Class VII (2009-2010)

Sponsor Club: Reykjavík-Breiðholt, Iceland, District 1360

Fanney comes from an island of active volcanoes, as many people in the world realised this year. Aside from having lived in her home country, Iceland, for most of her life, she has also worked and studied in countries like Norway, Austria, USA, Greenland, Finland and China. Fanney worked for the Icelandic Red Cross for five years as a managing director of the organisation’s second largest branch in Iceland. While working for the Red Cross, she organized various volunteer projects that were of benefit to people in need in Iceland as well as around the world. Fanney has also been an active volunteer for the Icelandic Red Cross and had the opportunity to manage a project with a branch of the Red Cross in Mozambique.

While working for the Red Cross, Fanney became interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and established partnerships with the private sector in order to inspire companies to participate in social development. Fanney also witnessed the importance and relevance of CSR when she worked at the Icelandic Embassy in Beijing, particularly when the embassy facilitated the investment of Icelandic companies in China and when she edited a report for the embassy regarding human rights issues in China. Fanney continued her focus on CSR while working for Capacent, an Icelandic company that provides business consultancy, recruiting, and market and social research. As a part of her Rotary Peace Fellowship, Fanney completed an internship at the UN Global Compact, located at the UN headquarters in New York. The department focuses on CSR by involving the private sector in the goals of the UN. While working for Global Compact, Fanney was involved in various projects, including developing the role of private companies in peacebuilding.

Fanney is determined to continue working to improve the quality of life for oppressed and marginalized populations through contributing to projects that involve various stakeholders including the public, governmental institutions and the private sector. Fanney is extremely thankful for her time as a Rotary Peace Fellow and believes it has provided her with precious knowledge and experience that she will carry with her on the path working towards peace.