Anu Vehviläinen

Anu Helena Vehviläinen (born 9 September 1963) is a Finnish politician for the Centre Party who served as Speaker of the Finnish Parliament from 2020 to 2022. She has previously held various cabinet positions, including Finland's Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms in the Sipilä Cabinet from 2015 to 2019;^[1] Minister of Transport from May to June 2019;^[2] and Minister of Transport in the Vanhanen II and Kiviniemi cabinets from 2007 to 2011.

Anu Vehviläinen
Vehviläinen in 2021
Speaker of the Parliament of Finland
In office 9 June 2020 – 1 February 2022
Deputy	Antti Rinne Juho Eerola
Preceded by	Matti Vanhanen
Succeeded by	Matti Vanhanen
Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms
In office 29 May 2015 – 6 June 2019
Prime Minister	Juha Sipilä
Preceded by	Paula Risikko
Succeeded by	Sirpa Paatero
Minister of Transport and Communications
In office 29 May 2019 – 6 June 2019
Prime Minister	Juha Sipilä
Preceded by	Anne Berner
Succeeded by	Sanna Marin
In office 19 April 2007 – 22 June 2011
Prime Minister	Matti Vanhanen Mari Kiviniemi
Preceded by	Susanna Huovinen
Succeeded by	Merja Kyllönen
Personal details
Born	Anu Helena Vehviläinen (1963-09-09) 9 September 1963 (age 61) Leppävirta, Finland
Political party	Centre
Spouse	Timo Hiltunen (1999–2011)

Early life and education

Vehviläinen was born in Leppävirta. She has a master's degree in Philosophy and is preparing a doctorate degree at the University of Joensuu.^{[citation needed]}

Political career

During his time in parliament, Vehviläinen served on the Committee on Education (1995–1999) and the Committee on Social Affairs and Health (2011–2015, 2019–2020), among others.^[3]

From 2015 to 2019, Vehviläinen served as Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms in the cabinet of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.^[4]

In 2020, Vehviläinen was appointed Speaker of the Finnish Parliament after Matti Vanhanen had been appointed Minister of Finance in the Marin Cabinet.^[5]

Other activities

• Finnish Innovation Fund (SITRA), Member of the Board (since 2020)^[6]

Honors

• Order of the Lion of Finland (Finland, 2022)^[7]