Nearly all staff members attended the meeting, with most gathering at the organisation’s main regional offices, where cake was served featuring an image of Þórsmörk and the new slogan of Land and Forest Iceland. The slogan going forward will be:

“Land and Forest – leading in sustainable land use.”

Over recent months, two consultants from KPMG, Sævar Kristinsson and Jóhanna Gunnþóra Guðmundsdóttir, have worked with the organisation’s leadership on the revised strategy and new structure. They presented the strategy and process, which included surveys among staff and external stakeholders, as well as insights drawn from previous organisational workshops. The future strategy places emphasis on strong human resources, efficient operations, quality services, collaboration and professional communication. The values of Land and Forest Iceland are:

KNOWLEDGE – COLLABORATION – POSITIVE IMPACT

Ágúst Sigurðsson, Director of Land and Forest Iceland, then introduced the organisational structure that will take effect at the beginning of the new year. Reporting directly to the Director will be strategic development, administration, international relations and legal affairs.

Core Departments

• Services, Advisory and Transformation. This department will bring together all advisory work and planning undertaken by the organisation in its principal areas of responsibility, including incentive and grant schemes, assessments and follow-up.

• Research, Monitoring and Performance. This department will encompass all research and development, monitoring, climate accounting and performance assessment related to sustainable land use.

• National Forests, Lands and Infrastructure. This department will oversee all national forests, land restoration areas and other state-owned land managed by Land and Forest Iceland. It will also be responsible for infrastructure such as visitor facilities in these areas, as well as seed management and the operation of machinery and equipment used on the sites.

Support Departments

• Human Resources and Communications. This department will manage HR and employment matters, including payroll, and will oversee internal and external communications.

• Operations, Finance and Digital Development. This department will be responsible for finance, digital development, land information systems, and the management of buildings and vehicles operated by Land and Forest Iceland.

The newly appointed Head of Human Resources will serve as Director of the Human Resources and Communications Department. Applications are open for the four remaining department director positions, advertised on Starfatorg, with a deadline of 11 December:

• Services, Advisory and Transformation – view advertisement

• Research, Monitoring and Performance – view advertisement

• National Forests, Lands and Infrastructure – view advertisement

• Operations, Finance and Digital Development – view advertisement

The new strategy and organisational structure of Land and Forest Iceland can be viewed in the documents below (in Icelandic):