Kersti Kaljulaid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kersti Kaljulaid
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Kaljulaid in 2018
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| 5th President of Estonia | |
| In office 10 October 2016 – 11 October 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Taavi Rõivas Jüri Ratas Kaja Kallas |
| Preceded by | Toomas Hendrik Ilves |
| Succeeded by | Alar Karis |
| Member of the European Court of Auditors for Estonia | |
| In office 7 May 2004 – 2 October 2016 |
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| President | Juan Manuel Fabra Vallés Hubert Weber Vítor Manuel da Silva Caldeira |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Juhan Parts |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 December 1969 Tartu, Estonian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations |
Pro Patria Union (2001–2004) |
| Spouse |
Georgi-Rene Maksimovski
(m. 2011) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Raimond Kaljulaid (half-brother) |
| Alma mater | University of Tartu |
Kersti Kaljulaid (born 30 December 1969) is an Estonian politician. She served as the fifth president of Estonia from 2016 to 2021. She was the first and only woman to be Estonia's head of state since 1918. At 46, she was also the youngest president elected.
Before becoming president, Kaljulaid worked as Estonia's representative at the European Court of Auditors. She joined the 2016 Estonian presidential election after several earlier rounds failed. Most political parties in the parliament chose her as their candidate. She was elected president on 3 October 2016.
In 2024, she was chosen as the next president of the Estonian Olympic Committee. She will serve for four years.
Contents
Early Life and Education
In 1987, Kersti Kaljulaid finished Tallinn Secondary School no. 44. While in school, she was part of the Students' Scientific Association. She focused on studying birds, which is called ornithology.
In 1992, she graduated with honors from the University of Tartu with a degree in biology. She is also a member of a female student group called Filiae Patriae. In 2001, she earned an MBA in business management from the same university. Her master's paper was about improving how state-founded organizations are managed.
Career Journey
Business Experience
From 1996 to 1997, Kaljulaid was a sales manager at Eesti Telefon, a state-owned telecom company. Then, from 1997 to 1998, she was a project manager at Hoiupanga Investeeringute AS. She worked in investment banking at Hansabank Markets from 1998 to 1999.
From 1999 to 2002, Kaljulaid was an economic advisor to Estonian Prime Minister Mart Laar. From 2002 to 2004, she led the Iru Power Plant. This plant is part of the state-owned energy company Eesti Energia. She was the first woman to manage a power plant in Estonia.
In 2004, Estonia joined the European Union. Kaljulaid was then chosen to represent Estonia at the European Court of Auditors. Since 2011, she has also been the chairperson of the board at the University of Tartu.
Political Roles
Kaljulaid describes her political views as liberal conservative. This means she supports a strong civil society with less government control. However, she also believes it is very important to help people in need. She has open-minded views on social topics like LGBT rights and immigration.
She often wrote articles in Estonian media. These articles discussed Estonia's place in the European Union and other social and economic issues. She also regularly appeared on political analysis shows.
From 2001 to 2004, Kaljulaid was a member of the Pro Patria Union political party. This party later became the Pro Patria and Res Publica Union. However, she did not run in any elections during that time.
Her term at the European Court of Auditors was supposed to end in May 2016. In November 2015, she was confirmed as the next head of the PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies. She remained in her position at the court because Estonia had not yet chosen her replacement.
In September 2016, a new advisory board at the Estonian Parliament chose Kaljulaid as its chair.
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Becoming President of Estonia
After several tries to elect a new president in 2016, a group of parliamentary leaders asked Kaljulaid if she would be a candidate. She agreed, and they proposed her as the only candidate for the next round of voting. Her candidacy was officially registered on 30 September.
The Speaker of the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) believed Kaljulaid would get enough votes. She was supported by 90 out of 101 members of parliament. She won the election with 81 votes. Only one party, EKRE, which had 7 votes, did not publicly support her.
Under Estonia's Constitution, the president has a ceremonial role. This means the president does not have direct power over the government. The government itself holds the executive power. Still, Kaljulaid's election was very important. She was the first woman to be the head of state in Estonia's history.
Some people and media outlets thought she was not well-known enough compared to other candidates. Kaljulaid addressed this by promising to travel around the country. She wanted to meet people and talk to them directly. A survey in mid-October 2016 showed that 73% of people approved of her.
In 2020, the Estonian government suggested Kaljulaid as a candidate to lead the OECD. This is an organization that helps countries work together on economic issues. In January 2021, Kaljulaid decided not to continue her candidacy. She felt it was not the best time to leave her role as president during the COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia.
In January 2021, the Social Democratic Party said they would support Kaljulaid if she ran for a second term. If the government had also nominated her, she would have had enough votes to be re-elected by the Riigikogu. However, by June 2021, the government seemed less interested in her serving a second term. They found her too divisive. Kaljulaid still confirmed she would run again. But she did not get enough support from members of parliament to be eligible. The Constitution requires at least 21 MPs to nominate a presidential candidate.
Life After Politics
After her term as president ended in 2021, Kaljulaid helped start the President Kaljulaid Foundation. This is a non-profit organization that works to improve democracy. It also helps vulnerable people and looks at how digital changes affect society. The foundation has raised money to help Ukrainian journalists and schools.
In 2021, Kaljulaid was part of an advisory group for the World Bank's World Development Report. Since 2022, she has been co-chairing the non-political Global Tech Security Commission. This group works to protect freedom from countries that use technology to control people. This commission was created by the Atlantic Council and Purdue University.
In 2023, the United Nations Secretary General appointed Kaljulaid to co-chair a high-level panel. This panel focuses on the teaching profession.
Since October 2024, she has been the president of the Estonian Olympic Committee.
Other Activities
Non-profit Organizations
- Munich Security Conference, Member of the Advisory Council (since 2023)
- Atlantic Council, Member of the International Advisory Board
- Centre for European Reform (CER), Member of the Advisory Board
- Council of Women World Leaders, Member
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Member of the Council
- GLOBSEC, Member of the International Advisory Council
- Yalta European Strategy (YES), Member of the Board
- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Member of the Board
Recognition
In 2017, Kaljulaid was the first Estonian to be on Forbes magazine's list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She was ranked 78th overall and 22nd among the most influential female political leaders.
Honours
National Honours
Grand Master and Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms (10 October 2016)
Grand Master of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Grand Master of the Order of the White Star
Grand Master of the Order of the Cross of the Eagle
Grand Master of the Order of the Estonian Red Cross
Foreign Honours
Austria: Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (26 May 2021)
Finland: Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland (7 March 2017)
Germany Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (15 March 2023)
Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (5 June 2018)
Latvia: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (8 April 2019)
Netherlands: Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion (12 June 2018)
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (16 April 2019)
Romania: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (16 June 2021)
Slovenia: Recipient of the Order for Exceptional Merits (2 September 2019)
Ukraine: First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class (2021)
Awards
- In 2009, European Movement Estonia gave Kaljulaid the European of the Year title.
- In 2014, the Open Estonia Foundation gave her the Award of Unity. This was for her clear explanations of how the European Union works for Estonian people.
- In 2020, the Estonian LGBT Association gave her the Rainbow Hero Award. This was for her public support of the gay community in Estonia.
Personal Life
Kersti Kaljulaid has a daughter and a son from her first marriage. She is also a grandmother to three children. Kaljulaid's second husband is Georgi-Rene Maksimovski. They have two sons together. Kaljulaid's half-brother, Raimond Kaljulaid, is also a politician and a member of parliament.
Besides Estonian, Kaljulaid speaks English, Finnish, French, and some Russian.
See also
In Spanish: Kersti Kaljulaid para niños
- List of official overseas trips made by Kersti Kaljulaid
- 2016 Estonian presidential election
- Raimond Kaljulaid
