October 4: WACC Ambassadors Circle Series with H.E. Kirsti Kauppi, Ambassador of Finland to the U.S.

 The Transatlantic Relationship: A Finnish Perspective 

Join the World Affairs Council of Charlotte as we host H.E. Kirsti Kauppi, the Ambassador of Finland to the United States at noon on Thursday, October 4 at the Hilton Charlotte Center City.

In 2018, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network study found Finland to be the happiest country in the world. The U.S. has maintained an enduring partnership with the historically neutral country as they work together to be bastions of human rights and friendly international economic development. Ambassador Kauppi will share her insight on Finland’s success in the realms of healthcare, prosperity, and quality of life, and her perspective on Finland – U.S. relations, trade, and the future of the E.U.

Ambassador Kauppi has also served as Political Director and Director General for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, Deputy Chief of Mission in the Finnish Embassy in Berlin, and advisor to the Secretary of State of Finland.

• Credit card payments (non-PayPal transactions): Please call 704-687-7762 for payment processing over the phone
• Check payments: Please make your check payable to “World Affairs Council of Charlotte” and mail it to the following address:

World Affairs Council of Charlotte
UNC Charlotte – CHHS 227
9201 University City Blvd.
Charlotte, NC 28223

All reservation cancellations must be completed at least 3 business days prior to an event for a full refund. Pease let us know in advance if you have dietary restrictions so that we can make the appropriate accommodations.

Biography

Ms. Kirsti Kauppi became Ambassador of Finland to the United States in September 2015. Before that (2012-2015) she was Political Director (Director General for Political Affairs) at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki. In 2009-2012 Ambassador Kauppi served as Director General for Africa and the Middle East. In 2005 she was appointed Ambassador of Finland to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN-related international organizations located in Vienna. During her term in Vienna, Ambassador Kauppi also served for three years as the Finnish Governor in the IAEA Board of Governors, including vice-chair of the Board. Ambassador Kauppi has also served in the Finnish Embassy in Berlin (2003-2005) as Deputy Chief of Mission (Minister). Her other foreign posts include Washington (1997-2000), the Finnish Permanent Mission to the EU in Brussels (1993-1997) and Bangkok (1989-92).

In 2001-2003 she was head of EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy coordination in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Helsinki. This was after serving two years (2000-2001) as advisor to the State Secretary. In the beginning of her career in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1983, Ambassador Kauppi worked primarily with development cooperation issues, including a two-year period (1985-86) in the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva.

Ambassador Kauppi was born in 1957 in Oulu, Northern Finland. She studied in the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration and received her Master’s degree in Economics in 1981. In 1983 she joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland where she has made her professional career since then. Ambassador Kauppi is, in addition to her native Finnish, fluent in English, Swedish, German and French. She is an avid reader of history and enjoys walking and bicycle riding in her free time.