Tapio Pyysalo, MSc Econ, has been appointed Head of International Relations at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats from 14 August 2023.
His predecessor, Rasmus Hindrén, will return to the Finnish Ministry of Defence on 1 September. Rasmus will start working in a newly created position as a team leader for EU and NATO defence policy.
The Head of International Relations is responsible for maintaining and developing relations with the Centre’s 33 Participating States, the EU, NATO, as well as other key partners.
“I’m very happy that we’ve found a highly competent and motivated successor to Rasmus, who has done a great job developing Hybrid CoE’s relations with its key stakeholders,” said Hybrid CoE Director Teija Tiilikainen. “Tapio will now take this important work forward, together with the hard-working International Relations team and the support of the whole Centre.”
Tapio Pyysalo is a career diplomat in the Finnish foreign service. He has gained experience from several foreign and domestic postings, with a particular focus on security policy and multilateral diplomacy. He was most recently posted to New York, where he worked on UN Security Council affairs, and has previously worked on EU and NATO security policy both in Brussels and Helsinki.
“I’m very excited to join the highly professional Hybrid CoE team at a time when its work is more relevant than ever. I look forward to working with all Participating States and other international partners to counter hybrid threats,” commented Tapio.
Hybrid CoE’s mission is to strengthen its Participating States’ security by providing expertise and training for countering hybrid threats, and by enhancing EU-NATO cooperation in this respect. The Centre is an autonomous hub for practitioners and experts, located in Helsinki, Finland.
