Hugvekja: Sjálfbær velferð


Elísabet H. Brynjarsdóttir, nurse and project manager Mrs. Ragnheiðar – harm reduction.


Elísabet H. Brynjarsdóttir is a 27-year-old nurse from Kópavogur. During her studies, she participated in founding the mental health education association Hugrún and was elected chairwoman. She was then elected president of the Student Council of the University of Iceland in 2018, where she participated in, among other things, the founding of the climate strike. In 2018-2020, she served as student president on behalf of over 250,000 students in the European university network Aurora.

Elísabet graduated from the University of Iceland in 2017 as a nurse and has since worked at the Red Cross in Frú Ragnheiði – a harm reduction project. There, she has participated in increasing access to healthcare for marginalized individuals based on a harm reduction philosophy and values of sustainability, social responsibility and strong user consultation.

At Mrs. Ragnheiði, she has led and supported a large group of volunteers as a nurse and more recently as the project manager.

Í nóvember árið 2020 hlaut hún verðlaun JCI sem framúrskarandi ungur Íslendingur fyrir störf sín í þágu mannúðar og sjálfboðaliðastarfa.

Are Icelandic managers on a green path?


Rakel Eva Sævarsdóttir, Project Manager at Deloitte


Discussions and expectations about corporate climate action have increased significantly in recent years. To assess the status of Icelandic companies on the green path, as well as to increase understanding of management responses to climate issues, Deloitte sent a survey to the management of the country's 300 largest companies last November.

The results of this important study will be presented at the Festa 2021 January Conference.


Rakel Eva Sævarsdóttir, project manager at Deloitte, will present the results of the survey, which Deloitte hopes to shed light on the state of companies in the country and how their managers are addressing the climate challenge.

Furthermore, Deloitte considers the results to be an important contribution to further policymaking and discussions on climate issues in this country.


Hrund Gunnsteinsdóttir, CEO of Festa, and Tómas N. Möller, Chairman of Festa, lead the program: Festa 10 years

At the Festa 2020 January Conference, several companies set themselves bold circular goals for the next 12 months. Now, a year later, they are here to tell us how they fared. Were the goals achieved? What were the challenges? What went well and what could have been done better?


At the conference, we will introduce what it means to be a Member and reveal who was chosen, from a large group of applicants, to participate in 2021.

Here you can read all about Festa's January Conference 2020.