Ambassador

CURRICULUM VITAE

Mr. Tomas Ingi OLRICH

Mr. Olrich was born in Akureyri in 1943. He studied French and history at the University of Iceland from 1963 to 1964. In 1967 he obtained an Arts degree and in 1970 a Master’s from the University of Montpellier.

From 1970 to 1991, he taught at Akureyri school, where he was also Deputy Headmaster from 1973 to 1983.

From 1991 until 2004, Mr. Olrich was the Independence Party Member of Parliament for North Eastern Iceland, and was also a member of the Parliamentary committees for industry (1991-1995); education (1991-2001); the environment (1991-1999); foreign affairs (1995, and chairman since 1997); the Arctic region (since 1999), health and social security (since 1999) and the budget (since 2001).  From 1994 to 1996, he was also a member of the ad hoc Committee for the Constitution.

From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Olrich was Minister of Education, Culture and Science.

Mr. Olrich has also been on various committees and councils of the city of Akureyri, was a member of the Icelandic Research Council from 1991 to 1993 and Deputy Director of Iceland’s Tourist Board from 1993 to 1999 and Director since 1999.  He was also Head of the Icelandic Section of the OSCE Assembly from 1993 to 1995 and, since 1995, has been Iceland’s delegate to the Congress of the Council of Europe and President of the Icelandic Section of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.