Ambassador and non-resident Ambassador appointments

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Janne Heiskanen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Astana, starting on 1 September 2024.

Heiskanen will transfer to the post from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he has headed the European Common Foreign and Security Policy Team at the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management since 2021. Prior to this, Heiskanen served as Head of Finland’s Liaison Office in Minsk in 2017–2021. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Jakarta and Kabul.

Heiskanen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2009. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Leena Pylvänäinen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Athens, starting on 1 September 2024.

Pylvänäinen will move to Athens from the Embassy of Finland in Abuja, where she has worked as Head of Mission since 2021. Prior to this, she worked as Director of the Unit for Arms Control at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2017–2021. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Hague, Berlin, New York and Bucharest.

Pylvänäinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1998. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Pekka Metso to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Pretoria, starting on 1 September 2024.

Metso will move to Pretoria from the Embassy of Finland in Seoul, where he has worked as Head of Mission since 2020. In addition to South Korea, Metso was previously based in Ljubljana, where he served as Finnish Ambassador to both Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Metso has promoted political and economic relations and worked extensively in human rights policy and mediation issues. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Warsaw and Oslo and in Finland’s Permanent Missions in Geneva and in New York.

Metso joined the Foreign Ministry in 1987. He holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and Business Administration.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Kirsti Pohjankukka to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Sofia, starting on 1 September 2024.

Pohjankukka has been Deputy Director General for Human Resources at the Foreign Ministry since 2020. Prior to this, she served as Director of the Unit for EU and Treaty Law at the Ministry in 2018–2020. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts at the Embassies of Finland in Copenhagen and Vienna and at the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York.

Pohjankukka joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2005. Prior to this, she served as a UN Human Rights Observer in Sudan and worked at the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York and as a lawyer in the headquarters of the Finnish Red Cross. She holds a Master of Laws degree.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jyri Järviaho to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Seoul, starting on 1 September 2024.

Järviaho will move to Seoul from the Embassy of Finland in Bangkok, where he has worked as Head of Mission since 2020. Järviaho has previously worked as Deputy Director General for Human Resources and as Director of the Personnel Unit at the Foreign Ministry. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Riga and Belgrade, where he served as Deputy Head of Mission, and in the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva, where his tasks were related to disarmament and arms control.

He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1999. He holds the degree of Master of Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Ambassador Tuula Yrjölä, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi, to serve as a non-resident Ambassador to Bahrain.