New Ambassadors to the European Union, Dublin, New Delhi, Vienna and side accreditations to the Bahamas and Somalia

The President of the Republic decided on the following appointments of new ambassadors and side accreditations on 31 January:

Pilvi-Sisko Vierros-Villeneuve. Photo: MFACounsellor for Foreign Affairs Pilvi-Sisko Vierros-Villeneuve as Head of the Permanent Representation of Finland to the European Union, in Brussels, as from 1 September 2013.

Vierros-Villeneuve transfers to Brussels from Paris, where she has served as Finland’s ambassador since 2009. Prior to this, she served as Director General of the Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the years 2005–2009. She has previously held various positions both at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU in Brussels and at the Embassy of Finland in Paris. In addition to her post as Director General of the Political Department, at the Ministry Vierros-Villeneuve has worked in the Department for External Economic Relations and at permanent representations, she has served at the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva. She has also done postgraduate studies at Ecole Nationale d’Administration (ENA) in France.

Vierros-Villeneuve came to the employ of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1984.

Hilkka Nenonen. Photo: MFACounsellor for Foreign Affairs Hilkka Nenonen to the post of Head of the Embassy of Finland in Dublin, Ireland as from 1 September 2013.

Nenonen transfers to Dublin from Brussels, where she has worked as Minister at the Mission of Finland to NATO since 2009.

At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Nenonen has held various positions in the Political Department and the Legal Department, among others as Head of the Unit for Passports and Visas. As to diplomatic missions abroad, she has experience of service at the Embassy of Finland in Berlin and in Moscow, as well as at the Consulate General of Finland in Hamburg. She has also worked at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the European Union in Brussels.

Nenonen began working at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1987.

Aapo Pölhö. Photo: MFACounsellor for Foreign Affairs Aapo Pölhö to the post of Head of the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi as from 1 May 2013.

Pölhö has previously served as Head of the Embassy of Finland in Cairo, at the Embassy of Finland in Brussels and simultaneously at the Mission of Finland to NATO in Brussels. His other service at diplomatic missions has included postings to the Embassies of Finland in Baghdad, Mexico, Brasilia and Washington, as well as the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in Geneva.

Pölhö came to the employ of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1976. In the past he has served as Director General of the Department for Africa and the Middle East, Deputy Director General of the Political Department, Director of the Security Policy Unit, and Deputy Director General of the Unit for Security Policy and the Unit for Arms Control. Most recently, he has worked at the Ministry, handling tasks related to the Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone in the Middle East

Anu Laamanen. Photo: MFACounsellor for Foreign Affairs Anu Laamanen to the post of Head of the Embassy of Finland in Vienna, Austria as from 1 September 2013.

Laamanen currently serves as Deputy Director General of the Political Department. She has previously discharged various tasks at the Political Department, especially those involving security policy issues, such as Director of the Civilian Crisis Management Unit in the Political Department.

Laamanen’s career in the Finnish diplomatic service comprises postings to the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York, the Embassy of Finland in Oslo, and the Representation of Finland to the OSCE in Vienna. She began working at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1986.

Ambassador Kaarlo Murto, Head of the Embassy of Finland in Ottawa, Canada, to represent Finland also in the Bahamas (side accreditation).

Ambassador Sofie From-Emmesberger, Head of the Embassy of Finland in Nairobi, Kenya, to represented Finland also in Somalia (side accreditation).

Additional information: Vesa Lehtonen, Deputy Director General for Personnel, tel. +358 9 1605 5401

 

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