Eighteen exemplary companies recognised for good governance

18 Icelandic companies were awarded the title of Exemplary Company in Good Governance for 2025–2026 at a ceremonial event at Nauthóll today. The awards are presented by Stjórnvísi, Viðskiptaráð Íslands (the Iceland Chamber of Commerce), Samtök atvinnulífsins (the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise) and Nasdaq Iceland.

The companies recognised this year are: Alvotech, Arion banki, Bera, Drangar, Eik fasteignafélag, Heimar, Icelandair Group, Íslandssjóðir, Kvika banki, Orkan IS, Reiknistofa bankanna, Reitir fasteignafélag, Sjóvá, Skagi, Stefnir, Styrkás, VÍS and Vörður tryggingar. Three of the companies are receiving the title for the first time: Bera, Drangar and Styrkás.

The aim of the project is to strengthen trust in the business community and reinforce companies' foundations by encouraging a clear division of authority and responsibility between boards and management. Adherence to good governance practices promotes more professional decision-making, more responsible operations and a better communication culture within companies. This makes board work both more effective and more trustworthy in the eyes of the public. Part of this effort is the publication, and regular updating, of guidelines on corporate governance, which can be found at www.leidbeiningar.is.

The 18 exemplary companies are highly diverse, spanning financial and insurance services, real estate companies, pharmaceutical manufacturing, tourism, information technology, asset management, industry, and fuel and energy sales. All the companies are considered well deserving of the title, as their boards' working practices are well organised and their board operations exemplary.

Jón Hreiðar Sigurðsson, project manager of Fyrirmyndarfyrirtæki (Exemplary Companies), gave introductory remarks on the project, and Marta Guðrún Blöndal, lawyer and committee member of the committee on corporate governance, gave a talk. The awards were presented by Bjarni Benediktsson, managing director of Samtök atvinnulífsins (the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise). The moderator was Björn Brynjúlfur Björnsson, managing director of Viðskiptaráð Íslands (the Iceland Chamber of Commerce).

This article was automatically translated from the Icelandic original.