Rúnar Leifsson (born 1978) is interim Director General of the Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland (Minjastofnun Íslands). The Agency is a government entity that  operates under the authority of the Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate and is responsible for administrating the protection of Iceland’s cultural heritage, both archaeological and architectural. Rúnar Leifsson holds a PhD in Archaeology from the University of Iceland and a MSc from the University of York in England. He
has worked with cultural heritage for over two decades, both domestically and internationally, doing research, in heritage management, lecturing and later in public administration and policy making.

Prior to accepting the office of Director General of the Cultural Heritage Agency, Rúnar Leifsson was Senior Adviser at the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and later at the Ministry of Culture and Business Affairs. He was also Iceland’s focal point for UNESCO’s Cultural Conventions from 1954, 1970, 1972 and 2003 and served on several boards and committees on behalf of the Government.