Anu Vehviläinen

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name = Anu Vehviläinen

| honorific-suffix =

| image = PuhemiesAnuVehvilainen (cropped).jpg

| caption = Vehviläinen in 2021

| office1 = Speaker of the Parliament of Finland

| term_start1 = 9 June 2020

| term_end1 = 1 February 2022

| deputy1 = Antti Rinne
Juho Eerola

| predecessor1= Matti Vanhanen

| successor1= Matti Vanhanen

| office2 = Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms

| primeminister2 = Juha Sipilä

| term_start2 = 29 May 2015

| term_end2 = 6 June 2019

| predecessor2 = Paula Risikko

| successor2 = Sirpa Paatero

| office3 = Minister of Transport and Communications

| primeminister3 = Juha Sipilä

| term_start3 = 29 May 2019

| term_end3 = 6 June 2019

| predecessor3 = Anne Berner

| successor3 = Sanna Marin

| primeminister4 = Matti Vanhanen
Mari Kiviniemi

| term_start4 = 19 April 2007

| term_end4 = 22 June 2011

| predecessor4 = Susanna Huovinen

| successor4 = Merja Kyllönen

| birth_name= Anu Helena Vehviläinen

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|9|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = Leppävirta, Finland

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Centre

| spouse = Timo Hiltunen (1999–2011)

}}

Anu Helena Vehviläinen (born 9 September 1963) is a Finnish politician for the Centre Party who served as Speaker of the Finnish Parliament from 2020 to 2022. She has previously held various cabinet positions, including Finland's Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms in the Sipilä Cabinet from 2015 to 2019;{{Cite web|url=http://vm.fi/en/ministers|title=Ministers|website=Valtiovarainministeriö|language=en-US|access-date=21 March 2018}} Minister of Transport from May to June 2019;{{cite news |title=Anne Berner vapautettiin ministeritehtävistään – tilalle ministeri Vehviläinen |url=https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000006124344.html |publisher=Ilta-Sanomat |accessdate=30 May 2019 |language=fi |date=29 May 2019}} and Minister of Transport in the Vanhanen II and Kiviniemi cabinets from 2007 to 2011.

Early life and education

Vehviläinen was born in Leppävirta. She has a master's degree in Philosophy and is preparing a doctorate degree at the University of Joensuu.{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}

Political career

During his time in parliament, Vehviläinen served on the Committee on Education (1995–1999) and the Committee on Social Affairs and Health (2011–2015, 2019–2020), among others.[https://www.eduskunta.fi/EN/kansanedustajat/Pages/508.aspx Anu Vehviläinen] Parliament of Finland.

From 2015 to 2019, Vehviläinen served as Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms in the cabinet of Prime Minister Juha Sipilä.{{cite web |url= http://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/article/-/asset_publisher/sipilan-hallitus-nimitettiin?_101_INSTANCE_3qmUeJgIxZEK_groupId=10616 |title= Sipilä's Government appointed |date= 29 May 2015 |website= valtioneuvosto.fi |publisher= the Finnish Government |access-date= 11 June 2016 |archive-date= 29 May 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150529174452/http://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/article/-/asset_publisher/sipilan-hallitus-nimitettiin?_101_INSTANCE_3qmUeJgIxZEK_groupId=10616 |url-status= dead }}

In 2020, Vehviläinen was appointed Speaker of the Finnish Parliament after Matti Vanhanen had been appointed Minister of Finance in the Marin Cabinet.{{cite web| url= https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/centre_party_proposes_anu_vehvilainen_as_speaker_of_parliament/11391231 | publisher= Yle | title= Centre Party proposes Anu Vehviläinen as Speaker of Parliament | date= 8 June 2020 | accessdate= 26 June 2020}}

Other activities

Finnish Innovation Fund (SITRA), Member of the Board (since 2020)[https://www.eduskunta.fi/EN/kansanedustajat/Pages/508.aspx Anu Vehviläinen] Parliament of Finland.

Honors

55x55px Order of the Lion of Finland (Finland, 2022){{Cite web |title=Medaljregn inför självständighetsdagen – Sanna Marin, Pekka Haavisto och Björn Wahlroos får utmärkelser |url=https://www.hbl.fi/artikel/6b702618-dc34-46c1-9bf5-38d55efd2176 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=Hufvudstadsbladet |language=sv}}