Finland: New Ambassadors to Bern, Hanoi, Nairobi and Tehran

NordenBladet — At the presidential session on Friday 12 February, the President of the Republic appointed new Ambassadors to Bern, Hanoi, Nairobi and Tehran.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Valtteri Hirvonen to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Bern, starting on 1 September 2021. Hirvonen will move to Bern from the Ministry, where he has held the post of Director for Occupational Wellbeing since 2018. In 2014–2018, he served as Finland’s Ambassador in Reykjavik. His career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts also in Canberra, Mexico City, Warsaw, Tokyo and Pyongyang. Hirvonen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1988. He holds a Master of Arts degree.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Keijo Norvanto to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Hanoi, starting, starting on 1 September 2021. Norvanto will move to Hanoi from Tehran, where he has served as Head of Mission since 2017. In 2014–2017, he served as Deputy Director General of Communications of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 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.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Pirkka Tapiola to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Nairobi, starting on 1 September 2021. Tapiola will move to Nairobi from Bangkok, where he has been Head of the EU Delegation  to Thailand since 2017. He has also worked as Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova and,  in 2004–2009, he served as Senior Advisor to the then High Representative Javier Solana.  His career in the Finnish Diplomatic Service includes posts in Bangkok and Kyiv. He has also served in the OSCE Mission in Riga, Latvia. Tapiola joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1994. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Sciences (International Relations).

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Kari Kahiluoto to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Tehran, starting on 1 September 2021. Kahiluoto will move to Tehran from Hanoi, where he has worked as Head of Mission since 2017. In 2014–2017, he served as Chief of the Secretariat for Nordic Cooperation. In 2013–2014, when the Finnish mission to Syria was temporarily based in Beirut, Kahiluoto served as the Finnish Ambassador to Syria . In the Diplomatic Service, he has also worked as Finland’s Permanent Representative to the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva and served in Beijing and at Finland’s Mission to NATO in Brussels. Kahiluoto joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1986. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.