Riikkamari Muhonen has been elected as the director for FinnAgora, the Finnish institute of culture, science and economy in Budapest. The position begins the 15th of January 2024 and is a three year mandate period with a possibility for extension.

The board of FinnAgora foundation elected the director. The board consists of representatives from cities, universities, the ministry, culture sector, financial sector and civil society. The chairman for the foundation is Alderman Jyrki Myllyvirta.

 

-I am very flattered and happy about the opportunity to return to Budapest, the city I studied at, and to build bridges between Finnish and Hungarian actors,says the elected director Riikkamari Muhonen. 

 

The FinnAgora foundation promotes on a broad range the development of collaborations between Finland and Hungary. In the recently renewed strategy for the foundation the values of the foundation are emphasized or Nordic democracy, equality, freedom of speech and equity, as also openness and curiosity to find new forms of collaboration and new partners. The field of operation for the foundation is in culture, science and economy. It strives to develop innovations in these fields and to offer a meeting place, an agora, for dialogue.

Muhonen is currently working as an assistant professor in Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan at the American University of Central Asia. She has worked as a journalist at Sunnuntaisuomalaisessa (Sunday Finn) for Väli-Suomen Media (Middle-Finland Media). She has also, during her studies, been an intern at the Finnish institute in Athens and the Embassy of Finland in Moscow in the communication and culture sector.

Muhonen has a Phd in comparative history studies from the Central European University from 2022. She also has masters degrees in philosophy and political sciences from the University of Jyväskylä.

 

More information:

-Riikkamari Muhonen, Director of the Finnish institute in Hungary from the 15th of January 2024, e-mail: muhonen_riikkamari@phd.ceu.edu 

Mikko Lohikoski, officer for the FinnAgora Foundation, tel: +358 50 559 0238