From Vision to Action: President Halla Tómasdóttir at the Wellbeing Economy Forum 2025
- Lísbet Sigurðardóttir
- May 28
- 3 min read
In a world undergoing rapid change, leadership rooted in compassion, courage, and clarity of purpose becomes vital. At the 2025 Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík, Iceland, President Halla Tómasdóttir exemplified this very essence.
As Patron of the Forum, the President’s presence set a resonant tone for the event. In an interview with Morgunblaðið, she shared her sense of duty and vision for Iceland’s future. She expressed how honored she felt to take on the role as a Patron of the Forum, particularly during these challenging times. Rather than shying away from challenges, she embraces them as opportunities for growth and strength. She spoke about the importance of supporting young people's mental wellbeing and shared her hopes for the nation's future. Looking ahead, she proposed the idea of holding a national assembly in Iceland next year to encourage a broad public dialogue about the country's long-term direction and to give people a stronger voice in shaping the next fifty years.
„That is what the Wellbeing Economy Forum is all about. It brings together governments, professionals, people from the business community, people from the third sector and civilians who are interested in health and wellbeing in the big picture and wonder if the economy we live in, and which has brought us prosperity, is still bringing us wellbeing. We see many signs that this is not the case, but mental health is constantly deteriorating, loneliness is increasing, and we see that young and old people are not feeling well.“
Read the full article in Morgunblaðið (www.mbl.is), „Við getum verið ljós fyrir aðrar þjóðir (We can be light for other nations)“
A Heart-to-Heart Opening
At the Forum’s high-level opening session, President Halla Tómasdóttir joined Sandrine Dixson-Declève for a powerful dialogue titled “Inner Wisdom in Governance and Leadership: Acting with Courage and Compassion.” The session, held in collaboration with the Spirit of Humanity Forum, was both grounding and inspiring.The President spoke from a deeply personal and visionary space, one that emphasised authenticity, connection, and shared humanity.
The atmosphere shifted even more profoundly during the following segment with Sister Jayanti, leader of Brahma Kumaris, whose heartfelt wisdom brought the President to tears. It was a moment of deep vulnerability and resonance, a reminder that inner wellbeing is a cornerstone of societal transformation.
The First Wellbeing Award Announced
The final chapter of the opening session marked a historic milestone: the presentation of the very first Wellbeing Award. President Halla Tómasdóttir presented the award to the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership (WEGo). Gary Gillespie, Director and Chief Economic Adviser of the Scottish Government, accepted the award on behalf of WEGo.
This moment celebrated WEGo’s groundbreaking work in placing wellbeing at the heart of economic policymaking, showing how shared learning, bold policy choices, and intergovernmental cooperation can shift paradigms.
WEGois a collaboration of national and regional governments committed to exchanging knowledge and transferable policy practices to advance their shared ambition of building Wellbeing Economies. Since its launch in 2018, the partnership has grown and now includes the governments of Scotland, Iceland, New Zealand, Wales and Finland, with Canada actively participating.
A Patron of Possibilities
President Halla Tómasdóttir’s role in the 2025 Wellbeing Economy Forum was not only symbolic, it was catalytic. In her leadership, we see a living example of what the Wellbeing Economy stands for: a world where people and planet matter more than profit, and where courage is matched by compassion.
As the Wellbeing Economy movement grows, may this Forum continue to inspire bold action across borders.
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