Biography

Image via ellafestival.com

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir served as Prime Minister of Iceland from 2009-2013 and was the world’s first, openly gay Prime minister. 

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir was born on October 4th, 1942, in Reykjavík, Iceland. She studied at the Commercial College of Iceland and graduated with a degree in 1960 (the Commercial College of Iceland is the equivalent of a vocational high school).

In 1962, Jóhanna became a stewardess for Loftleiðir Icelandic airlines and remained one until 1971. Her political life began while working as a stewardess through the unions. She was a very active unionist, “twice serving as chairman of the board of the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association (1966, 1969).”

Despite having worked extensively for various airline unions, Jóhanna’s professional political career is said to have begun in 1978, when she was elected into the Althingi (the Icelandic Parliament) representing the Reykjavík constituency. While in the Althingi, Jóhanna “been Deputy Speaker (1979, 1983-1984 and 2003-2007), and she has served on many committees ranging from Foreign Affairs and Constitutional Affairs to Economy/Trade and Social Affairs.” She has also been the Minister of Social Affairs twice, from 1987 to 1994, and also from 2007 to 2009. Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is Iceland’s longest serving member of Parliament and has been listed among Forbes’ 100 most powerful women in the world. 

In 2017, she released a biography entitled Minn tími ("My Time").