Decrease font Decrease font
Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
Enlarge font Enlarge font
Solrun Halldorsdottir, Alumni, Executive MBA - Europe

Solrun Halldorsdottir '08, Iceland
As a mother, professional and artist, Solrun Halldorsdottir has always worn many hats. Though she was accepted to Icelandic University’s School of Visual Art in Reykjavík, she opted instead to enroll in Thunderbird's Executive MBA. And she's glad she did.


Solrun Halldorsdottir '08

It’s not enough that Icelander Solrun Halldorsdottir ’08 has a demanding full-time job that has her racing against a staffing crunch. She’s also a wife and mother of two, as well as an artist.

“I have a small studio at home and whenever I have the time, or if I need peace of mind, I can take up my brushes and paint,” says Halldorsdottir. She was accepted to Icelandic University’s School of Visual Art in Reykjavík, but opted, instead, to focus on her business skills by pursuing Thunderbird's Executive MBA - a which she completed in 2008.

Paintbrushes might be the last thing you expect from a professional who spent five years as an economist for Iceland’s Consumer Union and another eight years as a reinsurance and aviation manager for an Icelandic insurance company. But art, she says, is a passion that she’s taking the time to pursue, along with her love of business.

Since graduating from Copenhagen Business School with a degree in economics in 1991, Halldorsdottir has been immersed in the global business setting, working in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and Iceland – and with countries across the globe. “In today’s business environment, every business is international,” she says. “If you want to succeed, you have to be able and willing to work in a global environment.”

And willing, she is. A thirst to keep current with international affairs and further sharpen her global business skills led the 43-year-old general manager for VBV to Thunderbird - and the benefits of her degree were almost immediate.

“Everyone is fighting for the available engineers currently working in Iceland,” says Halldorsdottir, including her own. To achieve company growth, VBV turned to Halldorsdottir for guidance.

“We’re considering outsourcing and opening an office abroad,” says Halldorsdottir, who, on any given day, could also be managing people and projects, negotiating contracts, or completing finance and planning tasks. “Currently we are in negotiation with a firm in Mexico.” She is confident that this outsourcing model will prove profitable.

“This is where an international MBA becomes very practical – learning how to manage projects, and how to understand different cultures,” says the multilingual who speaks English, Danish, Icelandic and Swedish.