Reetta Purontakanen appointed as Press Counsellor in Tokyo

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Reetta Purontakanen to serve as a temporary Press Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo, Japan. The three-year term will start on 22 October 2020.

Reetta Purontakanen. Photo: Kimmo Räisänen

Reetta Purontakanen will move to Tokyo from the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Communications, where she has worked since the beginning of 2018.  Before she joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Purontakanen served, among other things, in civilian crisis management tasks of the European Union and as Communication Manager at the British Embassy in Finland. She has a long and extensive experience of communications and a fresh view of the content of her future assignment.

Based on her work history, Purontakanen has diverse skills and knowledge both of public relations and strategic planning of country branding and of crisis communications and cooperation with international media. She holds a Master’s degree from King’s College London.

“I look forward to working in Japan. Finland and Finnish culture are held in high esteem in Japan and the Japanese are interested in us. This is a good foundation to build on and to conduct dialogue, promoting an image of Finland, which highlights topical themes and challenges. I am happy and privileged in that I will be able to help the Japanese find and explore new experiences in Finland,” Purontakanen says.

The Press Counsellor's duty is to use communication, culture and other means of promotion to advance Finland's objectives and country brand among the key target groups in Japan. The aim is to present Finland as an increasingly attractive cooperation partner in different sectors. In addition, the Press Counsellor fosters close contacts with the Tokyo Team Finland actors and participates in the mission's reporting tasks, as appropriate.

Inquiries: Johanna Kotkajärvi, Deputy Director General, Department for Communications, tel. +358 295 351 351 and Reetta Purontakanen, tel. +358 50 331 8186.