Profile

Minister of Economic Affairs Jyri Häkämies

 

Born in Karhula on 30 August 1961, Jyri Häkämies spent his childhood in Sunila, a leafy village centred around a pulp mill designed by renowned architect Alvar Aalto. He went to Sunila comprehensive school where his parents worked as teachers. The family lived in lodgings at the school. Currently resident in Kotka, he has previously lived in Hamina and Kouvola in the same electoral district. He is married to Tuija Arhosola-Häkämies. The couple has two children, Joel (b. 1989) and Erik (b. 1993), and a Petit Basset called Onni.

 

Jyri Häkämies took his matriculation examination at Sunila upper secondary school before reading political science at the University of Helsinki. He wrote his Master’s thesis on the privatisation of social and health services - something which has since proved useful, as the issue has come increasingly to the fore.

 

Jyri Häkämies completed his military service in Hamina. He went to the NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) and Reserve Officer Schools, and during his time as a conscript, he served as reporter for the Ruotuväki Bulletin, a newsletter published by the Finnish Defence Forces, which provided him with valuable work experience and a new perspective on life as a conscript.

 

Jyri Häkämies became familiar with politics at an early age as his father, Erkki Häkämies, served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 to 1979. He developed a deeper interest in politics at the age of 15 when he joined the Youth League of the National Coalition Party. Later on, his passion for politics was reinforced by his university studies. Upon graduation as a Master of Social Sciences in 1986, he took up a post as Communications Secretary of the National Coalition Party parliamentary group. After a couple of years working at Parliament, he moved into the world of business. He worked as a communications manager at Kymen Viestintä Oy and as a sales manager at Kymen Sanomat, and held the post of Managing Director at Kymenlaakso Chamber of Commerce. Through these posts, he became familiar with SMEs and stakeholder representation. He was elected Member of Parliament in 1999. From 2003 to 2006 he was Vice Chair of the National Coalition Party parliamentary group, before serving as chair for two years.

 

During the previous electoral period, Jyri Häkämies was Minister of Defence, and carried responsibility for state ownership steering, too. While these two areas are quite different, they also overlap: security of supply and the safeguarding of national interests are key issues in both.

 

Häkämies has been Minister of Economic Affairs since June 2011. He also serves as a Minister at the Ministry of Finance where he is responsible for matters covered by the Financial Markets Department.

 

In his spare time, Mr Häkämies is a keen sportsman and sports spectator. He enjoys jogging, going to the gym and playing tennis. When booking a hotel for a business trip the first thing he wants to know is whether there is a fitness centre. Mr Häkämies exercises with other ministers as well, sometimes jogging with Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen or Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb. His other interests include reading and cinema.