Kristi Kauppi

Ambassador Kristi Kauppi has over 30 years of experience in foreign policy. She joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1983, and started working in development cooperation. Prior to coming to Washington D.C., she worked as Director General of the Political Department.

Her most recent post abroad was Vienna, where she served as Ambassador of Finland and as Finland's Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA and the UN Agencies. She has gained international experience also in the Finnish embassies in Bangkok and Berlin, as well as in Finland's Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels. In addition, Ambassador Kauppi is familiar with the U.S. She worked at the Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C. in 1997-2000.

Ambassador Kauppi grew up in northern Finland, in a small village close to Oulu. She studied in the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, and received her Master's degree in Economics in 1981. She has always been interested in history and international affairs, so it is no surprise that she has made her career in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.