Timo Pesonen

Timo Pesonen is a seasoned Finnish civil servant and diplomat, currently serving as the Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) since 2020. In this role, he oversees the implementation of the EU’s defence industrial strategy and space programmes, including Copernicus, Galileo, EGNOS, and the IRIS² secure connectivity initiative.  Pesonen began his career at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and later served at Finland’s Permanent Representation to the EU, focusing on foreign and security policy. From 1997 to 2002, he was the Foreign Policy Adviser to Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen and contributed to the Kosovo peace negotiations under President Martti Ahtisaari.  Within the European Commission, Pesonen has held several senior positions, including Head of Cabinet for Vice-President Olli Rehn and Director-General of DG Communication. He also led DG GROW (Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs) before assuming his current position at DG DEFIS.  Pesonen holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences (International Politics) from the University of Tampere. He is fluent in Finnish, English, Swedish, and French.