Mr Árni M. Mathiesen has been Assistant Director-General (ADG) of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO since 2010. Before this, Mathiesen served as the Minister of Finance of Iceland from 2005 to 2009. He also served as the Minister of Fisheries of Iceland from 1999 to 2005. Prior to this, Mathiesen severed as an Icelandic representative on the Nordic Council (1991-1995), a Board member of the Agricultural Bank of Iceland and of the Agricultural Loan Fund; and a Board member of the Guarantee Division of Aquaculture Loans (1994-1998).

Mr Mathiesen graduated from Flensborgarskóli in Hafnarfjörður with a university entrance diploma in 1978 and obtained a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery degree from the University of Edinburgh, U.K., qualifying as a veterinarian in 1983. He was awarded a Master of Science in Aquatic Veterinary Pathology from the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, U.K. in 1985. After completing his studies, he worked as a veterinarian, specializing in fish diseases from 1985 to 1995. Mr Mathiesen was a member of the Icelandic Parliament “the Althing”, from 1991 to 2009. 

Kristine is Executive Vice President for Transformation in Aker BioMarine, a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company. She is responsible for increasing Aker BioMarine’s transparency, connecting the day-to-day operations with the company’s strategy and transforming the business to meet increasing expectations from customers, employees and other stakeholders. Prior to joining Aker BioMarine, Kristine held several senior consulting positions at PriceaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Accenture. Kristine has a Master’s degree in Naval Architecture from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and University of New Orleans.