Wiktoria Joanna Ginter
Chair
Wiktoria Joanna Ginter is originally from Poland. Came to Iceland in 2007 for 3 months… and never left.
She has worked various jobs throughout her years: cleaning service, hotel, bar, restaurant, music venue, radio host, music journalist, band manager, event organizer, worked in grassroots of a political party and has been cooperating with ASÍ as an advisor on immigrant issues on the labor market since 2020.
She is an activist and regularly fights for equity, equality and proper integration of people of foreign origin and their children into Icelandic society.
She is a mother and a wife and an active member of the local community.
Contact: wiktoria@womeniniceland.is
Grace Achieng
Vice-chair
Grace Achieng was born in Kenya and moved to Iceland in 2010. She is a student at the University of Iceland taking B.A in Icelandic as a second language. She is also the Founder and CEO of Gracelandic ehf, a slow fashion brand that dedicates itself to creating timeless, elegant and versatile pieces to the empowered woman. Gracelandic is a tangible representation of her personal and career journey, she sees fashion as a way of amplifying the beauty and power women already possess within, and wants to connect the dots between looking good, feeling good and doing good in the world.
She was voted in on the board of W.O.M.E.N in Iceland in the year 2022 and hopes to re-define diversity and inclusion in society.
Contact: grace@womeniniceland.is
Dumitrița Simion
Secretary
Dumitriţa is from Romania and has an education in Psychology, with 14 years experience in the field of mental health. For the last 4 years, she has been living in Iceland and managed European projects in the organization Hugarafl, as well as offered coaching and workshops on mental health topics. Currently she works as a freelancer in European projects and a life coach.
As a board member of W.O.M.E.N. she wants to raise awareness about mental health challenges, to strengthen the mental wellbeing and advocate for better access of immigrant women to mental health services. She is also dedicated to projects that create a sense of belonging and community and develop skills for women of foreign origins living in Iceland.
Contact: dumitrita@womeniniceland.is
Marion Poilvez
Treasurer
Marion works as a hotel receptionist and is a PhD student at the University of Iceland.
She is also on the board of IWW Ísland supporting and informing workers of foreign origin about their rights on the labor market and how to deal with issues in the workplace.
She is passionate about education and learning, and created Kvennaborðið in 2022, a safe space where women of foreign origin can give their opinion on current issues and gain confidence in speaking Icelandic.
Contact: marion@womeniniceland.is
Maru E. Alemán
Board member
Maru Aleman, who is originally from Panama, has lived in Iceland for 15 years.
Currently she works at a chain of hotels as the head of Revenue managament. She is an active member of the Icelandic society and thrives on helping others. At the moment she is a part of Garðabær municipality in the pre-school committee and VP of the Swiss alumni association in Iceland among other things.
Her passion is to be able to better the lives of her fellow immigrants in Iceland and women in society overall. She runs her own consulting for women entrepreneurs when time allows and has extreme interest in helping other women in Iceland on different levels. She wants to develop more structure and communication tools in order to give more opportunities to foreign women as well as access to information and documentation. Maru wants to give foreign women voices and a path for personal and professional growth.
Contact: maru@womeniniceland.is
Agnieszka Sokolowska
Board member
A woman of foreign origin and a mother. A librarian by education, a translator by occupation and a social activist by heart. Gets things done.
Contact: agnieszka@womeniniceland.is
Christina Milcher
Board member
I am a physiotherapist and have lived in Iceland since 2001.
I have for the last ten years worked with many immigrant organisations, especially Andrými and the IWW. Working for these organisations I have done peer support, especially concerning questions about rights for immigrant workers. I also have a lot of experiences with the administrative side of running NGOs. I have been the treasurer of the IWW; have organised workshops on registering as an NGO in Iceland, have managed and given workshops on grants in Iceland and much more. I would like to bring my expertise in peer consulting and administration of NGOs to WOMEN.
As a physiotherapist I have seen how foreign women are often at a disadvantage in the health care system and I would like to start a working group on this issue in WOMEN.
Contact: christina@womeniniceland.is