Kristín Þórðardóttir appointed to lead Iceland’s unified district office

Kristín Þórðardóttir has been appointed to a new district commissioner position and took up the role on Friday, mbl.is reports.

The position was advertised in late March and attracted seven applicants. A special qualification committee assessed the candidates, after which the minister and permanent secretary interviewed the two deemed best qualified, according to the Ministry of Justice.

Þórðardóttir has served as district commissioner in South Iceland for the past nine years and has also served as acting district commissioner in the Westman Islands, most recently since 2023. She has chaired the Council of District Commissioners since 2018.

She completed a law degree at the University of Iceland in 2006 and a management programme at the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in 2025. She has also studied management through the University of Iceland’s continuing education programme and the Open University.

Nine offices to become one

Parliament approved the justice minister’s bill on a unified district commissioner’s office in February. Under the legislation, Iceland’s nine existing district commissioner offices will be merged into one office from 1 January 2027, with the country becoming a single district and workplaces remaining across the country.

Þórðardóttir will work with the ministry on preparing and implementing the merger, which the ministry describes as a significant change to Iceland’s public administration.

“State services should not depend on a postcode. With one strong office, we will ensure more equal and better services for the public, better use of funds and stronger administration across the country. We are reducing the number of state institutions by 5 percent while building a stronger district commissioner’s office for the whole country,” Justice Minister Þorbjörg S. Gunnlaugsdóttir said in the announcement.

The new office’s workplaces will remain unchanged during the merger, and employees will transfer to the new organisation. No extensive changes are planned to the existing structure or range of services. The aim is to ensure more equal access to basic services throughout the country while strengthening cooperation and specialisation.

The Ministry of Justice has carried out extensive preparations since the legislation was approved. The district commissioner offices currently have 255 full-time positions across 27 workplaces nationwide.

A project manager has overseen the preparations at the ministry. A steering committee, a human resources committee and working groups with staff representatives have also conducted analyses and prepared proposals for the new office.

The results of this work will be presented to the new district commissioner and will form an important basis for shaping and organising the new office.