Education and Science, Estonia

Ulla Ilisson has previously served as head of different domains at Swedbank. 

Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Research Mart Laidmets, a member of the appointments committee, said he was glad that the helm of the new agency was to be taken by a manager from private sector.

"Experiences and know-how from the private sector are definitely of help in developing a citizen-centered and modern agency of the state," Laidmets said.

He added that the field of education and youth work are not unknown for Ilisson, who is a member of the supervisory board of the master's program in business administration at TalTech and has sat on the supervisory boards of youth-related projects, including as chairperson of the board.

Ilisson described managing a state agency, especially a brand new one, as a very big responsibility and challenge.

"I wish to develop the agency into an organization that is open to learners, teachers, school managers, youth workers and the municipality, values cooperation and is forward-looking. At the same time, integrating four institutions into one is a time-consuming process the results of which we will see in the long run," Ilisson said.

Ilisson said that she and her team wish to strengthen Estonia's very good international reputation as provider of innovative and digital solutions. 

Ilisson was in charge of the implementation of retail bank, marketing and digital services at  Swedbank from 2005 onwards. She served as board member of the bank from 2011 to 2016. Her previous positions included those of company manager in insurance and coordinator of marketing activities at Hansapank. Ilisson holds a master's degree in business administration from Tallinn University of Technology and she is currently attending a program in management at IESE university.

lisson will assume her duties in mid-August. The tenure of the head of the manager of the Education and Youth Board lasts five years.

The Estonian parliament on June 3 passed amendments that will create a new Education and Youth Board and reestablish the Language Inspectorate as the Language Board. Altogether four organizations will be merged under the Education and Youth Board -- the Information Technology Foundation for Education (HITSA), the Innove and Archimedes foundations, and the Estonian Youth Work Center.