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Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir

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Lilja Alfreðsdóttir
Official portrait, 2021
Minister of Tourism, Trade and Culture
In office
28 November 2021 – 21 December 2024
Prime MinisterKatrín Jakobsdóttir
Bjarni Benediktsson
Preceded byÞórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadóttir
(Tourism, Industry, and Innovation)
Succeeded byLogi Már Einarsson
(Culture, Innovation and Universities)
Hanna Katrín Friðriksson
(Industries)
Minister of Education, Science and Culture
In office
30 November 2017 – 28 November 2021
Prime MinisterKatrín Jakobsdóttir
Preceded byKristján Þór Júlíusson
Succeeded byÁsmundur Einar Daðason
(Education and Children's Affairs)
Deputy Chair of the Progressive Party
Assumed office
2 October 2016
LeaderSigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Preceded bySigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
7 April 2016 – 11 January 2017
Prime MinisterSigurður Ingi Jóhannsson
Preceded byGunnar Bragi Sveinsson
Succeeded byGuðlaugur Þór Þórðarson
Member of the Althing
Assumed office
29 October 2016
Personal details
Born (1973-10-04) 4 October 1973 (age 51)
Reykjavík, Iceland
Political partyProgressive
SpouseMagnús Óskar Hafsteinsson
Children2

Lilja Dögg Alfreðsdóttir (born 4 October 1973) is an Icelandic politician and lawmaker who has served as the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Culture from November 2021 to December 2024.[1] As a member of the Althing (Iceland's parliament) for the Reykjavík South constituency since 2016, she previously served as the Minister of Education, Science and Culture from 2017 to 2021 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017.[2] During his time as Minister of Education, polling showed her as the minister with the most favorability at nearly 68%.[3]

Career

[edit]

Alfreðsdóttir was born on 4 October 1973 in Reykjavík.[4] She is the daughter of politician Alfred Þorsteinsson, a longtime member of the Progressive Party and city councillor, and Guðný Kristjánsdóttir.[4] From 2013 to 2014 she was the president of the student association, Framtíðin, of her secondary school Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík.[5] In 1998 she graduated with her bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Iceland, and then for a year she did exchange studies in macroeconomics and philosophy at the University of Minnesota.[1] In 2001 she graduated with her master's degree in international economics from Columbia University.[1] Lilja has worked for the International Monetary Fund, the Icelandic Central Bank and was an economic advisor to Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson during his time as prime minister.[6]

Lilja was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Sigurður Ingi Jóhannson's cabinet from 2016 to 2017, and has been the deputy chairperson of the Progressive Party since 2016.[1]

She has criticised Disney for having too few films and programmes with Icelandic subtitles or dubbed in Icelandic.[7] In 2021, she wrote to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., asking him to help maintain Icelandic as a language by including it in the voice, text and language collection in their operating systems.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Lilja Alfreðsdóttir". Alþingi (in Icelandic). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Sex karlar og fimm konur". RÚV. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Þrjár konur vinsælustu ráðherrarnir á Íslandi". Kjarninn (in Icelandic). 27 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Hver er Lilja Alfreðsdóttir?". DV (in Icelandic). 7 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Forsetar Framtíðarinnar". Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík (in Icelandic). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  6. ^ "Who is Iceland's new top diplomat?". Iceland Monitor. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Small languages need big language's help to reach IT giants – Nordic Labour Journal".
Political offices
Preceded by Minister for Foreign Affairs
2016–2017
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Education, Science and Culture
2017–
Incumbent