Vigdis Finnbogadottir
Leader and educator. The first woman in history to be elected constitutional head of a state, in her period of office President Finnbogadóttir of Iceland has devoted herself to the cultivation of the identity and integrity of the nation: its language, its individual and distinctive culture, its youth, its very soil. She takes great interest in the children and youth of Iceland, in particular as regards education. She is a founding member and patron of the "Save the Children" Association in Iceland, and has been awarded several honorary doctorates. Due to her intense love for the theatre, Vigdis Finnbogadóttir was appointed Director of the Reykjavík Theatre Company, a post she has held for eight years, giving particular encouragement to Icelandic playwrights.