Olli-Pekka Heinonen
 Olli-Pekka Heinonen       (civil servant) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 25 June 1964 |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Alma mater | University of Helsinki |
Not to be confused with Olli Heinonen, a International Atomic Energy Agency official.
Olli-Pekka Heinonen is a Finnish communications director, politician and former civil servant. From March 2012 to June 2014, Heinonen served as State Secretary to Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen. He also continued in office during Alexander Stubb’s term as prime minister. Heinonen served as the Executive Director of the National Board of Education from 2016 to 2021, after which he joined the IBO.
Heinonen was a Member of Parliament from 1995 to 2002. He was Minister of Education in the Aho Cabinet from 1994 to 1995 and in Lipponen I Cabinet from 1995 to 1999. In Lipponen II's cabinet, he was Minister of Transport (1999–2000) and Minister of Transport and Communications (2000–2002).
Career
Heinonen graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Helsinki in 1990. In 1990–1991 he worked as the planning secretary of the Coalition Party's parliamentary group and in 1991–1994 as a special assistant to the Minister of Education Riitta Uosukainen.
From 1994 to 1999, he served as the Minister of Education in the Aho cabinet and Lipponen I Cabinet after being assistant of Riitta Uosukainen, the previous Minister of Education. In 1995, Heinonen was elected to the Parliament of Finland from Satakunta. In the Lipponen II Cabinet, he served as the Minister of Transport and Communications from 1999 to 2002.[1][2]
Worthless investments
When Heinonen was the Minister of Transport, Sonera bought 3G rights in Germany for approximately EUR 3.5 billion in certain frequency bands. These later proved worthless. State ownership in Sonera was held by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Chancellor of Justice Paavo Nikula investigated Sonera's transactions and the activities of the Board in the autumn of 2002. In his conclusion, he stated that the ministers or officials of the Ministries of Transport and Communications did not violate their official duties or acted illegally. The report did not reveal that the transactions had been discussed within the Board of Directors or between the Board of Directors and Sonera's representatives.[3]
Heinonen had the greatest responsibility in the affair and announced in October 2001 that he would leave politics.
Later Career
In February 2002, he became the director of the state broadcaster YLE's Finnish-language television. He was responsible for the transfer from analog television to digital television in Finland.
He became Director of Yle Publications in 2011 in connection with the company's organizational reform.
In January 2012, Heinonen announced that he would leave YLE and become Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen's state secretary. Heinonen started on March 1, 2012 as Katainen's state secretary.
In May 2015, Heinonen became state secretary of all National Coalition Party cabinet ministers. In October 2016, Heinonen was elected Director General of the National Board of Education.
Since 1 May 2021 Heinonen is the new Director General of the International Baccalaureate replacing Dr. Siva Kumari[4]. This is the first time the International Baccalaureate appoints a Director General who has publicly held a political position before.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/2001 | 24 May 2001 | 27 May 2001 | Sweden Stenungsund | The 49th Bilderberg, in Sweden. Reported on the WWW. |
References
- ↑ https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/kansanedustajat/Sivut/420.aspx
- ↑ http://www.oph.fi/ajankohtaista/verkkouutiset/101/0/olli-pekka_heinonen_opetushallituksen_paajohtajaksi
- ↑ http://www.oikeuskansleri.fi/fi/tiedotteet/94/valtioneuvostolla-ei-osuutta-soneran-umts-kaupoista-paatettaessa/
- ↑ https://www.ibo.org/news/news-about-the-ib/international-baccalaureate-appoints-olli-pekka-heinonen-as-eighth-director-general/
