The EDA Steering Board today appointed Mr Olli Ruutu as next Deputy Chief Executive of the Agency. He will take up his duties in March 2018.

Mr Ruutu is currently the Deputy National Armaments Director at the Finnish Ministry of Defence and Director of the Materiel Unit at the Resource Policy Department. He chairs the Defence Administration Commercial Board and the Export Control Advisory Group and is also Deputy Chairman of the Defence Materiel Steering Group, as well as a member of the Defence Forces’ Technology Board and the Defence Administration’s Industrial Cooperation Group.

Mr Ruutu worked at the EDA between 2009 and 2014, in the Strategy and Policy Unit. Appointed by Dr Jussi Niinistö, the Minister of Defence of Finland, Mr Ruutu took part in the Agency’s Long-Term Review in 2016-2017 as his government’s representative.

Jorge Domecq, the EDA's Chief Executive, stated: “Mr Olli Ruutu’s professional experience and his knowledge of the European security and defence environment make him highly suitable for the position of Deputy Chief Executive, at a time when Member States expect the Agency to support and deliver on key initiatives such as PESCO, the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD) and the European Defence Fund. He will support the Agency’s effort to further improve its effectiveness and contribute to both the implementation of the EU Global Strategy and the EU-NATO Joint Declaration.”

Mr Ruutu was born in Espoo, Finland, in 1976. He is married and has three children. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Science (International Relations) from Helsinki University, Finland. In addition to his mother tongue Finnish, Mr Ruutu is fluent in English and Swedish and speaks French and German.