Skip to content
Government and ministries
  • Suomi
  • Svenska
  • English
Media
Search page »
  •  Front page
  • Current issues
    • Information and advice on the coronavirus
      • Current restrictions
        • Entry restrictions and health measures in place in Finland
      • Questions and answers
      • Information on the coronavirus by telephone and chat
      • Topical material
        • Government press conferences
        • Government press releases
        • Ministries' press releases
      • Management of the COVID-19 situation in central government
        • Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
        • Ministry for Foreign Affairs
        • Ministry of Education and Culture
        • Ministry of the Interior
        • Ministry of Justice
        • Ministry of Finance
        • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
      • 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
    • Division of responsibilities between ministers
    • 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
  • Paula Lehtomäki
« All female ministers
Cover photo of minister
"You can leave the easier tasks for other people. That means you have to do the difficult tasks yourself."

Paula Lehtomäki was appointed Minister of the Environment in the Second Vanhanen Government. Picture at the Presidential Palace, 20 April 2007. Prime Minister's Office

Paula Lehtomäki

Paula Ilona Lehtomäki is the youngest woman ever appointed a minister in Finland.

A daughter of a family of teachers from Kuhmo, Paula Lehtomäki studied in Turku, graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science as well as a Master's in Business Administration. Having worked as a substitute lecturer at an upper secondary school and a research assistant, Lehtomäki started her political career at the Kuhmo City Council. She was voted into Parliament in 1999.

As a Member of Parliament, Lehtomäki has served in the Administration and Legal Affairs Committee, and as the deputy chair of the Grand Committee. At the age of 30, she became Minister for Foreign Trade and Development in Jäätteenmäki's Government. She continued in the position in Vanhanen's first Government and subsequently as the Minister of the Environment in Vanhanen's second Government and in Kiviniemi's Government. She was the deputy chair of the parliamentary group of the Centre Party from 2002 to 2010. Stating family issues, she announced that she would not be running for the chairmanship of her party despite broad support in 2010.

 

The 2015 parliamentary elections marked Lehtomäki's first time running as a candidate for Helsinki. She received enough votes to become a Deputy Member of Parliament. In the summer of 2015, Prime Minister Juha Sipilä appointed her State Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office. Lehtomäki would have received a seat in the Parliament at the beginning of 2017, replacing Olli Rehn who had taken up a post in the Board of the Bank of Finland, but she applied for an exemption from the position in order to continue her work as the State Secretary.

Lehtomäki has had numerous positions of trust in different foundations and organisations as well as in the supervisory board of VR Group. She was the chair of Finland-Russia Society from 2014 to 2015, but left the position as she was appointed State Secretary.

”My motto is that you can leave the easier tasks for other people. That means you have to do the difficult tasks yourself.” (Interview with Paula Lehtomäki by the Prime Minister's Office, 15/05/2017)

”I never wondered about whether I'm somehow too frail or young woman. I took command of the position [as a minister]. As time went by, I could see that I can manage. Every great leader in the world is just a human. I've yet to encounter a superhuman being.” (Talvitie, Eveliina: Keitäs tyttö kahvia. Naisia politiikan portailla. WSOY, 2013, p. 131).

2613Days in office

Date and place of birth: 29.11.1972 Kuhmo

Political party: Keskusta

Ministerial posts

  • 17.4.2003 - 24.6.2003
    Ministeri kauppa- ja teollisuusministeriössä, Keskusta
  • 24.6.2003 - 2.9.2005
    Ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri, Keskusta
  • 3.3.2006 - 19.4.2007
    Ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri, Keskusta
  • 19.4.2007 - 28.9.2007
    Ympäristöministeri, Keskusta
  • 11.4.2008 - 22.6.2010
    Ympäristöministeri, Keskusta
  • 22.6.2010 - 22.6.2011
    Ympäristöministeri, Keskusta
development policy Ministry for Foreign Affairs Prime Minister's Office state secretaries foreign trade Ministry of the Environment grand committee

Photos

Photos
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paula Lehtomäki and State Secretary for EU Affairs Antti Peltomäki at a briefing before Finland’s EU Presidency on 17 September 2004. Prime Minister's Office
Photos
State Secretary Risto Volanen congratulates Paula Lehtomäki on her marriage on 31 March 2005. Prime Minister's Office
Photos
Paula Lehtomäki scored the winning goal in a football match between teams captained by the prime ministers of Finland and Estonia. The match held on 10 June 2017 was in honour of the centenary of Finland’s independence. Lehtomäki pictured with Finland’s football coach Antti Muurinen. Anne Sjöholm/Prime Minister's Office
Photos
State Secretary Paula Lehtomäki pictured at the Government Palace in 2017. Laura Kotila/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