Mervi Katainen, Chair of the Espoo City Board, cycles to cultural sites

Mervi Katainen serves as the full-time Chair of the City Board of Espoo. Workdays tend to be long, and regular office hours are not part of the chairperson's daily routine.

The days and evenings are spent in meetings. The work mainly consists of three areas: leading political debate, i.e. dialogue between political parties, cooperation with civil servants, as well as municipal work.

The City Board operates in accordance with the Administrative Regulations, which means managing the administration and finances of the city and the city group, ensuring the development and effectiveness of the operations in accordance with the decisions of the Council, and, for example, managing regional collaboration and deciding on the principles to be followed in it, in accordance with The Espoo Story.

Cooperation with civil servants provides background for future discussions of the City Board.

-It is also useful to hear the discussions of the committees on matters that are about to be discussed by the City Board, explains Mervi.

For their current political role, Mervi has gained perspective from various positions of trust, previous civil servant roles in the City of Espoo’s Growth and Learning Sector, as well as from their work as a researcher.

-These roles have provided a broader perspective on the work. For example, I was the chair of the Advisory Committee of the Regional Council in 2022–2024 when new operating methods were created, Mervi recalls.

Working as a parliamentary assistant to MEP Henna Virkkunen in the European Parliament in 2015–2017 also provided a broader perspective on politics. Mervi Katainen’s journey has also included a leap to the health care and social welfare sector, as the development manager of Sailab – MedTech Finland, which has been useful in positions of trust in the wellbeing services county.

Mervi is a Doctor of Social Sciences and a subject teacher in history and social studies. Teacher training runs in their family, and Mervi values the profession, despite having done relatively little teaching.

Things could also have turned out differently, as Mervi received a five-year scholarship at Kansas University in the United States and was there for a year before returning to Finland to study.

Mervi’s football history is impressive, as Mervi and their teams have received the Finnish Women’s Championship silver medal in 1997, bronze medal in 1998 and the Finnish Cup title in 1997.

-Kansas was inspiring. The main thing was football and studies on the side. The resources for sports were huge, and we had game trips all over the country. However, I decided to choose differently, Mervi recalls. 

An active sports background has taken Mervi far in life. 

-Exercise and especially team sports are my thing. They have an impact on wellbeing, and team sports also have a social aspect. Being together is based on things other than educational background or profession, Mervi explains.

In 2005, Mervi was given the opportunity to work at the Finnish embassy in Syria. The culture had a big impact on me: The Damascus ballet and cultural historic sites left a lasting impression.

-The ruins, thousands of years old, were still in good condition at that time. I liked the fact that Syria was able to live in harmony with history, and not everything needed to be restricted into a museum site. It is a real pity that the security situation in the country has become poor and that cultural history has also been destroyed, says Mervi.

In Espoo, Mervi enjoys culture whenever possible. Mervi visited the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora when their children were small, and on Children’s Rights Day, Mervi gave a speech in Aurora. Through the children’s hobbies, Kannusali at the Espoo School of Circus and Theatre ESKO has also become familiar. 

Theatre, libraries and museums are particularly close to Mervi’s heart.

-I am a heavy user of library services. The last time I went to & Espoo Theatre, I saw Casanova, my wife. And Tapiola’s museum complex around Exhibition Centre WeeGee is a great whole that is always nice to visit, Mervi lists.

Mervi grew up in Vihti but has enjoyed living in Espoo with the family since 2005.

-Espoo is a mentally good hometown. It is a dynamic, forward-looking, international city of expertise, education and culture. I appreciate these aspects and Espoo’s spirit, Mervi praises their current hometown.

Espoo residents often contact Mervi in everyday matters related to their surroundings, such as ski track maintenance or an empty sand field. In addition, various resident and other associations contact Mervi in larger projects. Mervi also frequently speaks at various events.

-I really like my work because it’s so versatile. My tasks include a wide range of things from the urban environment to early childhood education and education. Big and small things, Mervi sums up.

Mervi enjoys cycling trips to Espoo cultural sites.

-I have cycled to various destinations, such as Villa Rulludd, the Glims Farmstead Museum and the Gallen-Kallela Museum in Tarvaspää. It’s nice to cycle to see statues and monuments, combining culture and exercise, explains Mervi. 

Several interesting picks were found in the April cultural offering. Especially in the library, Mervi noticed several events, such as reading circles, fairytale sessions, a reading dog and literature events related to food. Examples of library offerings in April:

Books and Food | City of Espoo (18 March – 6 May, Lippulaiva Library)
Reading dog available | City of Espoo (7 January 2026 – 27 May, Kalajärvi Library)
Tapiola Library Book Club in Finnish | City of Espoo (13 January 2026 – 12 May, Tapiola Library)
Let's Speak Finnish - language café | City of Espoo (12 January 2026 – 25 May, Lippulaiva Library)

-Enhancing reading plays a key role in The Espoo Story. The library network and its numerous events support this well. Language cafés for immigrants are an excellent place to learn Finnish and thus integrate into Espoo. 

Good morning, Apo Apponen - Konna Theatre performance (day care centres) | City of Espoo (Tue 7 April, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora) and
Detectives Tatu and Patu – The Case of the Splitter (KULPS pre-school and 1st-2nd grades) | City of Espoo (Fri 24 April, Hevosenkenkä Theatre) and

-I read a lot of Apo Apponen to my children when they were small. The Apo Apponen performance at the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora is aimed at day care centres, and Detectives Tatu and Patu at the Hevosenkenkä Theatre is a Kulps performance for school groups. This way, all children are offered the opportunity to see children’s theatre, even if their family would not otherwise go. Culture becomes familiar and inspiring for everyone. These opportunities bring joy.

April Jazz:Jazz in Finland 100 Now! - Gala Concert | City of Espoo (Sat 25 April, Espoo Cultural Centre, Tapiola Hall)

- I could go to April Jazz Finland 100 Now! gala concert, it’s probably a solid representation of different jazz genres.

- Tapiola Sinfonietta’s afterwork concerts have also been on my list, even though I don’t think there are any in April, Mervi concludes.

See what else is going on in Espoo: Cultural events in Espoo.

Check out our previous culture picks on one page at: espoo.fi/en/culture-picks