New appointments at Finnish Foreign Ministry

In its plenary session on 25 June, the Finnish Government appointed several persons to new positions at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki.

Director General, Department for Asia and Oceania

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Keijo Norvanto as Director General of the Department for Asia and Oceania at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The appointment will be for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Norvanto will transfer to the post from the Foreign Ministry’s Protocol Services. He has previously served as Director General of Administrative Services of the Foreign Ministry, as Ambassador in Hanoi and Teheran and as Deputy Director General of the Department for Communications at the Foreign Ministry. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in New Delhi, London and Riyadh.

Norvanto joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997. He holds a Master’s degree in social sciences.

Deputy Director General, Department for Asia and Oceania

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Päivi Laine to serve as Deputy Director General of the Department for Asia and Oceania for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Laine currently serves as Finland’s Ambassador to Poland. Her earlier posts include Finland’s Ambassador to Ukraine and Roving Ambassador to Iraq. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in Moscow, Warsaw, London and Riga.

Laine joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1995. She holds a Master of Arts degree.

Deputy Director General, Department for Africa, the Middle East and Latin America

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jouko Leinonen to serve as Deputy Director General of the Department for Africa, the Middle East and Latin America for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Leinonen currently serves as Finland’s Ambassador in Brussels. He has also served as Head of Mission of Finland’s Embassy to Brazil. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in Paris, Brussels, Brasília and Abu Dhabi. He has also held several positions at the Foreign Ministry, including at the Department for Africa and the Middle East, the Department for Development Policy and the EU Secretariat.

Leinonen joined the Ministry in 1996. He holds two university degrees: Master of Social Sciences and Master of Science.

Deputy Director General, Euro-Atlantic Department

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Sari Lehtiranta to serve as Deputy Director General of the Euro-Atlantic Department for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2028.

This is Lehtiranta’s second appointment to this post. She took the post for the first time in 2022, after serving as Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland in Geneva. She has previously worked as Head of the Unit for General Development Policy of the Department for Development Policy at the Foreign Ministry, among other positions.

Lehtiranta has also worked at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the European Union in Brussels and as Finland’s representative to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in Paris.

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

Chief of Protocol

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Mika Koskinen to serve as Chief of Protocol of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The appointment is for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2028.

This is Koskinen’s second appointment to this post. He took the post for the first time in 2022, after serving as Head of Mission at Finland’s Consulate General in New York. He has also worked as Head of Mission in Lima and as Director of the Personnel Service Unit at the Foreign Ministry.

Koskinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1995. He holds the degree of Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration.

Deputy Director General, Protocol Services

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Nicola Lindertz to serve as Deputy Director General of the Protocol Services for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2030.

Lindertz currently serves as Head of Mission at the Embassy of Finland in Buenos Aires. Her previous posts include Director of the Unit for Central, Western and Southern Europe and Diplomatic Adviser to the Speaker of Parliament. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Lindertz joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1996. She holds three Master’s degrees: Humanities and Social Sciences, Social Sciences, and Economics and Business Administration.

Director General of Consular Services

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jussi Tanner to serve as Director General of Consular Services for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2028.

This is Tanner’s second appointment to this post. He took the post for the first time in 2022, after serving as Special Envoy tasked with directing the activities of Finland’s public authorities on the mission to repatriate Finnish children detained in northeast Syria (al-Hol camp). In August 2021, he led Finland’s evacuation operation in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Before that Tanner served as Finland’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN and as Diplomatic Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. In the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Tanner has also served as Director of the Crisis and Assistance Team at the Consular Services and worked in the Department for Europe and in the Legal Service. In the Diplomatic Service, he has also worked at the Embassy of Finland in Rome.

Tanner joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2005. He holds a Master of Arts degree.

Director, National Security Authority

The Government appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Päivi Kaukoranta to serve as Director of the National Security Authority for a fixed term from 1 September 2026 and 31 August 2028.

This is Kaukoranta’s second appointment to this post. She took the post for the first time in 2022, after serving as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in The Hague. She has previously served as Director General of the Legal Service and Director of the Unit for EU and Treaty Law at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Kaukoranta joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1989. She holds the degree of Master of Laws trained on the bench.