Leadership
We're an award-winning multidisciplinary team based in Reykjavík with a passion for creating innovative security solutions. We work with businesses and people to create a safer world.
Halli is the Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder at Varist. Halli brings over two decades of experience in business growth, leadership, and bringing innovative products to market across the world. Before taking up the CEO role at Varist, Halli served as the VP of Anti-Malware at Cyren, where he led all aspects of Cyren’s anti-malware product line. Before Cyren, he served in various senior roles, including VP of Software Engineering and Head of ITO, at Genuity Science, a leading biotech firm. Earlier, Halli was the product manager for various products at Adobe Systems during its shift to a SaaS model, and founder and CEO of Doc2PDF Ltd, a leading document management service, culminating in its acquisition in 2013.
Halli earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Lund University and holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh.
Finnbogi is a skilled cybersecurity professional with 25 years of experience in Anti-Malware technologies and related products. As co-founder and CTO of Varist, Finnbogi represents our terrific team and the technologies we develop to protect billions of users from malware and phishing.
Ragnar is the Chief Data Officer and a co-founder of Varist; he has over 25 years of background in developing AV solutions and over 15 years of leading lean and effective teams. His expertise centers around building AV backends and frameworks, requiring knowledge of big data, heuristics, load-balancing algorithms, and GDPR compliance. During his time as a manager, he has concentrated on building and training efficient teams by fostering a positive work environment.
His career is marked by a commitment to resolving complex challenges with practical solutions, prioritizing customer satisfaction and trust in our products. Moving forward, he aims to continue innovating in antivirus technology, ensuring digital security and advancing the field.
Anna, our Head of Threat Labs, spearheads Varist’s relentless fight against malware. With a decade of leadership and almost 2 decades of experience in the field of cyber security, Anna oversees the malware analysis team, who, day in and day out, process millions of suspicious files. Their mission? To develop heuristic rules and patterns that empower Varist Anti-Malware to detect both known and unknown variants of malware.
Anna’s role is more than just managerial—it’s hands-on. Leading by example, she collaborates with her team, contributing directly to the ongoing fight against emerging threats. Beyond that, Anna ensures seamless collaboration with other teams to enhance the detection efficacy of Varist’s anti-malware products. In a world where digital threats never rest, Anna and her team work around the clock to keep our customers protected. With Anna at the helm, Varist’s commitment to cybersecurity isn’t just a promise; it’s an active, 24/7 defense against the ever-evolving landscape of malware attacks.
A seasoned professional with 15 years of combined experience in cybersecurity and operations management. I spent 5 years as a programmer in the security space before transitioning to a role as an operations manager for a decade. My expertise lies in managing cloud operations for an anti-malware company, ensuring the integration of robust security solutions and overseeing day-to-day operational activities.