ICLEI is pleased to announce the appointment of Piia Elo, Mayor of Turku, Finland, as a new ICLEI Vice President, taking up a seat on the ICLEI Presidium for the remainder of the 2024–2027 term.
In this role, she will work under the leadership of ICLEI President Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö, Sweden, alongside Vice Presidents Mohamed Sefiani, Mayor of Chefchaouen, Morocco, and Marjorie Kauffmann, Secretary of State for Environment and Infrastructure of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Vice President position had been vacant since the departure of former Turku Mayor Minna Arve in April 2025.
Mayor Elo currently serves as Europe’s Regional Representative to ICLEI’s Global Executive Committee (GexCom) and as Special Advisor to the ICLEI Circular Development Portfolio. She is also a member of the ICLEI Europe Regional Executive Committee, bringing strong continuity and regional leadership to her new role within the Presidium.
With more than 15 years of experience in local government, Mayor Elo has served on Turku’s City Council since 2008 and previously as Deputy Mayor, with a focus on education, youth services, and employment. Her political priorities center on equal access to education, youth wellbeing, social justice, and sustainable development. With an international background in social sciences and public administration, she is committed to openness, collaboration, and building an inclusive, climate-positive Turku.
Mayor Elo said: “It is an honor to take on this role, and I look forward to working closely with my fellow local and regional leaders around the world to bring to life our collective vision of sustainable, resilient, inclusive and safe cities, towns and regions for all.”
In her new role as ICLEI Vice President, Mayor Elo will help advance ICLEI’s mission of empowering local action for global sustainability, representing the voices of cities and regions in international policy processes and key global forums.
Learn more about ICLEI’s governance bodies and leadership https://iclei.org/our-leadership/
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