Hörður says Landsvirkjun kept him from board meetings

Former Landsvirkjun chief executive Hörður Arnarson says he was not invited to board meetings and was asked to leave discussions about the company’s operations, mbl.is reported, citing his interview on Bylgjan’s Sprengisandur programme.

Arnarson left the company earlier this month after 17 years. He told Sprengisandur that he believed he had done good work and achieved good results in building trust. In an earlier interview with RÚV’s Kastljós programme, he said the disagreement behind his departure partly stemmed from a lack of authority and trust in him.

Arnarson said the process between him and the board had changed. He said meetings had been held without inviting him, contrary to legal requirements, and that he had been prevented from presenting his case. He was also asked to leave while the company’s operations were discussed, which he said was unprecedented in Landsvirkjun’s history.

He also said he had sought a meeting with the finance ministry to discuss important matters, but the ministry had declined. Conflicts had arisen during his career, he said, including with board members and eight finance ministers. He said disagreements had previously been resolved within one or two meetings, with full support for the strategy he had set for the company.