Five receive the 2022 Management Award
The Stjórnvísi Management Awards were presented yesterday at a ceremony at the Grand Hotel, attended by the President of Iceland. Awards were presented in three categories. Sigurjón Ólafsson, Head of the Service and Development Department for the City of Hafnarfjörður, was among the five managers who received awards and recognition for their professional work and management.
One of the Managers of the Year, part of the town's strong management team.
The Stjórnvísi Management Awards were presented yesterday at a ceremony at the Grand Hotel, attended by the President of Iceland. Awards were presented in three categories. Sigurjón Ólafsson, Head of the Service and Development Department for the City of Hafnarfjörður, was among the five managers who received awards and recognition for their professional work and management.
Awards are intended to draw attention to the outstanding work of managers.
The Stjórnvísi Management Awards are presented annually to managers of companies and organisations who are considered to have excelled in their field. The stated aim of the awards is to promote increased professionalism in management in Iceland. The awards are also intended to draw attention to the outstanding work of managers and to stimulate discussion about professional management. The recipients of the Stjórnvísi Management Awards 2022 in the senior management category are Guðmundur Jóhann Jónsson, CEO of Vörður Insurance, and Jóhann B. Skúlason, head of the public health contact tracing team. Gunnur Líf Gunnarsdóttir, Director of Human Resources at Samkaup, and Sigurjón Ólafsson, Head of the Service and Development Department for the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður, were awarded in the middle management category, and Stefanía Bjarney Ólafsdóttir, founder and CEO of AVO, in the entrepreneur category.
Award winners with Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, chair of the judging panel and Director of the Intellectual Property Office, and Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland. Sigurjón Ólafsson is standing beside the President. Photo: Stjórnvísi
The judging panel consisted of:
- Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, Chair of the Judging Panel and Director of the Intellectual Property Office
- Friðrik Þór Snorrason, CEO of Viss ehf.
- Gylfi Dalmann Aðalsteinsson, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Iceland
- Katrín S. Óladóttir, Managing Director of Hagvangur
- Margrét Guðmundsdóttir, Chairwoman of Festi hf. and former CEO of Icepharma hf.
- Salóme Guðmundsdóttir, board member at Eyri Ventures
- Thröstur Olaf Sigurjónsson, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, University of Iceland
- The secretary of the judging panel is Gunnhildur Arnardóttir, Managing Director of Stjórnvísi.
Review of Sigurjón Ólafsson, Director of the Service and Development Department
The following is the review of Sigurjón which was read out at the awards ceremony yesterday. You can also watch a recording of the awards ceremony. The presentation to Sigurjón begins at 46:45.
The right man in the right place
Since 2019, Sigurjón Ólafsson has led a new Service and Development Department for the City of Hafnarfjörður. The establishment of the department and the arrival of its head marked the beginning of the digital journey for the municipality, which today has around 30,000 residents and 2,000 employees.
The Service and Development Department operates across all divisions of the municipality, and the digital transformation involves all areas, sites and departments, making all staff of the City of Hafnarfjörður part of the team on this digital journey. The results are already visible, and the implementation of a number of further major and minor projects is underway, in addition to those already implemented. Sigurjón has proven with his ambition and professional leadership that he is the right man in the right place. Right from the start, under his leadership, a service strategy was formulated and important data and metrics were brought to the fore, which have been used to make the right decisions and increase transparency. Significant progress has been made in the council's digital services over the past two years, with great growth and innovation in the pipeline.
Nearly 20 years of management experience
From 2013, Sigurjón ran his own company specialising in web consultancy, and on that platform, he participated in the digital journey of many companies, particularly public sector organisations, where he managed large-scale projects and assisted with their digital transformation. He was involved in the design and development of the new website for the City of Hafnarfjörður in 2016, which went on to win the Icelandic Web Awards (SVEF) for Best Public Website of the Year. At the same time, Sigurjón was working as an adjunct lecturer in web communication at the University of Iceland. His management experience spans almost 20 years. Before starting his own business, Sigurjón worked as Head of Web and Internet Banking at Íslandsbanki, Web and Communications Manager at the University of Iceland, and Head of the Web Department at Kaupþing Bank.
Exceptional manager and professional leader across sectors and municipalities
Sigurjón is a unique and excellent leader who, with his composure, active listening, experience and professionalism, has led the digital implementation in a large local authority. In just over two years in the role, he has focused on listening and encouraging his people, planting important seeds, sharing responsibility and ideas, bringing together the right people and groups, and leading projects in a diverse range of areas to implementation and success. From day one, he has focused on making the council's services smarter, changing its digital presence and introducing new ways of working and mindsets through the active participation of all relevant stakeholders. At the same time, he is always ready to share new ideas, solutions and innovations with others. In this way, he has, among other things, worked purposefully to increase cooperation between municipalities in a wide range of areas.
Sigurjón's experience, vision and solution-oriented thinking have had a significant and inspiring impact on the human resources of the City of Hafnarfjörður and on the collaboration of Icelandic municipalities in this field. The vision is clear. Digital transformation and smart solutions for a large municipality that streamline services, increase the level of service, make them more cost-effective and efficient, and at the same time promote increased and welcome self-service.