The International Baccalaureate has recently appointed Olli-Pekka Heinonen as the eighth Director-General of the organisation. He most recently served as the Director-General of the Finnish National Agency for Education, whose core tasks included develop education and training, early childhood education and lifelong learning.

Prior to this, Heinonen held various positions in the Finnish Government, including State Secretary and Minister of Education and Science, as well as senior commercial roles in the Finnish National Broadcasting Company.

He is a regular speaker in global educational forums and is actively engaged with the OECD and other international organisations in contributing views on the future of education, including the sharing of best practice, personalised and lifelong learning, the impact of technology and the development of educators. 

Commenting on the appointment, Dr Helen Drennen, the Chair of the IB Board of Governors said, “The IB Board of Governors is delighted and privileged to welcome Olli-Pekka Heinonen as the new Director General at a time of great change across the world. He will bring a leading, influential voice to shaping the future of international education and to the next era of the IB.”

Heinonen said, “I am honored to join the IB community to further develop the mission of creating a better world through education. It is clear that we are suffering from a global learning and teaching crisis, and COVID-19 has magnified these challenges. I am looking forward to working together with schools and educators to develop solutions to address these challenges and find ways to develop a strong future for our students.”

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