Jyrki Katainen is currently Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness. He joined the college in July 2014 as Vice- President for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the euro.

Before that he served as Prime Minister of Finland, 2011 – 2014 and Minister of Finance, 2007 – 2011. He was Member of Finnish Parliament 1999 – 2014 for the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus).

He was Member of the Finnish Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 2003 – 2007, Member of the Administrative Council of the Finnish Broadcasting Company 2003 – 2005, Member of the Finish Delegation to the Western European Union Parliamentary Assembly 2004 – 2005 and the Deputy Member of the Finnish Delegation to the Nordic Council 2001 – 2003.

Jyrki Katainen has MSc in Political Science from the University of Tampere, Finland (1998) and he did an Erasmus exchange year at the University of Leicester, UK.

His hobbies are running, cycling and tennis.