In a press release sent to the media last night, Birna Einarsdóttir announced her decision to step down as the CEO of Íslandsbanki. Birna’s resignation comes on the heels of Íslandsbanki agreeing to pay a fine of ISK 1.2 billion [$8.8 million, €8.1 million] due to “serious and systematic violations” during the sale of the state’s 22.5% stake in the bank in March last year, RÚV reports.
Shouldering responsibility
In a press release sent to the media at 4 AM tonight, Birna Einarsdóttir, CEO of Íslandsbanki, announced her decision to step down. The decision was made with “the bank’s interests in mind” and in order “for peace to be attained following Íslandsbanki’s agreement with the Financial Supervisory Authority of the Central Bank (FME).”
The resignation, Birna states, is her way of shouldering responsibility for her role in the affair. “The discussion has been unsparing and various politicians have frequently called for my resignation; I wish them well in their work,” Birna stated.
While reluctant to leave Íslandsbanki, she highlighted her long-standing commitment to the bank throughout her career, emphasising that the settlement with the Financial Supervisory Authority only pertains to a single project and the rest of her tenure has been successful.
“Under my management, the bank’s equity has increased by almost ISK 150 billion [$1.1 billion, €1.1 billion], and more than 110 billion [$810 million, €740 million] have been paid in dividends to shareholders,” Birna stated.
In her concluding remarks, Birna expressed a bittersweet farewell to the bank. She extended well wishes to her colleagues and expressed her hope that her decision to step aside would foster a sense of peace within the company and among the individuals she holds dear.
Jón Guðni Ómarsson will succeed Birna as the CEO of Íslandsbanki.
Birna’s full statement was posted on Vísir this morning.
