Landsvirkjun chair rejects Hörður’s account of board meetings

Landsvirkjun board chair Brynja Baldursdóttir has denied that chief executive Hörður Arnason was told to leave board meetings when operational matters were discussed, or that he was not invited to meetings, mbl.is reported Monday.

Hörður made those claims on the radio programme Sprengisandur over the weekend. Asked whether he was lying, Brynja said she did not know what he was referring to. She said his knowledge and insight into Landsvirkjun were valuable and that the board had worked well with him.

Brynja said the board discussed the company’s operations and strategy with Hörður present. The exception was matters concerning the chief executive himself, which the board could discuss in his absence at formal meetings, as required by law.

She also said lunches attended by board members without Hörður were held before monthly meetings to plan the agenda and allocate time to each item. They took place at Landsvirkjun’s offices, in either the cafeteria or a meeting room, about half an hour before the board meeting. Hörður knew about them, she said, but attendance was not required.

The board generally met once a month for four hours, and the material for each meeting could run to hundreds of pages, Brynja said. Operational matters were discussed at the board meeting itself.

Asked whether she had spoken with the finance minister after Hörður announced his departure, Brynja said the board met with the minister the following week but had not met with him since.