New Ambassadors to Brazil, Hungary and Czech Republic

At the presidential session on Friday 20 April, the President of the Republic appointed new Ambassadors of Finland. Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jouko Leinonen will transfer to Brazil, Ambassador Markku Virri to Hungary, and Senior Adviser Jukka Pesola to the Czech Republic. They will assume their new functions on 1 September 2018.

Jouko Leinonen will transfer to Brazil from the Unit for Southern and Western Africa, where he is currently Director of Unit.

Previously he has served as Deputy Head of Mission in Paris, Brasilia and Abu Dhabi, and held trade policy positions for example in Finland’s Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels.

In addition to the Ministry's Department for Africa and the Middle East, Leinonen has worked in the Department for Development Policy and in the EU Secretariat.

Leinonen holds a Master of Science (Technology) and a Master of Social Sciences degrees. He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1996.

Finland's future Ambassador to Budapest, Hungary, Markku Virri, is currently Finland's Ambassador to Brazil.

He has worked as Deputy Head of Mission in Ottawa, Canada, and held positions in Finland's embassies in The Hague, London and Brasilia.

In the Ministry, Virri has worked as Director of the Unit for Arms Control and held positions in the Political Department, Department for External Economic Relations, Department for Development Policy, and Department for the Americas and Asia.

Virri holds a Master of Social Sciences degree. He joined the Foreign Ministry in 1991.

Jukka Pesola will transfer to Prague from the Unit for Central, Western and Southern Europe, where he is currently Special Adviser.

From 2013 to 2017, Pesola worked as Director of the Unit for Trade Policy, and from 2010 to 2013 he was Director of the Unit for International Environmental Policy. In the Department for External Economic Relations he has held also other positions.

In the diplomatic service, Pesola has worked in the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York, and Finland's Embassy in Moscow.

Pesola holds a Master of Administrative Sciences degree. He joined the Ministry in 1991 and after the Training Course for Newly Recruited Diplomats started his diplomatic career in 1995.

Inquiries: Pirjo Tulokas, Deputy Director General for Personnel, tel. +358 295 351,413.