Charlotta Collén appointed Director of International Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Culture

On 4 June, the Government appointed Charlotta Collén (Lic.Soc.Sc) Director General of the Secretariat for International Relations with effect from 1 August 2026. The Director is responsible for directing the activities of the Secretariat for International Relations at the Ministry.

Collén holds a Licentiate of Social Sciences degree and will leave her position as Director of Office of Research and International Affairs at Hanken School of Economics to take up her post at the Ministry. An expert in European defence policy, she has worked part time in the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in the United States and, prior to that, in think tanks at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC.

From 2018 to 2021, she served as Director of Development at the University of Oulu, where she was responsible for the implementation of the organisation’s strategy, operational guidance, research evaluation, quality management and international affairs. Before that, she worked as Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Defence (2015-2017) and as Senior Researcher at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (2012-2015).

A total of 56 candidates applied for the post of Director at the Secretariat for International Relations. The Secretariat for International Relations handles the Ministry's joint international affairs, supports the units in advancing their international activities, is responsible for Nordic and multilateral cooperation, prepares international treaties and agreements, coordinates EU affairs, acts as the national managing authority for EU programmes, and organises the Ministry's international visits.

Inquiries: Veera Vuornos, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel.  +358 295 330 063