Dr. Ásta Dís Óladóttir, a professor of business administration at the University of Iceland, has been elected Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and will take office on April 1. She succeeds Margrét Sigrún Sigurðardóttir, who is moving on to a position as Director of Teaching at the University of Iceland.
Over the past five years, Ásta Dís has led the MBA program at the University of Iceland, placing strong emphasis on connecting teaching with real-world business challenges. She also serves on the board of the innovation fund Kría.
Among her initiatives is the establishment of an internship program within the Faculty of Business Administration, now involving more than 70 companies and institutions. Hundreds of students have participated, and many have secured their dream jobs as a result. Ásta Dís has authored numerous academic articles and books in the fields of management, gender equality, and fisheries, and she leads research on equal opportunities for economic participation. In 2025, she co-founded the Research Center for Gender Equality in Economic and Working Life at the University of Iceland.
According to a statement from the University of Iceland: "the Faculty of Business Administration is staffed by a strong and experienced academic community. Teaching is grounded in solid theoretical foundations while maintaining close ties to industry. Students work on real projects for companies, participate in site visits, and engage with a wide range of practical assignments reflecting current developments in Icelandic business. Many executives and professionals from industry also take an active role in teaching, sharing their experience with students."
The faculty maintains active research collaborations with international universities and scholars, linking its research to issues of importance to industry."
In the same week that Ásta Dís was elected Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration, she was also named University Woman of the Year 2025 by the Association of University Women (I: Félag háskólakvenna).
The selection committee—Ásgerður Halldórsdóttir, Guðrún Gunnarsdóttir, and Vala Georgsdóttir—unanimously chose Ásta Dís from a strong pool of nominees. In its statement, the committee noted that Ásta Dís has demonstrated outstanding leadership and had a significant impact on strengthening the connection between academia and industry in Iceland. She has worked systematically to develop education and research, create new opportunities for students, and foster collaboration with companies and institutions.
"Over the past five years, she has led the development of the MBA program and initiated the internship program within the faculty, which now includes over 70 partner organizations. More than a hundred students have taken part in recent years, many of whom have gone on to secure jobs in their field. The committee also highlighted that Ásta Dís is a distinguished scholar and researcher. She has published extensively on management, strategy, and the development of fisheries and aquaculture. She leads research on gender equality in economic participation and decision-making in the labor market. In 2025, she founded the Research Center for Gender Equality in Economic and Working Life, aimed at increasing knowledge and promoting greater equality in the labor market."
Finally, the committee emphasized that through her work, Ásta Dís has influenced policymaking in both academia and industry and has been a strong role model for university women.
