Skip to content
Government and ministries
  • Suomi
  • Svenska
  • English
Media
Search page »
  •  Front page
  • Current issues
    • Information and advice on the coronavirus
      • Current restrictions
        • Regional restrictions on the hospital district websites
        • Entry restrictions and health measures
        • Restrictions on restaurants
        • Restrictions on movement
        • Restrictions in preparation
      • Plan for lifting COVID-19 restrictions
      • Questions and answers
      • Information on the coronavirus by telephone and chat
      • Emergencies
        • Central government management of the coronavirus situation
      • Phases of the COVID-19 epidemic
      • Topical material
        • Government press conferences
        • Government press releases
        • Ministries' press releases
      • Finland forward
    • Press releases
    • News
    • Speeches
    • Webcasts
    • Social Media Newsroom
    • Themes
      • Government formation talks 2019
      • State funeral of former President of the Republic Mauno Koivisto
      • Open house 2019
    • Sign up
  • Marin's Government
    • Ministers
      • Prime Minister
      • Minister of Science and Culture
      • Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering
      • Minister for Foreign Affairs
      • Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade
      • Minister of Justice
      • Minister for Nordic Cooperation and Equality
      • Minister of the Interior
      • Minister of Defence
      • Minister of Finance
      • Minister of Local Government
      • Minister of Education
      • Minister of Employment
      • Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
      • Minister of Transport and Communications
      • Minister of Economic Affairs
      • Minister of Social Affairs and Health
      • Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services
      • Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
    • State Secretaries to the Ministers
    • Special Advisers to the Ministers
    • Government Programme
      • 1 Introduction
        • 1.1 Our pledges to citizens on policy reforms
      • 2 Finland as a sustainable economy
        • 2.1 Taxation in a changing world
      • 3 Strategic themes
        • 3.1. Carbon neutral Finland that protects biodiversity
          • 3.1.1 Housing policy
        • 3.2 Globally influential Finland
          • 3.2.1 Policy on Europe
        • 3.3 Safe and secure Finland built on the rule of law
          • 3.3.1 Strengthening the rule of law
          • 3.3.2 Defence policy
        • 3.4 Dynamic and thriving Finland
          • 3.4.1 Transport network development
          • 3.4.2 Agriculture
        • 3.5 Finland built on trust and labour market equality
        • 3.6 Fair, equal and inclusive Finland
          • 3.6.1 Restructuring of health and social services
          • 3.6.2 Reforming social security
        • 3.7 Finland that promotes competence, education, culture and innovation
          • 3.7.1 Youth, culture and sport
      • 4 Governance
        • 4.1 Management of the strategic Government Programme
        • 4.2 Parliamentary committees
        • 4.3 Strategic ministerial working groups
        • 4.4 Ownership policy
        • 4.5 Best public administration in the world
        • 4.6 Government’s communications strategy
      • Annexes and entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 1. Summary of discretionary changes in permanent expenditure
        • Annex 2. One-off future-oriented investments
        • Annex 3. Spending limits rule
        • Annex 4. Work to combat the grey economy
        • Annex 5. Measures to combat international tax evasion and aggressive tax planning
        • Annex 6. Entries in meeting minutes
        • Annex 7. Memo of the working group on Europe regarding the key themes of Finland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union
        • Annex 8. Ideas of the working group on transport to develop land use, housing and transport
        • Annex 9. Fostering democracy
        • Annex 10. Impacts of benefit increases
        • Annex 11. Tables, Annex 1
        • Annex 12. One-off future-oriented investments, tables, Annex 2
      • Government Communications Strategy
        • Introduction
        • 1 Values in government communications
        • 2 Government’s core messages
        • 3 Cooperation in communications
        • 4 Measuring progress in achieving objectives
    • Portfolios and deputising
    • Ministerial Committees
    • Ministerial working groups
    • Ministerial pay and allowances
    • Ministers and Parliament
  • About the Government
    • Appointment and organisation
    • How does the Government work?
      • Chancellor of Justice
      • Activities of the caretaker government
    • Role of the Prime Minister
    • Ministerial committees
    • Informal government meetings and ministerial working groups
    • EU affairs and the Finnish government
    • The Government and Parliament
    • Governments and Ministers since 1917
      • Ministers in Finland by gender
      • Governments' term in office
      • Prime Minister's age on the date of appointment
      • Finland's youngest and oldest ministers
    • History
      • Government Programmes since 1917
    • Premises
      • Government Palace
      • House of the Estates
      • Government Banquet Hall
      • Prime Minister's Official Residence
      • Königstedt Manor
      • Presidential portraits
  • Contact
    • Ministries
      • Safety information for visitors
    • Ministries Communication deparment contact
    • Feedback

Contact

Finnish Government
  • Front pageFront page
  • Current issues
  • Marin's Government
  • About the Government
  • Contact
  • en
  • About the Government
  • History
  • Governments and Ministers since 1917
  • Women as ministers in independent Finland
  • Anne Berner
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
“In many ways, it might have been easier to continue influencing issues from where I have been doing it so far, namely, from business life. However, I was challenged by Juha Sipilä: ‘Why don’t you get involved in the action yourself?’ And because I want to practice what I preach, I decided to get to work.”

Anne Berner at the press briefing on Energy and Climate Strategy held at the Government Palace on 24 November 2016. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister’s Office

Anne Berner

Coming from the business world, Anne-Catherine Berner ascended directly to a ministerial role in her first term as a Member of Parliament.

Born into a family of Swiss origin, Anne Berner grew up in Helsinki, dreaming of becoming a pathologist. However, she obtained a Master of Science degree in Economics and Business Administration from Hanken School of Economics instead and joined the family business in 1986. Three years later, at the age of 25, Berner became CEO of Vallila Interior, an interior design and textiles company established by her grandfather. Under her leadership, the company grew both in terms of net turnover and headcount. In 2012, she moved to a new role as Chair of its Board of Directors.

Berner has promoted the status of family businesses on the boards of both the Finnish Family Firms Association and European Family Businesses, the former of which she also chaired. Berner also became famous as a fundraiser for the New Children’s Hospital 2017 project. In 2013, she appeared in the Finnish version of Dragons’ Den on the commercial channel Nelonen as a ‘business angel’, who is wooed by budding entrepreneurs to invest in their business.

Berner became involved in politics in 2015, when she was elected to Parliament as an independent candidate from the Centre Party’s list. Prime Minister Juha Sipilä appointed her to his Government as Minister of Transport and Communications.

During her ministerial term, Berner has been very proactive. Key issues on the agenda have included opening passenger rail transport to competition, a transport network development package and a reform of driving licence requirements. Berner’s key objectives have also covered promoting digitalisation and reducing debt related to the basic transport infrastructure maintenance backlog.

In addition to her own family company, Berner has served on the Boards of Directors of numerous other enterprises and corporations, such as Veikkaus and Soprano Plc. She has also chaired the board of Libera think tank and the Executive Committee of the Association for Finnish Work (2013–2015).

Berner has dual citizenship of both Finland and Switzerland and she speaks Swiss German at home.

“In many ways, it might have been easier to continue influencing issues from where I have been doing it so far, namely, from business life. However, I was challenged by Juha Sipilä: ‘Why don’t you get involved in the action yourself?’ And because I want to practice what I preach, I decided to get to work.” (Anne Berner on her website at anneberner.fi).

1462Days in office

Date and place of birth: 16.1.1964 Helsinki

Political party: Keskusta

Ministerial posts

  • 29.5.2015 - 29.5.2019
    Liikenne- ja viestintäministeri, Keskusta
commerce and industry traffic policy textile and clothing industry industry

Photos

Photos
Anne Berner at the Government's budget discussions held at the Prime Minister's Official Residence Kesäranta on 31 August 2016. Laura Kotila/Prime Minister’s Office
Photos
Ministers Anu Vehviläinen and Anne Berner at a press briefing at the Government Palace. Sakari Piippo/Prime Minister's Office

Texts by: Annika Puukka, Nevelyn Media Oy and Prime Minister’s Office

Finnish Government
Valtioneuvosto | Statsrådet

Snellmaninkatu 1 A, Helsinki PO Box 23

FI-00023 Government, Finland

Tel. +358 295 16001

About the site

Sitemap

Questions and feedback