Päivi Luostarinen, new Ambassador of Finland in the UK
Päivi Luostarinen is as of the 1st of September 2015 the Ambassador of Finland in the United Kingdom. She moves to London from Berlin, where she also served as ambassador. Prior to that, she held the position of Director General of the Department for Europe.
Päivi Luostarinen joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1981 and has held several positions in various departments. She has been posted in both the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN in New York and Finland's Permanent Representation to the European Union. Furthermore, she served as a cabinet member for Commissioner Erkki Liikanen in the European Commission in Brussels in 1995–1996.
Luostarinen's expectations for her time as Ambassador are manifold and positive: She looks forward to representing Finland and furthering Anglo-Finnish relations. She also states that a particularly important aspect during her time as Ambassador will be the potential developments in the position of Britain within the EU.
The Ambassador is also keen to find out more about the UK: "I have not lived here before, and am excited about further acquainting myself with the country; its culture, history and society".