Árni M. Mathiesen is an Iceland

Iceland

Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

ic politician. From September 2005 through 31 January 2009, he was Minister of Finance in Iceland. From 1999–2005 he was Minister of Fisheries. Mathiesen was first elected to the Althing

Althing

The Alþingi, anglicised variously as Althing or Althingi, is the national parliament of Iceland. The Althingi is the oldest parliamentary institution in the world still extant...

 (Iceland's parliament) for the Independence Party

Independence Party (Iceland)

The Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. Liberal conservative and Eurosceptic, it is the second-largest party in the Althing, with sixteen seats. The chairman of the party is Bjarni Benediktsson and vice chairman is Ólöf Nordal....

 in 1991, when he was the youngest member of the Althing at the age of 33.

Mathiesen graduated from Flensborgarskóli in Hafnarfjörður

Hafnarfjörður

Hafnarfjörður is a port town and municipality located on the south-west coast of Iceland, about 10 km south of Reykjavík....

 with a university entrance diploma in 1978. He studied veterinary medicine

Veterinary medicine

Veterinary Medicine is the branch of science that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, disorder and injury in non-human animals...

 at the University of Edinburgh

University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

, qualifying as veterinarian in 1983. He studied fish pathology

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

 at the University of Stirling

University of Stirling

The University of Stirling is a campus university founded by Royal charter in 1967, on the Airthrey Estate in Stirling, Scotland.-History and campus development:...

 and in 1985 was awarded the MSc in Aquatic Veterinary Science.

After completing his studies, he worked as veterinarian

Veterinarian

A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....

 in various areas of Iceland, and served as veterinary officer for fish diseases 1985–1995. Mathiesen was also the managing director of the aquaculture

Aquaculture

Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...

 firm Faxalax hf. 1988–1989.

Árni M. Mathiesen was chairman of the Flensborgarskóli student association 1977–78, president of Stefnir, the association of young conservatives in Hafnarfjörður 1986–88, and vice-president of SUS, the association of young conservatives in Iceland 1985–87. He was a member of the Board of the Guarantee Division of Aquaculture Loans 1990–94, of the Board of the Icelandic Veterinary Association 1986–87, and was on the Salary Council of the Confederation of University Graduates 1985–87. He was chairman of the team handball

Team handball

Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...

 division of his local FH club 1988–90 and was a member of the Flensborgarskóli school board from 1990–1999. Mathiesen was an Icelandic representative on the Nordic Council

Nordic Council

The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...

 1991–95; he has been a member of the Board of Búnaðarbanki Íslands and of the Agricultural Loan Fund and the chairman of the Council of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Mathiesen was also a member of the EFTA

EFTA

EFTA may refer to:* European Family Therapy Association, an NGO.* European Fair Trade Association, an association of eleven Fair Trade importers in nine European countries....

/EEA

European Economic Area

The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...

parliamentarians' committee from 1995–99.