Alexander Stubb facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexander Stubb
Stubb in 2024
13th President of Finland
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 March 2024
Prime Minister	Petteri Orpo
Preceded by	Sauli Niinistö
43rd Prime Minister of Finland
In office 24 June 2014 – 29 May 2015
President	Sauli Niinistö
Deputy	Antti Rinne
Preceded by	Jyrki Katainen
Succeeded by	Juha Sipilä
Minister of Finance
In office 29 May 2015 – 22 June 2016
Prime Minister	Juha Sipilä
Preceded by	Antti Rinne
Succeeded by	Petteri Orpo
Leader of the National Coalition Party
In office 14 June 2014 – 11 June 2016
Preceded by	Jyrki Katainen
Succeeded by	Petteri Orpo
Minister for European Affairs and Trade
In office 22 June 2011 – 24 June 2014
Prime Minister	Jyrki Katainen
Preceded by	Astrid Thors
Succeeded by	Lenita Toivakka
Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 4 April 2008 – 22 June 2011
Prime Minister	Matti Vanhanen Mari Kiviniemi
Preceded by	Ilkka Kanerva
Succeeded by	Erkki Tuomioja
Member of the Finnish Parliament for Uusimaa
In office 20 April 2011 – 30 July 2017
Member of the European Parliament for Finland
In office 20 July 2004 – 3 April 2008
Personal details
Born	Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb (1968-04-01) 1 April 1968 (age 57) Helsinki, Finland
Political party	National Coalition Party
Spouse	Suzanne Innes ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	2
Relatives	Göran Stubb (father) Kai Setälä (maternal grandfather)
Education	Furman University (BA) Sorbonne University (GrDip) College of Europe (MA) London School of Economics (PhD)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Finland
Branch/service	Finnish Army
Rank	Korpraali (Lance Corporal)

Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb (born 1 April 1968) is a Finnish politician. He became the 13th President of Finland in 2024. Before that, he was the Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015.

Stubb started his career as a researcher focusing on the European Union. In 2004, he was elected to the European Parliament as a member of the National Coalition Party. He later became the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2008. In 2011, he was elected to the Parliament of Finland and became the Minister for European Affairs and Trade.

In 2014, Stubb was chosen as the leader of his party and became Prime Minister. His party lost the next election, and he then served as Minister of Finance. In 2016, he lost his party leadership. He later worked at the European Investment Bank and the European University Institute. In 2023, he decided to run for president and won the election in February 2024. He is the second president in Finland's history who speaks Swedish as his native language.

Early Life and Education

Alexander Stubb was born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1968. His family was bilingual, meaning they spoke both Finnish and Swedish at home. His father, Göran Stubb, worked in professional ice hockey.

Alexander grew up in Helsinki and played ice hockey when he was younger. He also started playing golf at age twelve and was part of the Finnish national golf team during high school. After high school, he completed his military service in Finland.

University Studies

Stubb received a golf scholarship to Furman University in the United States. He planned to become a professional golfer but decided to focus on his studies instead. He earned a degree in political science in 1993.

The next year, he studied French in Paris. Stubb is very good with languages; he speaks Finnish, Swedish, English, French, and German. He is also learning Italian.

In 1995, he earned a master's degree in political science from the College of Europe in Belgium. He then went on to get his PhD in international politics from the London School of Economics in 1999. His studies focused on how countries work together in the European Union.

Early Career

From 1995 to 1999, Stubb worked as a researcher for the Finnish Foreign Office and the Academy of Finland. He also started writing columns for newspapers.

From 1999 to 2004, he worked for Finland's representation in the European Union in Brussels. He was involved in important talks about EU treaties. He also taught at the College of Europe and advised the President of the European Commission. In 2004, he decided to run for election to the European Parliament.

Political Career

European Parliament (2004–2008)

Stubb was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Finland from 2004 to 2008. He was very popular, receiving the second-highest number of votes in Finland in the 2004 election. He was part of the European People's Party group.

During his time as an MEP, he worked on committees dealing with budgets and consumer protection. He also wrote a report about the costs of translation in the EU, explaining that even though it's expensive, speaking many languages is important for the EU.

Minister for Foreign Affairs (2008–2011)

Stubb with Urmas Paet, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (at the time), in April 2008

On his 40th birthday in 2008, Stubb was appointed Finland's new Minister for Foreign Affairs. He was known for supporting Finland joining NATO.

As Foreign Minister, he worked on important international issues. He discussed the role of media in solving conflicts and talked about the Middle East conflict with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He also helped create the European Institute of Peace, which works to prevent and resolve conflicts.

Stubb also brought attention to the needs of people with disabilities. He worked with Signmark, a Finnish sign language rapper, to support sign language speakers and raise awareness internationally.

From April to December 2008, Stubb was the chairman of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). During this time, the Russo-Georgian War happened, and the OSCE helped arrange an agreement to send military observers to the area.

Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade (2011–2014)

Stubb with Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis and Jyrki Katainen in March 2013

In 2011, Stubb was elected to the Finnish Parliament for the first time. He became the Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade. In this role, he focused on Finland's relationships with other European countries and international trade.

During the Euromaidan events in Ukraine, Stubb believed that money could help bring peace. However, after the conflict grew, he supported sanctions against Russia, saying they were necessary and would stay until Russia met the EU's demands.

Prime Minister (2014–2015)

Stubb in the EPP Summit in July 2014

In June 2014, Stubb was chosen as the leader of the National Coalition Party and became the Prime Minister of Finland. He formed a government with five different parties. One of his main challenges was managing Finland's relationship with neighboring Russia, especially with the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.

As Prime Minister, Stubb supported trying out a basic income system in Finland. He also hosted a meeting of Northern European Prime Ministers to discuss new ideas. In the April 2015 election, his party did not win the most seats, and he resigned as Prime Minister in May 2015.

Minister of Finance (2015–2016)

Stubb and Pedro Passos Coelho in March 2016

After the 2015 election, Stubb became the Minister of Finance. He emphasized the need for "structural reforms" to improve Finland's economy. However, his time as Finance Minister faced some criticism, especially regarding the effects of spending cuts on public services.

In 2016, other members of his party challenged his leadership. On 11 June, Stubb lost the party leadership election to Petteri Orpo. He then resigned as Finance Minister and decided to continue as a Member of Parliament.

After Finnish Politics

Stubb in EPP Helsinki Congress, 7–8 November 2018

In 2017, Stubb was chosen as the vice-president of the European Investment Bank. He left his role in the Finnish Parliament to take on this new position. He also became the leader of the Crisis Management Initiative, an organization that works to prevent and solve conflicts around the world.

In 2018, Stubb ran to become the lead candidate for the European Commission presidency but did not win. In 2020, he became a director and professor at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute in Italy.

2024 Finnish Presidential Election

Presidential inauguration

Before the 2024 Finnish presidential election, Stubb was often mentioned as a possible candidate. In August 2023, he announced that he would accept his party's request to run.

In the first round of voting on 28 January 2024, Stubb received the most votes. He then faced former Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in the second round on 11 February. Stubb won the election with 51.4% of the votes.

Presidency (2024–present)

Stubb meets with U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 2024 NATO Washington summit in Washington, D.C., 10 July 2024

Alexander Stubb became the President of Finland on 1 March 2024, taking over from Sauli Niinistö. He is the first president from Finland's Swedish-speaking minority to be elected to the role.

As president, Stubb has made important decisions on foreign policy. In September 2024, he stated that Finland was not ready to recognize a Palestinian state. He also supported Finland's decision to buy a missile defense system from Israel. In May 2025, he called for the lifting of the blockade on Gaza to allow humanitarian aid.

In July 2025, Stubb confirmed Finland's decision to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans landmines. That same month, he supported new tariffs against countries that buy Russian oil, gas, and other exports.

Overseas Visits

Stubb with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the 4th European Political Community Summit in Woodstock, United Kingdom, 18 July 2024

Soon after becoming president, Stubb visited Sweden in April 2024. On 7 March 2024, his first foreign trip as president was to a NATO military exercise in Norway. In July 2024, he attended the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., which was Finland's second NATO summit as a member. In July 2025, he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the London Summit on Ukraine.

Political Views

Stubb believes in making the European Union stronger and more united. He has said that the EU should play an active role in international politics. While he once called himself an "academic federalist" (someone who believes in a very strong, united Europe), he now says he is more practical in how he approaches the EU. He supports Finland's membership in NATO and strongly opposes Russia's war against Ukraine.

Stubb is considered a liberal politician. He believes in a "more positive way of doing politics," where everyone is respected even if they disagree. He supports same-sex marriage and multiculturalism. He also thinks that more immigration is needed in Finland. Stubb believes that a key difference in today's politics is between those who support globalization (like himself) and those who oppose it.

Other Work

Stubb is a very active writer. He has published 16 books, many academic articles, and hundreds of columns. He believes in discussing matters openly and honestly. He writes columns for the Financial Times and keeps a blog. He is also very active on Twitter.

Electoral History

Finnish Presidential Election

European Parliament Elections

Finland Parliamentary Elections

Honours

National Honours

•  Finland: Commander of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (2010)
•  Finland: Grand Master and Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (2024)
•  Finland: Grand Master and Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland (2024)
•  Finland: Grand Master and Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Cross of Liberty (2024)

Foreign Honours

•  Denmark: Knight of the Order of the Elephant (4 March 2025)
•  Estonia:
  • Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (23 May 2024)
  • First Class of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (2014)
•  France: Officer of the Order of Legion of Honour (2018)
•  Italy: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (5 September 2008)
•  Norway:
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav (15 October 2024)
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (2012)
•  Sweden: Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim (23 April 2024)

Honorary Doctorates

•  Finland: Honorary Doctor of Business Sciences – LUT University (2012)
•  United States: Honorary Doctor of Philosophy – Furman University (2017)
•  Finland: Honorary Doctor of Arts – University of the Arts Helsinki (2024)

Personal Life

Family

Stubb is married to Suzanne Innes-Stubb, who is a British-Finnish lawyer. They met while studying in Belgium and have two children, born in 2001 and 2004. Suzanne is the first person from outside Finland to become the First Lady of Finland.

Before becoming president, Stubb lived in Espoo, Finland. He has a cat that he adopted in 2016. Stubb is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Sports Enthusiasm

Stubb in Frankfurt 2009

Stubb played ice hockey when he was young. He often goes to games of his former team, HIFK. After ice hockey, he started playing golf and even got a scholarship for it in the United States.

Stubb is also a keen athlete who regularly competes in marathons and triathlons. He has finished several Ironman Triathlon events, which are very challenging races. In July 2025, he participated in a triathlon competition in Joroinen, Finland, and placed second.

Languages

Stubb is a polyglot, meaning he speaks many languages. He speaks Finnish and Swedish as his native languages. He also speaks English, French, and German fluently, and is currently learning Italian.

See also

In Spanish: Alexander Stubb para niños