Kristina Háfoss is a Faroese economist, lawyer, politician and former national swimmer for the Faroe Islands. She was minister of finance of the Faroe Islands from 2015-2019.
Background
She lived in Copenhagen the first four years of her life, because her parents lived there while her father was studying there and her mother was working there. Both her parents were Faroese. After that she grew up in the Faroe Islands, mostly in Argir, which today has grown together with Tórshavn. She is the daughter of John P. Danielsen from Klaksvík and Anna Helena Danielsen from Tórshavn. Her grandfather on her mother's side was Louis Zachariasen from Kirkja on the small islandFugloy. He was a teacher but stopped teaching when he could not teach the children in the Faroese language. He was a politician for the Home Rule Party. Háfoss was a competition swimmer when she was a child and teenager, she swam for the local club in Tórshavn, Havnar Svimjifelag and for the Faroe Islands. The swimming brought her together with another Faroese swimmer, Annika Olsen, who also became a politician later, they became friends at a young age and both were swimming for the Faroe Islands national team. After stopping her swimming career while attending high school in Hoydalar, she began playing volleyball on club level. Háfoss has degrees as Candidate of Law from 2002 and economics from 2003, both degrees taken from the University of Copenhagen. Háfoss was employed by the DanishMinistry of Foreign Affairs 1998–1999, by the Ministry of Finance 1999–2000 and by the Prime Ministers Office in the Faroe Islands in the summer periods of 1999 and 2000. She was economical advisor under the work of økonomisk rådgiver under udarbejdelsen af Action Plan for the outlying islands of the Faroes 2000–2001, she worked as an economist in the Landsbanki Føroya 2004–2005 and samt Project Manager and og investment advisor in Føroya Banki in 2006. Since 2007 she has been Head of Department at The Faroe Insurance Company.
Political career
Háfoss was deputy president of the næstformand i the Voters Union of Suðurstreymoyar Tjóðveldisfelag 2001–2002. She was elected to the Løgting from Southstreymoy 2002–2004, she was member of Republic's Tjóðveldisflokkurins working committee 2004–2005. In February 2008 she became Minister of culture in the second cabinet of Jóannes Eidesgaard, but withdraw from the position due to personal reasons a half year later. On 29 October 2011 she was again elected to the Faroese parliament with 451 personal votes which was second most on the Tjóðveldi list, next after Høgni Hoydal.
