Marjo Lindgren and Teija Makkonen appointed to serve as State Secretaries

In its plenary session on 5 October, the Government appointed Master of Social Sciences Marjo Lindgren to serve as State Secretary to Minister of Social Affairs and Health Kaisa Juuso and Minister of Transport and Communications Lulu Ranne. In the same session, Teija Makkonen, Master of Military Sciences, Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Administrative Sciences, was appointed State Secretary to Minister of Justice Leena Meri and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio. Makkonen has served as State Secretary to Minister Meri since June 2023. The State Secretary’s term ends with that of the Minister.

Lindgren has served as Special Adviser to Minister Ranne since August. She has held a variety of positions in the municipal sector since 1997, the longest of which was at the City of Helsinki. She took up the post of Special Adviser after serving as Director of Risk Management and Security at the City of Vaasa. 

Prior to her duties as State Secretary, Makkonen served as an assistant to a Member of Parliament. She has had a long career in various positions in the Defence Forces, including at the National Defence University, the Navy Command, and as a Senior Planning Coordinator at the Defence Command.

State secretaries to ministers assist the ministers in matters relating to political steering and preparatory work. They also assist and represent the ministers in drafting policy outlines and coordinating interministerial matters, harmonising policy positions, implementing the Government Programme in the minister's administrative branch, and handling EU and international affairs. 

Inquiries: Timo Lankinen, Permanent State Under-Secretary, tel. +358 295 160 300, Prime Minister’s Office