Anne-Mari Virolainen

{{short description|Finnish politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Anne-Mari Virolainen

| image = Anne-Mari Virolainen.jpg

| caption =

| office1 = Minister for Foreign Trade and Development

| primeminister1 = Juha Sipilä

| term_start1 = 12 February 2018

| term_end1 = 6 June 2019

| predecessor1 = Kai Mykkänen

| successor1 = Ville Skinnari

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1965|12|5|df=y}}

| birth_place = Turku, Southwest Finland, Finland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = National Coalition Party

| spouse = Petri Virolainen

}}

Anne-Mari Virolainen (born 5 December 1965) is a Finnish politician of the National Coalition Party who has been a member of the Parliament of Finland since 2007, representing Finland Proper.{{cite web|title=Anne-Mari Virolainen|url=https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/kansanedustajat/Sivut/948.aspx|website=eduskunta.fi|publisher=Parliament of Finland|accessdate=2 August 2017}}

Early life and career

Virolainen was born in Turku. She graduated from Turku School of Economics as Master of Economics in 1990. She has worked as an executive in Telia InfoMedia, Sonera and ICT Turku.

Political career

Virolainen chaired the municipal council of Lieto from 2005 to 2012. She has been elected to the Parliament four times: with 6,812 votes in 2007, with 10,041 votes in 2011, with 7,169 votes in 2015 and with 7,246 votes in 2019.{{cite web|title=Information Service|url=http://tulospalvelu.vaalit.fi/indexe.html|website=vaalit.fi|publisher=Ministry of Justice of Finland|accessdate=2 August 2017}} She served as vice president of the National Coalition Party from 2010 to 2016.{{cite news|last1=Tikka|first1=Juha-Pekka|title=Anne-Mari Virolainen ei hae jatkoa kokoomusjohdossa|url=https://www.verkkouutiset.fi/politiikka/annemari-50166|accessdate=2 August 2017|work=Verkkouutiset|publisher=Kansalliskustannus|date=9 May 2016}} Since 2015, Virolainen has chaired the Grand Committee of the Parliament.

On 6 February 2018, after a reshuffle of the ministerial portfolios by the National Coalition party, Virolainen took over as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development in the Sipilä Cabinet.{{Cite web |url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005555226.html |title=Virolaisesta uusi kokoomusministeri – kokoomus kierrätti myös ministerisalkkujaan |work=Ilta-Sanomat |date=6 February 2018 |accessdate=6 February 2018}}

Personal life

Virolainen resides in Lieto. She is married to Docent Petri Virolainen with whom she has three children, the oldest of which died in 2005 due to the rare Jansky–Bielschowsky disease.{{cite web| url = https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000000882824.html | title = Kansanedustaja kertoo lapsensa kuolemasta: ”Ensimmäinen vuosi oli pahin”| author = Kolsi, Eeva-Kaarina| work = Ilta-Sanomat| date = 23 February 2015| accessdate = 25 January 2024 | language = fi}}

References