Katja Kärkkäinen, MSc (Econ), has been appointed Human Resources Director at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE), with effect from 23 February 2026.
Ms Kärkkäinen will lead the newly established human resources (HR) team at the Centre. She will also join the Executive Team.
“The newly established HR Director position is a key tool for the professionalization of Hybrid CoE’s HR policies and development. I’m very pleased that we’ve found an expert of Katja Kärkkäinen’s calibre to lead this work. She’ll bring extensive expertise and valuable new perspectives to support the Centre’s HR development,” said Teija Tiilikainen, Director of Hybrid CoE.
Before joining Hybrid CoE, Ms Kärkkäinen worked as HR Director at the Centre for Occupational Safety in Finland. Prior to that, she held various HR and HRD positions, as well as management consultancy roles at companies such as Orion, Deloitte and Accenture.
“It’s an honour to join this team of highly skilled professionals who are doing such important work to counter hybrid threats. The people at Hybrid CoE play a key role as these threats evolve, and HR’s role is to enable their work by building capabilities, refining HR processes and supporting wellbeing at work. I’m very excited to take up this position and lead our newly established HR team,” Ms Kärkkäinen commented.
Hybrid CoE is an autonomous, network-based international expert organization dedicated to addressing hybrid threats. Its mission is to enhance the security of its 35 Participating States, the European Union and NATO by providing expertise, training and networks to counter these threats. Its core values are excellence, integrity and respect. The Centre is located in Helsinki, Finland.
