You are here for a reason - Halla Tómasdóttir

Halla Tómasdóttir

TED: Tell us who you are.
Halla Tómasdóttir: I think of myself first and foremost as a change catalyst who is passionate about good leadership and a gender-balanced world. My leadership career started in corporate America with Mars and Pepsi Cola, but since then I have served as an entrepreneur, educator, investor, board director, business leader and presidential candidate. I am married, a proud mother of two teenagers and a dog and am perhaps best described by the title given to me by the New Yorker: “A Living Emoji of Sincerity.”

TED: What’s a bold move you’ve made in your career?
HT: I left a high-profile position as the first female CEO of the Iceland Chamber of Commerce to become an entrepreneur with the vision to incorporate feminine values into finance. I felt the urge to show a different way in a sector that felt unsustainable to me, and I longed to work in line with my own values.

TED: Tell us about a woman who inspires you.
HT: The women of Iceland inspired me at an early age, when they showed incredible courage, solidarity and sisterhood and “took the day off” (went on a strike) and literally brought the country to its knees — as nothing worked when women didn’t do any work. Five years later, Iceland was the first country in the world to democratically elect a woman as president. I was 11 years old at the time, and her leadership has inspired me ever since. Her clarity on what she cares about and her humble way of serving those causes is truly remarkable.

TED: If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 18-year-old self?
HT: I would say: Halla, just be you and know that you are enough. People will frequently tell you things like: “This is the way we do things around here.” Don’t ever take that as a valid answer if it doesn’t feel right to you. We are not here to continue to do more of the same if it doesn’t work or feel right anymore. We are here to grow, ourselves and our society. You are here for a reason: make your life and leadership matter.