Ásgeir Baldurs has led Arctic Adventures, Iceland's largest adventure tour operator, since May 2023. He came to the role with more than two decades of senior leadership experience in insurance, investment banking, and capital management, paired with a lifelong connection to Iceland's nature.
Today, he leads a team of more than 400 people of 38 nationalities across glacier hiking, whale watching, snorkeling, and day and multi-day tours. The company also operates distinctive destinations, including Kerið crater, Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon, the Lava Tunnel, Into the Glacier, and the Wilderness Center, along with multiple Adventure Hotels. His focus is straightforward: putting expert guides and specialists to work making Icelandic nature accessible to guests, safely and with care.
Before joining Arctic Adventures, Ásgeir spent eight years at VÍS, ultimately as its chief executive. Previously, he held senior roles in Icelandic finance and capital markets at Kvika Bank, GAMMA Capital Management, and TM. He has also served on the board of Icelandair and chaired the boards of Frumherji in Iceland and Viking Redningstjeneste in Norway. He holds an MBA from the University of Iceland and a bachelor's degree in business administration from Johnson & Wales University.
His tourism roots go back much further. In his twenties, he worked in marketing and retail in Húsavík, Mývatnssveit, Laugar, and Fosshóll, where part of the job was welcoming travelers and making sure they left satisfied. The return came in 2023, when Lárus Welding of Stoðir, the investment firm that had just become a major shareholder in Arctic Adventures, asked him to lead the company. The fit was immediate: the role brought his career together with the outdoor pursuits he had enjoyed throughout his life.
Ásgeir was born and raised in Kópavogur, where he played for Breiðablik in the Icelandic Premier League and later chaired the club's main board from 2022 to 2026. A lifetime of travel has taken him from glaciers and highlands to remote coastlines, and that connection to Iceland's nature and culture directly shapes how he thinks about the business. He believes responsible tourism, done well, deepens people's relationship with the natural world rather than diminishing it.
Adventure is our business, but the way we treat each other and this land is our legacy.
My family comes from farming stock in the north of the country. I like to say that makes me genetically built for Icelandic conditions.
The South Coast and the Lake Mývatn area pull me back every time. The Fjallabak highlands are where I disconnect.
