Veera Heinonen appointed Sitra’s Director of Communications

Veera Heinonen (born 1971) has been appointed as the new Director of Communications for the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra. She will be in charge of communications and corporate relations.

Most recently, she worked as Spokesperson for the President of the Republic of Finland.

Heinonen starts in her new role at Sitra on 1 March 2013.

Veera Heinonen’s previous work experience covers many areas of Finnish society. Prior to her role at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Heinonen’s career included working as a journalist and news editor for more than ten years for employers such as Finland’s national broadcasting company Yleisradio and Sanoma Group’s financial daily Taloussanomat. Between 2003 and 2006, Heinonen was the London correspondent for Taloussanomat.

In 2006, Heinonen started working for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs; first as Press Counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in London, and later as Director of Communications in Finland.

“Sitra plays a significant role in Finnish society’s future, both as visionary and implementer. It is leading the way for others. I am privileged to become part of this work. I feel my background in the social and journalism sectors will be an advantage in this new position”, says Heinonen.

Heinonen has a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. In addition to her native Finland, she has lived in the US, the UK and Austria.