News, 2.4.2009

New appointments at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs: Koukku-Ronde appointed as Under-Secretary of State, Tanner as Director General and Talonpoika as Deputy Director General


On 3 April, The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Affairs Ritva Koukku-Ronde to the post of Under-Secretary of State for development policy and cooperation as from 1 September 2009.

Ritva Koukku-Ronde Koukku-Ronde will take up her new post having been serving the Foreign Ministry's Department for Development Policy as its Director General since 2005.

Koukku-Ronde, who entered the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1985. She worked for the Finnish Embassies in Nairobi, the Hague, Bonn and in Berlin, at each Embassy she served as Deputy of the Head of the Mission. At the Ministry, Koukku-Ronde has served in various posts at the Press and Culture Centre, Political Department and the Department for Development Policy, i.a. heading its Unit for UN development policy issues. During the period 2003-2005, she served as Deputy Director General of the Department for Europe.

On 2 April, the Government decided to appoint a new Director General and Deputy Director General:

Teemu Tanner Appointment of Counsellor of Foreign Affairs Teemu Tanner to the post of Director General of the Political Department of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as from 1 September 2009.

Since 2007, Tanner has been serving as Director General of the Department for Africa and the Middle East. Prior to this position, he was posted to Finland's Permanent Representation to the EU in Berlin where he served as Ambassador on the Political and Security Committee of the European Union from 2002 to 2007.

Tanned joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1984. At the Ministry, he has also worked for the Department for External Economic Relations, the Department for Development Policy and the Political Department, heading its Unit for European correspondence. As for his diplomatic career, he has served Finnish missions in Marseille, Seoul and Paris. From 1998 to 2002, he held the post of Minister-Counsellor at the Finnish Embassy in Washington.

Liisa Talonpoika Appointment of Counsellor of Foreign Affairs Liisa Talonpoika to the post of Deputy Director General of the Department for Europe of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as from 1 September 2009.

Currently, Talonpoika is serving the Government Secretariat for EU Affairs as a Consulting Counsellor. This is a position held by her since 2005. She served as an Antici Group counsellor of Finland's Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels during the period 2000-2005.

Talonpoika joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1989. She has worked for the Ministry's Department for Development Policy and the Department for External Economic Relations, the Press and Culture Department and the EU secretariat. She has also served the Finnish Embassy in Paris.