New Heads of Mission for Stockholm and Los Angeles and new authorisations

At the presidential session on Friday, 11 November, the President of the Republic decided to appoint Matti Anttonen as Head of Mission of the Embassy of Finland in Stockholm and Stefan Lindström as Consul General of the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles as of 1 January 2017.  The President of the Republic also made decisions concerning new authorisations.

New Heads of Mission

Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Matti Anttonen was appointed to serve as Head of Mission of the Embassy of Finland in Stockholm (Sweden).

At the moment, Anttonen works as Under-Secretary of State (external economic relations) in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 

Previously, he has served as Director General of the Department for External Economic Relations and as Head of Mission of the Finnish Embassy in Moscow (2008–2012).

Before that, he worked as Director of the Unit for Russia, as a Coordinator for external energy relations and in several other positions in the Ministry.

Anttonen has held posts in the diplomatic service in Washington, Geneva and Moscow.  He joined the Ministry in 1986.

Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Stefan Lindström was appointed to serve as Consul General of the Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles (USA).

At the moment, Lindström serves as Desk Officer for economic and trade relations with the United States in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

He has previously held the post of Deputy Head of Mission in Portugal and in Indonesia and has served in positions at the Embassy of Finland in the United States and in India.

In Helsinki, Lindström has worked as Adviser to the Under-Secretary of State and in the Department for External Economic Relations.

Before he joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Lindström worked in the European Commission.  Lindström joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997.

Ambassadors’ authorisations

Roving Ambassador Seija Toro, based at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, was authorised to represent Finland also in Mali.   

Ambassador Helena Airaksinen, Head of Mission of the Embassy to Addis Ababa, was authorised to represent Finland in the Intergovernmental Authority on Development(IGAD). IGAD is one of Africa’s regional organisations with an official status in the African Union. It is one of the eight Regional Economic Communities of the African Economic Community. IGAD was established in 1996 and its headquarters are in Djibouti.

Inquiries: Pirjo Tulokas, Deputy Director General for Personnel, tel.  +358 295 351 413