European Vice-President of IUHPE/EURO 2007–2010
Executive Director Mika Pyykkö

A changing of the guard at the IUHPE
A changing of the guard at the IUHPE
President of IUHPE 2007–2010
Doctor David McQueen
President of IUHPE 2000–2006
Professor Maurice Mittelmark
European Vice-President of IUHPE/EURO 2000–2006
Professor John Kenneth Davies

1. First of all, congratulations on being elected! You have the honour of serving as the first Finnish chairperson of the European region of the IUHPE (IUHPE-EURO). How did you feel about accepting this duty?


The possibility of my becoming Vice-President was first raised in the spring of 2006, when I mostly laughed at the suggestion, mainly because I had more than enough work without it.

However, discussion about the matter continued all through last autumn, when the matter came up in the management of the Finnish Centre for Health Promotion for the first time. The governing body’s opinion was that if I feel I have the time to manage the task, I should consider it very seriously, because it apparently entails many benefits for the organisation and for promotion of health in Finland in general.

After the leadership of Tekry defined its policy, I reported to my colleagues at the IUHPE in the first half of the year that I would be available if they could not find anyone else to become chairperson. The feedback I received at that time from various parts of Europe was that they wanted me and no-one else in the position. On the basis of this show of confidence, I eventually accepted the task with humility and enthusiasm.

2. Besides presiding at meetings of the IUHPE in Europe, what other duties do you have in your new post?

Reporting on operations in Europe to the Board of Trustees and headquarters staff of the IUHPE in Paris, and organisation of activities in the region in general. I have come to understand that one specific reason they wanted me to become chairperson was that Finns have a good reputation for organising work and meeting deadlines when it comes to matters that have been agreed upon.

3. There are five regional Vice-Presidents of the IUHPE worldwide. Can you briefly explain how your duties differ from the tasks of the six regional directors? And how about compared with the posts of IUHPE President David McQueen and Executive Director Marie-Claude Lamarre, who works at the headquarters in Paris?

Indeed, it may be true that outsiders do not have a clear picture of the organisational model of the IUHPE. The roles of President and Executive Director of the IUHPE do not actually differ in any way from corresponding roles in a typical Finnish organisation, for example. However, the President of the IUHPE is expected to be much more involved in practical matters that the average chairperson of a Finnish organisation.

We regional Vice-Presidents are responsible for general management of operations in our own region, or on our continent. In addition to chairpersons, almost all areas have regional directors, who are in charge of day-to-day management. Also, the IUHPE has several global Vice-Presidents, for various sectors, such as communications and finance.

4. How much time do you estimate that the IUHPE takes of your working hours, as you are also the executive director of Tekry? How do you believe you will have time for both?

When the leaders of Tekry discussed this matter, they reminded me that the main focus of my work should still be clearly on my work in Finland. Therefore, being Chairperson of IUHPE-EURO must not disrupt handling of any ‘Finland-specific’ task to a significant degree. At the moment I believe that the chairperson’s duties require, on average, a couple of days per month. In the 20 years when I played in or coached the national table tennis team, I travelled around the world so much that I do not want to go on any trips anymore without a very good reason. On the other hand, I am used to travel now and I do not see it as a particular burden or hindrance to good management of affairs.

Fortunately, we got a new planning officer at Tekry at the start of September, who is used to dealing with international affairs and whose main job is to assist the executive director. Her input will be very significant for the entire organisation, and I really hope that we can make sure that she can continue in her post next year, as well.

5. What kind of a chairperson will the European region of the IUHPE have in you?

I am democratic, unprejudiced, and improvement-minded, and I really focus on the issues at hand.

6. What do you think will be your biggest challenge as the chairperson?

To find operating methods that will enable me to work long-term in an efficient manner and to serve the interests of the various members.

7. In which direction do you plan to develop the IUHPE?

I do not know how much I can or should think about development of the entire IUHPE, but I want to improve our operations in the European region as a ‘melting pot’ of academic research, and policies and practical work on health promotion.

In any case, our starting point must be the newly updated strategy of the IUHPE and, of course, the Finnish approach called ‘health in all policies’, which has garnered a lot of praise. Using that as a foundation, I want to find ways for us to benefit from the expertise of our member organisations and individual experts better than before in development processes of public health promotion, for example, and particularly in lobbying related to the European Union. It is important on a wider scale as we strive to solve challenges concerning health promotion in the IUHPE-EURO region. Indeed, my first task will be to prepare a survey for all European members of the IUHPE on their expectations and needs related to operations in our region

8. In your tenure, what issues do you plan to highlight and what will you push to the background?

We need to plan our operations and subsequently implement the processes on a longer term than before. We must have the courage to prioritise and to build various projects and other functions into entities that move promotion of health and related developments forward as a process. We will have the first EUHPE European region meeting in my term in Helsinki in early October. I plan to set preliminary guidelines for operations for the next three years at that meeting.

9. What does it mean for promotion of health in Finland that you are chairperson of the European region of the IUHPE?

I hope that it will do its part to foster smooth interaction between promoters of health in Finland and other countries. I also hope that it will strengthen understanding and expertise related to promotion of health in Finland, as well as give other people the chance to learn from our national experiences.

10. Finally, can you tell us how you promote your own health and of those near you?

This may sound boring, but I do my best to get enough rest. On weekdays it means sleeping as long as possible, preferably at least eight hours per day. I also pay a lot of attention to what I eat and I exercise every chance I get; for example, I choose the stairs instead of a lift. And even though taking our children, who are eight and 12 years old, for their hobbies sometimes demands a fair amount of logistical planning from my wife and me, I believe that letting our children have their hobbies will eventually have a significant impact on the health and well-being of the entire family, including me.

Photo by Juha Mikkonen