New appointments: Ambassadors to Alger, Belgrade, New Delhi, Ottawa, Rabat and Singapore and a Deputy Director General to Political Department

At the presidential session on Friday 12 May, the President of the Republic decided to appoint six new Ambassadors. The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Erik Lundberg to continue as Deputy Director General of the Political Department.

Embassy of Finland in Alger, Algeria

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Pekka Hyvönen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Alger, starting on 1 September 2023. Hyvönen will transfer to Algeria from the Embassy in Rabat, where he has served as Head of Mission since 2019.

Before this appointment, Hyvönen served as Head of Mission at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 2011 to 2015 and at the Embassy of Finland in Hanoi from 2007 to 2011. He has also worked at Finland’s Embassies in Canberra, Teheran and Paris. 

At the Ministry, Hyvönen has served as Director of Consular Services, among other positions. He also worked with security policy matters and international agreements at the Ministry. 
Hyvönen joined the Foreign Service in 1986. He holds a Master of Laws degree.
 

Pekka Hyvönen. Photo: Petri Krook

Deputy Director General, Political Department

At its session on 11 May, the Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Erik Lundberg to continue as Deputy Director General from 1 August 2023 to 31 July 2024. Lundberg has held the position since 2022.

Lundberg has previously served as Senior Adviser at the Unit for UN and General Global Affairs. Before that, he was Finland’s Ambassador in Nairobi from 2018 to 2021 and in Oslo from 2014 to 2018. Before these appointments, he served as Director of Unit for Human Rights Policy from 2011 to 2014. His other experience in the Diplomatic Service include posts in Finland’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, the Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and the Embassies in Ottawa and Damascus.

Lundberg joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1995. He holds the degree of Master in Social Sciences.
 

Erik Lundberg. Photo: Petri Krook.

Embassy of Finland in Singapore

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Juha Markkanen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Singapore, starting on 1 September 2023. Markkanen will transfer to Singapore from the position of Director of the Team Finland Export Promotion Unit. 

Markkanen’s previous positions in the Diplomatic Service include Head of Mission at the Finland’s Consulate General in Los Angeles, Minister at the Embassy in Stockholm, Counsellor at the Embassy in Tokyo and as First Secretary at the Embassy in Bonn. At the Foreign Ministry, his duties have mainly concerned exports, international trade, economy and trade policy. Earlier in his career, he also worked with communications and EU coordination at the Ministry. 

Markkanen joined the Foreign Service in 1991. He holds the degree of Master of Laws trained on the bench.

Juha Markkanen. Photo: Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Embassy in Rabat, Morocco

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Marjaana Sall to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Rabat, starting on 1 September 2023. Sall will transfer to Rabat from the post of Ambassador for Education. 

She has wide experience of Africa and of managing EU’s external relations. Before her current post, she served 12 years in Africa, where she worked at Finland’s Embassy to South Africa, at the Delegation of the EU to Kenya and as Ambassador of the EU to the Republic of Mauritius and to the Republic of Seychelles. 

At the Ministry, she has worked with global food security, humanitarian assistance and EU enlargement. 

Sall joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997. She holds a Master of Laws degree trained on the bench and a Special Degree in European Law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. 

Marjaana Sall. Photo: Delegation of the EU to the Republic of Mauritius

Embassy in Ottawa, Canada

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jari Vilén to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Ottawa, starting on 1 September 2023. Vilén will transfer to Canada from Helsinki, where he has served as Finland’s Ambassador for Barents and Northern Dimension. His responsibilities included Finland’s Presidency of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council from 2021 to 2023.

Vilén served as Special Adviser on Arctic matters for President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels from 2018 to 2020. He served as Finland’s Ambassador to Hungary from 2007 to 2012 and to Poland from 2012 to 2014 and as EU Ambassador to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 2014 to 2018. 

Vilén served as Member of Parliament from 1999 to 2007. As Member of Parliament, he was Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Chair of the Grand Committee. He served as Minister of European Affairs in Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen’s second Government from 2002 to 2003. Before his term as Member of Parliament, Vilén served as Council Secretary at the Regional Council of Lapland from 1995 to 1999. 

Vilén joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2007. He holds a Master’s degree in Education.
 

Jari Vilen. Photo: Kimmo Räisänen.

Embassy in New Delhi, India

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Kimmo Lähdevirta to serve as Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, starting on 1 June 2023. Lähdevirta will transfer to India from the Embassy in Belgrade, where he has served as Head of Mission since 2019.

At the Ministry, Lähdevirta served as Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia from 2015 to 2019. He served Head of Mission at the Embassy in Hanoi from 2011 and 2015 and as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy in Beijing. He has also worked at the Embassy in London and at Finland’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Lähdevirta has worked as Director of the Unit for Security Policy and as Director of the Unit for the European Correspondent. 
Lähdevirta joined the Foreign Service in 1990. 
 

Kimmo Lähdevirta. Photo: Atte Kajova.

Embassy of Finland in Belgrade, Serbia

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Niklas Lindqvist to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Belgrade, starting on 1 September 2023. Lindqvist will move to Belgrade from the Ministry, where he has served as Director of the Unit for Russia since 2018. 

Before this appointment, Lindqvist served at Finland’s Embassy in Moscow twice from 2007 to 2010 and from 1997 to 2000, at Finland’s Permanent Representation to the EU from 2010 to 2013 and at Finland’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York from 2000 to 2004. At the Ministry, he has served as Adviser at the Political Department. He served as Roving Ambassador to Central Asia from 2013 to 2018, representing Finland in Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Lindqvist joined the Foreign Service in 1996. He holds the degree of Master of Political Science.

Niklas Lindqvist. Photo: Harri Jäntti/Kuva-Ahti
Niklas Lindqvist. Kuva: Harri Jäntti/Kuva-Ahti

Inquiries

Kirsti Pohjankukka, Deputy Director General for Human Resources, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 29 535 0038, kirsti.pohjankukka@gov.fi