PM named among world’s 100 top emerging leaders

Prime Minister Sanna Marin has been named in the list of the 100 most “emerging leaders who are shaping the future” by Time Magazine.

The Time magazine published the 100 Next list on Wednesday and Marin is one of six people on the list for whom the magazine has published a cover photo.

“I have yet to meet Sanna Marin in person, because the COVID-19 pandemic has thwarted our tradition of Nordic leaders meeting regularly. Instead of meeting face-to-face, we have kick-started our vision of being digital front runners and met online. I watched virtually as Sanna began her role as prime minister of Finland, taking office just weeks before the country’s first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in January 2020. New to the job, Marin Sanna did not have much of a honeymoon period, but she adapted quickly. By implementing a lockdown in March and banning travel in parts of the country, Sanna helped the nation keep coronavirus infection level at one-fifth of the European Union average,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in an article published in the Time magazine introducing Marin.

Solberg said globally, Sanna Marin has been celebrated for becoming prime minister so young.

“However, she is not a political novice, and during the pandemic, she has proved that good leadership does not depend on age. Times of crisis show us what people are made of. She’s an important part of a strong team of women political leaders in the Nordic-Baltic region. I look forward to our cooperation in the future. And being able to meet,” wrote Solberg in the article.

Amanda Gorman, who recited a poem at US President Joe Biden’s inauguration, Black Lives Matter movement activist Jessica Byrd, and Belarus leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who challenged Alexander Lukashenko in the presidential election, were also included on this year’s 100 Next list.

People from different sectors, including business, sports, science, entertainment, and health were included in the list of 100 this year.

Earlier, in November 2020, Sanna Marin has been named in the list of the 100 most “inspiring and influential” women of 2020 in the world published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

The list has been prepared in four categories – knowledge, leadership, creativity, and identity and Marin was included in the ‘Leadership’ category.