Nina Suomalainen is an international crisis management and institutional development professional since 1993. She has over 25 years of work experience from assignments in the OSCE, UNDP and other international governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Since 2022 Nina has been engaged in shorter assignments while based in Helsinki as well as in positions in the Helsinki City group. In 2023 – 2024 Nina worked as Senior Manager on Western Balkans at CMI Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. In 2023 and 2022 Nina worked as Head of Mission of the OSCE ODIHR election observation missions to parliamentary elections in Montenegro and in Bulgaria, respectively.

From 2018 to 2022 Nina held the position of the Executive Director at Justice Rapid Response, based in Geneva focusing on war crimes investigations and related expertise.

From 2015 to 2018 Nina served as Head of Mission at the OSCE Mission to Skopje in North Macedonia, leading the OSCE field operation of 150 mission members. In 2012-2015 she worked as Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, based in Sarajevo.

Her other duties have included working at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) field office in Latvia 1995-1997, as Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities in 2007-2008, in OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998-1999 and in OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in Warsaw 2000-2002. In 2005-2010 she held a position of senior adviser on development policy and advocacy at the Finn Church Aid. In mid-90’s she worked in Brussels in the European Commission and European Parliament, and in 2003-2004 in the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. Nina has also been involved in shorter projects in Rwanda, Haiti, Palestinian Territories, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cambodia and Bangladesh.

The professional experience of Nina Suomalainen includes leading and managing capacity and institutional development in post-conflict situations, rule of law institutions building, elections, human rights, early warning and other related crisis management initiatives.

In Finland Nina has been member in the Helsinki City Council since 2021 and she holds the position of deputy chair of Urban environment committee in Helsinki. She is also member in the council of the Helsinki parishes of the Ev.Lut.Church in Finland.

In her leisure time Nina enjoys outdoor activities, supports animal rescue work, takes time for walks with her dog in forests and loves both downhill and cross-country skiing in winter. Nina also practices creative writing.

Nina Suomalainen was born in 1966 in the municipality of Valkeala in South-Eastern Finland. Her permanent home is in Helsinki, Finland. She has a degree of Master of Political Science (M.Pol.Sc.) in the Åbo Akademi University in Turku in 1993, with major in International Law and studies in Economics and Economic Geography, as well as a vocational degree in Music & Music technology. Currently she is also carrying out Nature and Environment studies.