Viesturs Koziols (born 24 August 1963 in Riga, Soviet Union)[1] is a Latvian real estate developer, media and sports entrepreneur, photographer, patron of arts, political and public figure.[2] He is also the Chairman of the Board of the NGO Viena Diena.lv and currently serves as Vice-President and Board Member of the Latvian Ice Hockey Federation. September 2021 Koziols was elected as a Council member in IIHF. He is known for his contributions to Latvian visual culture, photography, and international cooperation, as well as for his long-standing involvement in business development and sports administration.
After graduating from Faculty of Geography at the University of Latvia in 1986, Viesturs Koziols started off as a commercial manager of newspaper Atmoda. The paper had a strong connection with the ongoing Latvian independence movement; Viesturs Koziols actively joined it. He was among the organizers [3] of the large scale demonstration Baltic Way and joined the Popular Front of Latvia.
During 1995–1997 he was project manager at Norwegian retail chain "Varner Baltija" and manager of real estate administration at "Varner Hakon Invest", both ventures of Varner-Gruppen. These companies were among first foreign investors in Latvia. Koziols was among politicians and business leaders who founded "Baltic Stability Foundation", an organization with a goal to develop investment strategies for Latvia and develop encouraging investment legislation.
Koziols primary business area (1996–present) is real estate development, retail development and city planning. Viesturs Koziols has participated in as an investor, developer and consultant in development of Rimi Baltic, Narvesen, Cubus, Bik Bok, Dressmann store chains; major shopping malls in Riga – Centrs, Mols, Dole, Alfa, Minsk, Origo, Olympia; hotels Radisson Blu Ridzene Hotel, Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija and Hotel Riga and large real estate developments – Saules akmens, Saliena.
Viesturs Koziols is founder and patron of non-governmental youth organization "Avantis". Through this organization Koziols supported talented Latvian musicians, cinematographers and athletes. Producer and cameraman for "Avantis" released award winning documentary "Atrasts Amerikā" ("Found in USA").
In 2006 his company "Žurnāls" Ltd. began publishing a weekly magazine called "Republika.lv". Viesturs Koziols was among staff photographers. In 2007, together with photographer Ilmārs Znotiņš, he opened the photography studio "Imagine" – one of the most professional photo studios in the Baltic states and organized a major documentary photography event "One Day in Latvia 2007".
In 2009 he became freelance adviser in fields of youth work to Ministry of the Interior affairs Linda Mūrniece.
Together with his business partner from Norway Tormod Stene-Johansen in 2012 established holding structure Latvian Development Fund (LDF).
October 2016 he was elected in Board of Latvian Hockey Federation and appointed as the Vice-President and General Secretary of the Latvian Ice hockey federation. September 2021 Viesturs Koziols during IIHF ( International Ice Hockey Federation )semi-annual congress was elected as a Council member. Council appointed Mr. Koziols as a Chairman of IIHF Facilities Committee. December 2021 left position of General Secretary of Latvian Hockey Federation.
Work in Photography and Culture
On 31 August 2007, Viesturs Koziols together with Ilmārs Znotiņš, Jānis Krūmiņš, Gunārs Janaitis organized the national photo project “One Day in Latvia- 20 Years Later.”
The event brought together 55 professional photographers and their assistants, 150 specially invited authors, and more than 6,000 amateurs from Latvia and abroad.
The project aimed to document Latvia’s everyday life, people, and landscapes within a single day, creating a multilayered visual portrait of the nation in the early 21st century.
As Chairman of the association Viena Diena.lv, Viesturs Koziols organized one of the most notable international photography events in Latvia — the conference “Vision & Voices 2025: Photography for a Connected World,” held on 29 August 2025 at the Great Amber Concert Hall in Liepāja. [5], [6]
The conference gathered photographers, artists, curators, and scholars of visual culture from around the world to examine the role of imagery in the digital era, the impact of visual media on intercultural communication, and the significance of photography in shaping social memory and identity. Among the distinguished participants were David Burnett, Alessandro Gruzza, Giuliano Compagno, Michiru Nakayama, Alnis Stakle, Ilmārs Znotiņš, and Baiba Tetere. [7]
The programme also included a thematic outdoor photography session across some of Liepāja’s most remarkable and undiscovered locations on 30 August, followed by practical masterclasses at the club Kursa, conducted by internationally acclaimed photographers David Burnett and Alessandro Gruzza and local professionals Ilmārs Znotiņš and Alnis Stakle.
Continuing his commitment to developing photographic culture, Koziols organized a solo exhibition by American photojournalist David Burnett at the Ola Foundation cultural space in Riga on 1 September 2025. The exhibition became one of the year’s most significant cultural events in Latvia, attracting both professionals and the general public, and fostering a meaningful dialogue between the Latvian and international photographic communities. [8][9]
Adventurer
In 1999, together with Vilis Dambiņš and Gunārs Dukšte, Viesturs Koziols reached the North Pole in a hot air balloon.[10][11]
Koziols remains an active advocate for the development of visual culture, creative industries and sport in Latvia and abroad. His professional activity is characterised by strategic, long-term thinking and a strong belief in photography’s capacity to promote communication, intercultural understanding, and shared human experience.
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