Mari took up her duties as OECD Deputy Secretary-General on 25th August 2014,Her role consists of sharing her extensive experience to help increase the impact and relevance of OECD work and to contribute to the public policy challenges of promoting inclusive growth, jobs, equality and trust.
She is responsible for the strategic oversight of the OECD’s work on Efficient and Effective Governance; Territorial Development; Trade and Agriculture, as well as Statistics. She is also responsible for advancing the Better Life Initiative.
Ms. Kiviniemi was Finland’s Prime Minister from 2010 to 2011. Previously, she was Special Advisor on Economic Policy to the Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Minister for European Affairs and Minister of Public Administration and Local Government. Elected for the first time at the age of 26, she was a Member of Parliament from 1995 to 2014, chairing and participating in a vast number of committees. She also held a variety of leadership positions in her political party, the Finnish Center Party.
An economist by training, she studied political science at the University of Helsinki and holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences. Born in 1968, she is married and has two children.