Katainen to lead public think tank SITRA

The administrative council of the Finnish public think tank SITRA were severely split on Friday in electing ex-prime minister and former conservative party leader Jyrki Katainen as their new CEO.

While Katainen got five votes, Markku Wilenius, a future studies professor, got four votes. Wilenius said in an interview with a Finnish language newspaper Kaleva that the decision was political.

Katainen was unwilling to comment. The position had been open for public applications.

The board of the think tank, mainly comprising civil servants, had nominated Katainen as their sole candidate a week earlier, but the administrative council that comprises politicians had wanted more time and on Friday interviewed both candidates.

The surprise decision to interview the candidates got wide publicity in the media as the candidacy of Katainen had been considered a certain outcome.

Announcing the appointment of Katainen, Antti Lindtman, the chairman of the parliamentary group of the social democrats, said Katainen had "superior qualities in leadership and extensive societal network."

Although a public body, SITRA is independent of budget financing. Its original operating capital was donated by the government in 1967 and has grown significantly since. It is now 840 million euros and gives SITRA possibilities that outweigh any other think tank in Finland.