Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen

The National Coalition Party

Ministry of Finance

Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen is responsible for governance policy, municipal affairs, wellbeing services counties, public sector ICT and the Government as an employer.

Minister Ikonen’s responsibilities include matters concerning Åland that fall within the remit of the Ministry of Justice and matters related to urban development within the Regions and Growth Services Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Profile

Minister of Local and Regional Government Anna-Kaisa Ikonen was born in 1977 in Tampere, where she and her family still reside. 

Ikonen is a Doctor of Social Sciences. She completed her matriculation examination at the Sampo upper secondary school and continued her studies at the University of Tampere. She graduated with a Master's degree in 2001 and defended her doctoral dissertation in 2009. 

Ikonen has extensive experience of local and regional policy. She has twice served as the Mayor of Tampere, one of Finland's largest cities. She previously served as Deputy Mayor of Tampere, with responsibility for healthcare and social welfare, and chaired the Tampere City Council.  Ikonen also chaired the board of directors of the pensions institution Keva and served as a deputy chair of the Association of Finnish Municipalities and a deputy chair of the County Council of the Pirkanmaa wellbeing services county.

As a national policy-maker, Ikonen is in her second term as a member of parliament. Prior to this, she served as State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance in the Katainen and Sipilä Governments. In that role, she deputised for ministers in ministerial working groups and international ministerial summits. Ikonen is a deputy chair of the National Coalition Party.

In academia, Ikonen has served as a professor of practice and has produced research and numerous publications on the management of cities and municipalities, on the health and social services reform, and on the political leadership of prime ministers.

Before entering politics, Ikonen worked in non-governmental organisations, as a project manager in a consultancy firm and as a development manager in regional state administration. 

Ikonen enjoys travelling. She speaks fluent English, good Swedish, fair German and passable French. Her hobbies include culture from books to music and theatre as well as activities in nature: skiing, jogging and open water swimming.