On 20 March 2013, the Government made the following appointments to the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA): Juhani Jokinen LL.M. with court training as Director General; Timo Mattila M.Sc.(Tech.), M.Pol.Sc. as Director of Competition Affairs; and Päivi Hentunen LL.M. as Director of Consumer Affairs and Consumer Ombudsman. All three were appointed as of 1 April 2013 for a term of seven years.
All the appointees have held their aforementioned positions on a temporary basis since the beginning of this year. Juhani Jokinen was director of the programme for promoting healthy competition at the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and was also employed at the Finnish Competition Authority, as Director General for over seven years and in other management positions for over 11 years.
Timo Mattila and Päivi Hentunen also have experience of management positions in government: eight years with the Finnish Competition Authority and 18 years with the Finnish Consumer Agency, respectively. They also contributed significantly to the setting up of the FCCA.
The FCCA began operations on 1 January 2013. Formed by merging the Finnish Competition Authority and the Finnish Consumer Agency, the new agency has the remit of ensuring a healthy and functioning market. The FCCA has a budget of EUR 11 million for 2013 and about 150 employees.