Iceland is a small media market where a handful of national outlets, including RÚV, Vísir and Morgunblaðið, set the agenda and a story can reach most of the country within hours. That makes reputation work unusually personal: journalists, ministry officials and business leaders often know each other, and many Icelandic communications consultants are former reporters or political advisers. Vísir has reported on ministries buying PR advice from private consultancies, including work linked to changes to the fishing fee law, which shows how closely public debate and professional communications advice are tied together here.
The firms below range from specialist consultancies founded in the 1980s to advertising groups with dedicated PR teams. Most work in Icelandic and English, and several are linked to Nordic or global networks, which matters for foreign companies with Icelandic subsidiaries, investors or local stakeholders. If you need reputation management in Iceland, the right partner depends on whether your priority is crisis readiness, government relations, investor relations or day to day media work.
For this list we checked each company on its own website for an Iceland office address, reputation, PR and crisis communications as a core service and named client work. No company paid to be included, and the order reflects our judgement of strength and fit. For more Iceland lists and guides, visit our Iceland hub.
| Company | Iceland Base | Best For | Core Services |
| KOM | Laugavegur, Reykjavík | Crisis readiness and dealings with authorities | Crisis management, government relations, media and public debate, PR |
| Athygli | Hverfisgata, Reykjavík | Reputation building and investor relations | Reputation, crisis management, investor relations, public administration advice |
| Aton.JL | Reykjavík | Integrated PR, content and monitoring | PR, media relations, crisis management, investor relations, media training |
| Góð samskipti | Týsgata, Reykjavík | Executives facing scrutiny | PR, crisis response, executive coaching, executive search |
| Cohn & Wolfe Íslandi | Gróska, Reykjavík | Brands needing a global network | PR advisory, management consulting, brand reputation |
| Langbrók | Brautarholt, Reykjavík | Sustainability and reputational risk | Reputational risk, crisis management, media training, PR, ESG reporting |
| Hvíta húsið | Brautarholt, Reykjavík | Campaigns that combine PR and advertising | PR, communications strategy, social media, creative production |
| Pipar\TBWA | Guðrúnartún, Reykjavík | Brands combining PR with digital | Media coverage, press releases, media training, executive advice |
| Eflir | Þingholtsstræti, Reykjavík | Smaller organisations and interest groups | PR strategy, press releases, crisis management, training |
| Podium | Mosfellsbær | ESG driven reputation work | Communications strategy, reputation building, media relations, crisis management |
KOM was founded in 1986 by Jón Hákon Magnússon, following the Reagan and Gorbachev summit at Höfði, and describes itself as the oldest operating PR consultancy in Iceland. Its office is at Laugavegur 182, 105 Reykjavík, and Björgvin Guðmundsson is listed as the contact person.
The firm organises its work into four areas: government relations at every level of administration, media and public debate, PR and image, and challenges and crises. On the crisis side KOM offers prevention through risk analysis, planning and staff training, plus a dedicated KOM crisis team that steps in when operational problems become public. It says it has worked for clients in Iceland and abroad for nearly 40 years.
KOM suits companies that expect to deal with regulators, ministries or municipalities, and organisations that want a tested crisis plan in place before something goes wrong.
Athygli was founded in 1989 and works from Hverfisgata 4, 101 Reykjavík. Its stated purpose is to build and strengthen clients’ reputations through strategic consultancy. The team listed on its site includes managing director and owner Kolbeinn Marteinsson, owners Bryndís Nielsen and Már Másson, and consultants such as Katrín Júlíusdóttir and Davíð Ernir Kolbeins.
Service lines include communications strategy, digital communications, public administration, investor relations, crisis management, reputation, market analysis, event management and training. Athygli partners with Geelmuyden Kiese, a Nordic communications consultancy with offices in Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Vísir has reported that a ministry bought advice and services from Athygli for about ISK 3.5 million, partly related to the fishing fee law.
Athygli is a strong fit for listed companies, interest groups and foreign firms that want an Icelandic reputation partner with a Nordic reach.
Aton.JL is the communications company formed when the PR firm Aton merged with the advertising agency Jónsson & Le’macks. Vísir reported the merger in August 2019, with 30 staff in Reykjavík and 12 in Belgrade at the time and Ingvar Sverrisson as managing director.
The company says it shapes clients’ communications, finds the right channels and follows through on implementation. Its English site lists corporate and communications strategy, stakeholder analysis, media analysis and monitoring, PR and media relations, internal communication, investor relations, management and negotiation consulting, media training and crisis management. A sister company, dAton, adds automated monitoring and sentiment analysis, which is useful when you need to track how an issue is playing out across Icelandic media.
Aton.JL suits organisations that want PR, creative work, video and digital reporting from one supplier, with monitoring data to back decisions.
Góð samskipti (Good Communications) is based at Týsgata 3, second floor, 101 Reykjavík, between Skólavörðustígur and Óðinstorg. It was founded by Andrés Jónsson, and Diljá Ragnarsdóttir is managing director. Associated partners include executive advisor and trainer Þórhallur Gunnarsson.
The firm advises on public relations and crisis response and runs closed training events on presence, communication, change, leadership, decision making and crisis response, along with one to one coaching. It also offers executive search and smaller corporate finance deals under ISK 1 billion. Since 2020 it has produced the business podcast Ræðum það, now past its fifth season. Vísir has reported a ministry paying the firm for PR services.
Góð samskipti is a good choice for chief executives and boards who want hands on crisis coaching and a senior advisor who knows the Icelandic business community well.
Cohn & Wolfe Íslandi works from Gróska, Bjargargata 1, 102 Reykjavík, the innovation building next to the University of Iceland. It is part of WPP and carries the BCW Burson Cohn & Wolfe network branding in its footer.
The agency offers PR advisory and management consulting, and describes its specialists as communication architects who shape the image of companies, brands and organisations. Contacts listed on its site include Ingvar Örn Ingvarson, Kristján Schram, Gunnhildur Birna Gunnarsdóttir and Haraldur Sigurðarson. The site also publishes guidance on how to buy PR advice and on building trust, which gives a sense of its consultative approach.
This is a sensible option for international brands and foreign owned companies that already use the BCW network elsewhere and want an Icelandic office that can follow the same playbook.
Langbrók is a consultancy at Brautarholt 8, 105 Reykjavík. It describes its field as advice on corporate responsibility, communications, change management, marketing and public relations.
Its services connect reputation with sustainability. Under responsible operations Langbrók lists communications and information policy, communication planning, reputational risk, crisis management, media monitoring and media training. It also works on strategy and materiality analysis, sustainability reporting against ESG, GRI and ESRS frameworks, branding and rebranding, executive coaching, presence coaching and events.
Langbrók fits companies where reputational risk is tied to environmental or social questions, such as energy, fisheries or tourism businesses preparing for ESRS reporting and the public scrutiny that comes with it.
Hvíta húsið (The White House) has operated since 1961 and is based at Brautarholt 8, 105 Reykjavík. Its site shows FleishmanHillard as an affiliate and notes that the agency was named VR Company of the Year in 2022.
Services are grouped into strategy, creative and communications. The communications group covers PR, performance measurement, media planning, media buying and social media, while the strategy group includes communications strategy and brand strategy. The creative side covers scriptwriting, design, filmed content, photography and copywriting.
Hvíta húsið suits clients who want reputation work run alongside paid campaigns, for example a consumer brand launching a product or repairing trust after a recall, where press work and advertising need one plan.
Pipar\TBWA is an Icelandic advertising agency at Guðrúnartún 8, 105 Reykjavík, part of the TBWA network. Guðmundur Pálsson is chief executive. Vísir has reported that Lára Ómarsdóttir leads PR at the agency.
Its communications and PR team works under the FEED name. FEED lists media coverage, press releases, media training, executive consulting, interviews and communication with the public through social media. The wider agency adds Pipar\MEDIA for media buying and Ceedr for digital marketing, SEO and online campaigns.
This option suits brands that want PR to sit inside a digital marketing programme rather than as a stand alone crisis service. Companies with high crisis exposure may want to pair it with a specialist consultancy.
Eflir is a public relations consultancy at Þingholtsstræti 6, 101 Reykjavík. Its website was being rebuilt when we checked it, but the service list is clear.
Under PR, Eflir offers advice and strategy, PR tools, events, press releases, crisis management (áfallastjórnun) and internal PR. It also produces campaigns, brochures, exhibition stands, posters, websites and newsletters, runs courses and training, and develops names and slogans for companies, institutions and products. The firm says it works for companies, institutions and interest groups.
Eflir is worth a call for associations and mid sized organisations that need practical press and crisis support without the overhead of a large agency.
Podium ehf. is based in Mosfellsbær, just outside Reykjavík, and was founded by managing director Eva Magnúsdóttir. Its main services are strategy, sustainability and change management.
Alongside that, Podium offers PR and communications consulting: communications strategy and plans, reputation building, media relations, crisis management and stakeholder engagement. Krónan, the supermarket chain, is named on the site, with a testimonial from its managing director on Podium’s help producing Krónan’s first sustainability report.
Podium suits companies whose reputation depends on credible sustainability claims and who want one advisor to handle both the reporting and the communication around it.
Yes, for anything involving local media. Interviews on RÚV, quotes in Vísir or Morgunblaðið and statements to ministries are almost always handled in Icelandic, and tone matters in a market this small. Every firm on this list is Icelandic speaking. For foreign owners, ask whether the consultant who will front your account is also comfortable briefing headquarters in English.
They matter, but they cut both ways. Many Icelandic consultants are former journalists or political advisers, which helps them read how a story will develop. Ask who on the team has worked with the outlets or ministries relevant to you, and how the firm manages conflicts of interest when it also advises competitors or public bodies.
Look for a written plan, named spokespeople, media training and a crisis team that can respond the same day. KOM, Athygli, Aton.JL, Góð samskipti and Langbrók all list crisis management or crisis response directly. Given that a single news cycle can reach most Icelanders within hours, the first response window is short.
Iceland applies GDPR through the EEA Agreement. Media monitoring, stakeholder databases and social listening all involve personal data, so ask how the firm stores monitoring data and whether it uses subprocessors outside the EEA. Removing or correcting online content about individuals also has to respect Icelandic privacy law.
Most consultancies bill by the hour or on a monthly retainer in ISK, and few publish rates. As a reference point, Vísir reported one ministry spending about ISK 3.5 million (roughly EUR 24,000) with Athygli over a year. Ask for a scoped proposal with a fixed monthly fee and a separate rate for crisis hours.
Reputation management in Iceland rewards firms that know the people behind the headlines. KOM and Athygli bring decades of crisis and stakeholder work, Aton.JL and Hvíta húsið combine PR with creative and media services, and smaller consultancies such as Góð samskipti, Langbrók, Eflir and Podium offer senior, hands on advice.
Start by defining the risk you are managing, whether that is regulation, a product issue, investor sentiment or sustainability claims, and choose the firm whose service list and team match it. Meet the consultant who will actually take the call at 7am, not just the partner who pitches.