Härmälä says that he is proud of his appointment. “I feel like my new
colleagues and I have been trusted with a precious national asset. I want
Metsähallitus to share our natural resources with the public. Our task is to
support the development and well-being of Finnish society any way we can. We
develop sustainable nature conservation solutions that are first class even on
an international scale, and we also sell one in ten of the cubic metres of wood
bought by the Finnish forest industry.”
“Metsähallitus wears many hats and has a lot of responsibility. We manage one
third of Finland’s
area. We develop solutions for forestry, maintain national parks and
recreational areas, and oversee hunting and fishing. We look after Finland’s
cultural heritage, protect vulnerable species and promote the use of renewable
forms of energy. Metsähallitus has done a lot of important and ground-breaking
work.”
“Finnish entrepreneurship has grown increasingly close to my heart as I have
progressed in my career. I have a lot of respect for Metsähallitus for its
efforts to promote entrepreneurship in different sectors – be it local sawmills
or haulage entrepreneurs or tourism companies that base their services on our
national parks. Metsähallitus’ impact on Finnish economy is much greater than
the revenue it generates for the Finnish
State, which in itself is
an impressive Euro 130 million a year.”
Härmälä currently acts as the Director-General of the Energy Department at the
Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
His previous posts include that of the Director-General of the European Fertilizer Manufacturers’ Association in Brussels and that of the President of the Central Union of Agricultural Producers and Forest Owners. Härmälä has also previously served as an EU membership negotiator at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and as a Special Adviser to the Prime Minister, in addition to which he has worked at Finland’s EC Representation in Brussels.