“In the managing director’s office. Sveinn Guðmundsson, mechanical engineer and managing director of Héðinn, at his desk in the office on Seljavegur in 1945. The desk is a remarkable piece of craftsmanship, made by Jónas Sólmundsson, who was Héðinn’s master carpenter when fine work was required. The desk is still preserved at Héðinn. On the wall to the left one can glimpse a picture of the Akranes factory that Héðinn built. Photo: Sigurhans Vignir / Reykjavík Museum of Photography.
Sveinn Guðmundsson was managing director of Héðinn for 47 years. His wife was Helga, the daughter of Markús, the company’s founder, and Kristín Andrésdóttir.
Sveinn Guðmundsson (1912–1988) was born at Eyrarbakki, the son of the local midwife, Snjólaug Sveinsdóttir, and Guðmundur Guðmundsson, a teacher, bookseller, and bookkeeper. As a teenager he began training in turning at Héðinn and completed his apprenticeship around the age of twenty, in 1933.
With the support of Héðinn’s owners, he pursued further studies in mechanical engineering in Sweden, graduating from the Technical School in Stockholm in 1936. He sailed directly from Sweden to Seyðisfjörður, where the newly qualified engineer oversaw the construction of a new herring factory for Héðinn hf. Sveinn was considered to have performed well in the tasks entrusted to him, and the young man was not lacking in ambition. He also became personally tied to the company’s leadership, for the following year he married Helga, the daughter of managing director Markús and Kristín Andrésdóttir, who herself had long played an active role in the company’s management.
Héðinn 25 Years Old. The year is 1947, and Héðinn is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The managing directors of the then great powers of Icelandic industry meet as Sigurjón Pétursson of Álafoss, on the left, presents his colleague Sveinn Guðmundsson of Héðinn with a gift on the occasion. Photo: Sigurhans Vignir / Reykjavík Museum of Photography.
It was, in fact, Bjarni who envisioned Sveinn as managing director. When Héðinn celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1972, it was noted that Sveinn Guðmundsson had already worked at the company for 43 years. On that occasion, he recalled how one day Bjarni Þorsteinsson had come striding up to him, saying he did not expect to live long – and appointed him as the next managing director of Héðinn. Bjarni passed away in 1938, and Sveinn took over the management of the company a few semesters later.
In the years before he was appointed managing director in 1941, at the same time becoming a shareholder in Héðinn, Sveinn had overseen a wide range of projects. He was considered a bold and daring leader, to the point that many around him were often taken aback, but his decisions almost always proved beneficial to the company.
Sveinn was not only managing director and co-owner of Héðinn until his death, but also managing director of Stálsmiðjan and Járnsteypan from 1943. He served in Parliament for the Independence Party from 1965 to 1971, was on the board of the Industrial Bank from 1951 to 1970, and on the board of the Icelandic Industrial Development Institute from 1956 to 1962. He was chairman of the board of the Industrial Exhibitions Association from its founding in 1957 until 1966, and a member of the State Research Council from 1965 to 1971, in addition to various other positions of trust.
Helga Markúsdóttir inherited her cultural refinement from her family home and had a great love of art and artistic creation, from which the couple’s household greatly benefited.
And all together now! Linking arms at Skagaströnd in 1947. Sheer manpower was the only tool available, and great care had to be taken in handling the costly electric cable for the factory under construction there. Photos: Author unknown / Héðinn.
And all together now! Linking arms at Skagaströnd in 1947. Human strength alone was the tool available, and great care had to be taken in handling the costly electric cable for the factory then under construction. Photos: Author unknown / Héðinn.
And all together now! Linking arms at Skagaströnd in 1947. Human strength alone was the tool available, and great care had to be taken in handling the costly electric cable for the factory then under construction. Photos: Author unknown / Héðinn.
Blacksmith at work. The measure of a good ironworker was how skilled a blacksmith he was. Talented craftsmen in the iron industry created all kinds of remarkable work. Here is Sigurður Ingvarsson, known as Siggi of Elsmiðjan, shown both young and old at the anvil. Siggi worked at Héðinn throughout his entire career. Color photo: Kristján Magnason / National Museum of Iceland. Right-hand photo: Author unknown / Héðinn.
Blacksmith at work. The measure of a good ironworker was how skilled a blacksmith he was. Talented craftsmen in the iron industry created all kinds of remarkable work. Here is Sigurður Ingvarsson, known as Siggi of the Smithy, shown both young and old at the anvil. Siggi worked at Héðinn throughout his entire career. Color photo: Kristján Magnason / National Museum of Iceland. Right-hand photo: Author unknown / Héðinn.
Men at work. This photo was taken in February 1945 in the machine hall at Seljavegur 2. At that time, Héðinn was among the largest workplaces in the country. Visible here are Swedish Köping lathes, manufactured in 1943, which were considered outstanding machines. Photo: Sigurhans Vignir / Reykjavík Museum of Photography.
Héðinn for over 100 years
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