Erkki Liikanen

Erkki Liikanen began his political career in the Finnish Parliament, where he served as a member from 1972 to 1990 representing the Social Democratic Party. During this period, he held the position of Minister of Finance from 1987 to 1990. He subsequently transitioned to diplomatic and international roles, serving as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Finland to the European Union from 1990 to 1994.

In 1995, Liikanen was appointed as a European Commissioner, a role he held until 2004. During his tenure, his portfolios included Budget, Personnel and Administration, and later Enterprise and Information Society. Following his service in the European Commission, he was appointed Governor of the Bank of Finland, serving two seven-year terms from 2004 to 2018. In this capacity, he was also a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank.

Since 2018, Liikanen has chaired the Trustees of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics and, since 2020, as the chairman of the Brussels-based economic think tank Bruegel. His career is marked by long-term involvement in fiscal policy, central banking, and international economic governance.