Juha Ahonen is the new Director of Culture and Leisure in Helsinki

A man is sitting on a stone in a park next to a Moomin statue.
The City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Division employs around 1 800 people, who will have a new director in Juha Ahonen. He was photographed at Sorsapuisto in Tampere in spring 2021.

Ahonen will take up her post in January 2024, after serving as the Director of Culture of the City of Tampere since 2021.

He has been the Director of Culture of the City of Tampere since 2021.

Ahonen has an extensive background in culture. He has previously worked as the artistic director of the Tampere Philharmonic, the Tapiola Sinfonietta and as the event manager of the Helsinki Music Centre.

Ahonen holds a Master’s degree in singing from the Cologne University of Music in Germany, and has gained additional skills by studying, among other things, for a specialised professional qualification in management at the Espoo Region Education Group Omnia.

In the announcement of the city of Helsinki, Ahonen’s choice is justified, among other things, by his strong understanding of the culture and leisure sector, as well as his extensive network both in Finland and internationally.

The position is for seven years.

About 1,800 people work in the culture and leisure sector of the City of Helsinki.