Deputy Director Generals to Consular Services and Protocol Services and two non-resident Ambassadors
At its session on 31 August, the Government appointed a new Deputy Director General of the Consular Services and a new Deputy Director General of the Protocol Services. At the presidential session on 1 September, the President of the Republic appointed non-resident Ambassadors to Moldova and Nicaragua.
Deputy Director General, Consular Services
The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Lauri Aaltonen to serve as Deputy Director General of the Consular Services at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The appointment is for a fixed term from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2027. Aaltonen will transfer to the Consular Services from the post of Ambassador responsible for coordinating the development projects of the Finnish Foreign Service, which he has held since 2016.
Before that, he served as Director General of Consular Services from 2008 to 2015 and as Deputy Director General of the Administrative Department from 2007 to 2008.
His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in Lisbon, Mexico City and Marseille.
Aaltonen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1984. He holds the degrees of Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration and Master of Laws.
Deputy Director General, Protocol Services
The Government promoted Counsellor Christian Lindholm to the public office of Counsellor for Foreign Affairs starting on 18 September 2023 and appointed him to the post of Deputy Director General of the Protocol Services. The appointment is for a fixed term from 18 September 2023 to 31 August 2027. Lindholm will transfer to the Protocol Services from the post of Director of the Unit for Human Resources Development and Occupational Wellbeing at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which he has held since 2019.
Before that, he served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Madrid from 2015 to 2019 and as Desk Officer for the Asian Development Bank at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2015.
Lindholm joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1995. He holds the degree of Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration.
Non-resident Ambassadors to Moldova and Nicaragua
The President of the Republic appointed Ambassador Leena Liukkonen, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Bucharest as of 1 September 2023, to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Moldova and Ambassador Ari Mäki, Head of Mission at the Embassy in Mexico City as of 1 September 2023, to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Nicaragua.
Inquiries
- Kirsti Pohjankukka, Deputy Director General for Human Resources, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 29 535 0038
- The email addresses of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs are in the format firstname.lastname@gov.fi.