Ólafur Garðarsson

1983-1984  Operations Manager at Habitat while studying
1984-1985  Associate at Gísli Baldur Garðarsson, Attorney at Law
1994-2002  Co-owner of Lögmenn Seltjarnarnes, first with the late Jóhann Pétur Sveinsson, and later with Jóhannes Albert Sævarsson
2002- Partner at Law Firm of Reykjavik
2003–2009 Chairman of the Telecommunications and Postal Affairs Complaints Committee
2004–2025 Member of the Board of the Data Protection Authority, serving as Chairman in recent years

Has served on the boards of numerous companies for decades alongside legal practice.

1979  High School Graduate from the Iceland University of Business
1984  Degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Iceland
1986  Litigation Rights for District Court
1992  Litigation Rights for the Supreme Court of Iceland
1997  Rights to work as a FIFA Player Agent

“I have always been interested in business no less than in law, and I was fortunate, shortly after graduating from the Faculty of Law, to work for Danól ehf. The company was doing well and was strong, purchasing almost two to three companies every year until it bought Ölgerðin. This was a great and valuable experience for me, and in the following years corporate law became a prominent part of my work. After that, I worked for many strong companies such as the Þýsk – íslenska ehf., the city of Seltjarnarnes, Vinnslustöðin, DHL, the travel agency Útsýn, and others. I also handled a large number of court cases, both civil and criminal.

In 1997, I obtained a license to represent football players and transfer them between teams. Thus, I became a FIFA agent. I initially thought of this as a side activity, but after a few years this work had grown so much that legal work had become a small part of my occupation — and it still is. Nevertheless, I always take on general legal work and handle both civil and criminal cases.

Shortly after the banking collapse in the autumn of 2008, I was appointed by the Reykjavik District Court as administrator of Kaupthing hf. during its moratorium and later as a member of its winding-up committee. I held that position for about two years. It was a time-consuming and immensely instructive job, although one hopes never to have to use that experience again anytime soon!”