Leif Schulman © Marika Turtiainen
Today, the Finnish Government has appointed Leif Schulman, PhD, as the Director General of the Finnish Environment Institute for the period from 1 January 2021 to 31 October 2025. Schulman will move to his new position from the University of Helsinki’s Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus, which he has been head of for the past ten years. Lea Kauppi, who served as Director General of SYKE for 25 years, retired from her position at the beginning of November.
SYKE, which will be led by Leif Schulman, is an environmental research and expert institute that produces information and expertise for the use of public and private decision-making. SYKE works in a solution-oriented manner and strives to build a sustainable society in cooperation with national and international networks and operators. SYKE has about 680 staff members.
"I accept the role of Director General with humility, and am grateful for the trust placed in me. SYKE is an extremely important producer of information that supports decision-making. It is truly inspiring to be involved in developing its activities, especially now that the loss of nature is rising alongside climate change as the focal point of social debate. My goal is to help and support the SYKE employees to find solutions for a sustainable future", Leif Schulman summarises his sentiments about his new role.
Leif Schulman is a biologist and completed his doctoral dissertation in 2003 at the University of Turku on the specification and protection of Amazonian plants. During Schulman's leadership, Luomus developed into a modern museum with high-quality research units based on the Luomus brand. Over the years, he has held several national and international positions of trust and expertise. Schulman's project and publication activities have also been extensive.
"It will be fantastic to get a Director General who is known for reforming the production and utilisation of environmental information to steer SYKE on to the next quarter of a century. According to a recent international evaluation, SYKE is an important multidisciplinary promoter of sustainability and a key partner for many environmental and sustainability actors in Finland. Led by Leif Schulman, our role is sure to become even clearer", says Eeva Primmer, acting Director General of SYKE.