Olavi J. Mattila

Ministeri (Minister)
Olavi J. Mattila
Minister of Foreign Affairs[1]
In office
13 June 1975 – 30 November 1975
Prime MinisterKeijo Liinamaa
Preceded byAhti Karjalainen
Succeeded byKalevi Sorsa
In office
29 October 1971 – 23 February 1972
Prime MinisterTeuvo Aura
Preceded byVäinö Leskinen
Succeeded byKalevi Sorsa
Minister of Trade and Industry
In office
14 May 1970 – 15 July 1970
Prime MinisterTeuvo Aura
Preceded byGrels Teir
Succeeded byArne Berner
In office
18 December 1963 – 12 September 1964
Prime MinisterReino R. Lehto
Preceded byToivo Wiherheimo
Succeeded byToivo Wiherheimo
Deputy Prime Minister of Finland
In office
13 June 1975 – 30 November 1975
Prime MinisterKeijo Liinamaa
Preceded byAhti Karjalainen
Succeeded byKalevi Sorsa
Personal details
Born
Olavi Johannes Mattila

(1918-10-24)24 October 1918
Hyvinkää, Finland
Died4 August 2013(2013-08-04) (aged 94)
Hyvinkää, Finland
Political partyIndependent
Spouse(s)Annikki (deceased, June 2004)[2]
ChildrenOlli Mattila

Olavi Johannes Mattila (24 October 1918 – 4 August 2013) was a Finnish politician who served twice as the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs, and also held several other ministerial positions in a number of cabinets in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also the CEO of state owned Valmet. He was considered as a close associate of Urho Kekkonen.

He graduated as master of science in engineering in 1946 and as MBA in 1950. Mattila worked in the diplomatic missions in Beijing, China and Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1952 to 1960. Later he became a director in the ministry of trade and industry. For two short terms in 1960s and 1970s he hold the position of Minister of Trade and Industry as a non-partisan.[3] He worked in the state-owned Valmet, first as the CEO from 1965 to 1973 and as the chairman of the board from 1973 to 1982. He was also the chairman of the board of Enso-Gutzeit, another state-owned company.

His son, Olli Mattila, who also worked as a diplomat in the foreign ministry, was convicted in the early 2000s for espionage.[4]

In 2002, he was visited by members of Jehovah's Witnesses studying the Bible with them, and he subsequently joined the religion.[5] He died 4 August 2013 at the age of 94.[6]

  1. ^ "Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland - Ministers of Foreign Affairs". Valtioneuvosto.fi. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ^ Awake!, January 2012, pages 24–26
  3. ^ "Finnish Government - Ministers of Trade and Industry". Valtioneuvosto.fi. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. ^ "News item". MTV3. Retrieved 2011-03-27.
  5. ^ Awake!, January 2012, pages 24–26
  6. ^ http://www.hs.fi/kotimaa/a1376358543568?jako=549f6372ca999477cf32252c17e9fc06 News Article in Finnish by Helsingin Sanomat