New heads of mission appointed to Budapest, Hong Kong and Shanghai

At the presidential session on Friday 27 March, the President of the Republic appointed the following persons to serve as heads of missions, starting on 1 September 2026: Pekka Kaihilahti, Finland’s Embassy in Budapest; Juha Niemi, Finland’s Consulate General in Hong Kong; and Joonas Heiskanen, Finland’s Consulate General in Shanghai.

Embassy of Finland in Budapest, Hungary

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Pekka Kaihilahti to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Budapest, starting on 1 September 2026.

Kaihilahti will move to Budapest from Finland’s Embassy in Jakarta, where he has worked as Head of Mission since 2022. He previously worked at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as Deputy Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia in 2018–2022.

His career in the diplomatic service includes posts at Finland’s Mission to NATO in Brussels and embassies in Mexico City, Beijing and Brasília.

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

Consulate General of Finland in Hong Kong

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Juha Niemi to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Consulate General in Hong Kong, starting on 1 September 2026.

Niemi will move to Hong Kong from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he has been Deputy Director General of the Department for Asia and Oceania since 2024.
His previous positions include Deputy Director General of the Department for the Americas and Asia and Diplomatic Adviser in the Office of the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade.

His career in the diplomatic service includes posts in Finland’s Permanent Mission in Geneva and embassies in Tokyo and Pretoria.

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

Consulate General of Finland in Shanghai, China

Government appointed Counsellor Joonas Heiskanen to serve as Counsellor for Foreign Affairs, starting on 1 September 2026. The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Joonas Heiskanen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Consulate General in Shanghai, starting on 1 September 2026.

Heiskanen will transfer to Shanghai from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he has worked as Director of the Unit for Russia and Central Asia since 2024. Before that, he served as Director of the Unit for Russia and as Team Leader of the Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

In the diplomatic service, he has also worked for Finland’s Embassy in Moscow, Consulate General in St Petersburg and embassies in Zagreb and Jakarta.

Heiskanen holds the degree of Master of Social Sciences. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2003.