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Appointments in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Publication date 11.8.2022 14.48 | Published in English on 11.8.2022 at 14.50
News item

The government plenary session appointed several persons to new positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki.

In its session on 11 August, the Government appointed the following persons to new duties.

Deputy Director General, Department for Europe

The Government promoted Counsellor Sari Lehtiranta to the public office of Counsellor for Foreign Affairs starting on 20 August and appointed her to the post of Deputy Director General of the Department for Europe in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for a fixed term from 20 August 2022 to 31 August 2026.

Sari Lehtiranta
Sari Lehtiranta

Lehtiranta is currently Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to Geneva. She has previously worked as Head of the Unit for General Development Policy of the Department for Development Policy in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, among other positions.

Lehtiranta worked at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the European Union as an Antici official in 2011–2014 and as a Mertens official in 1997–2001. She was Finland’s representative to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in Paris in 2007–2011.

Lehtiranta joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1996. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

 

Deputy Director General, Department for the Americas and Asia

The Government promoted Counsellor Juha Niemi to the public office of Counsellor for Foreign Affairs from 1 September and appointed him to the post of Deputy Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for a fixed term from 1  September 2022 to 31 August 2026.

Juha Niemi

Niemi is currently Diplomatic Adviser and Head of Office in the Office of the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

Niemi has previously served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Tokyo and as Deputy Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva.

Niemi joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2001. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

Director General, Department for International Trade

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Tuomas Tapio as Director General of the Department for International Trade in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The appointment is for a fixed term between 19 September 2022 and 31 August 2026.

Tuomas Tapio

Tapio is currently Finland’s Ambassador to the OECD in Paris. In the Ministry, he has been Director of Policy Planning and Director of the Unit for Western Europe. In the Prime Minister’s Office he has led the External Economic Relations Unit. In the diplomatic service, Tapio has worked in Paris and Washington DC. 

Tapio joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997. He holds a Doctor’s degree in International Politics (Ph.D., Graduate Institute, Geneva). 

 

Inquiries:

  • Kirsti Pohjankukka, Deputy Director General for Human Resources, tel. +358 29 5350038
  • The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format [email protected]
 
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