Veli-Mikko Niemi was appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in August 2022. Previously he worked as Director General of the Department for Communities and Functional Capacity and the Department for Promotion of Welfare and Health. When acting as Director of the International Affairs Unit he was responsible for the Ministry´s coordination of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union (2019). Niemi worked as Director of Food Safety at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in 2007–2014 and as Deputy Director General in 2002–2007. Before that, he held various expert positions at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the European Commission. Niemi holds the degree of Licentiate of Veterinary Medicine.
