
Kersti Kaljulaid (; born 30 December 1969) is an
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
politician who served as the fifth
president of Estonia
The president of the Republic of Estonia () is the head of state of the Estonia, Republic of Estonia. The current president is Alar Karis, elected by Parliament on 31 August 2021, replacing Kersti Kaljulaid.
Estonia is one of the few parliam ...
between 2016 and 2021, and was its first and only female head of state since the country declared independence in 1918. She was also the youngest president, aged 46 at the time of her election.
[Former European auditor Kersti Kaljulaid elected president of Estonia](_blank)
Estonian World, 2 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
Kaljulaid, a state official who at the time served as Estonia's representative in the
European Court of Auditors
The European Court of Auditors (ECA; French: ''Cour des comptes européenne'') is the supreme audit institution of the European Union (EU). It was established in 1975 in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg and is one of the Institutions of the European ...
,
entered the
2016 Estonian presidential election
An indirect election took place in Estonia in 2016 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Kersti Kaljulaid to be the next head of state of Estonia to succee ...
race in the sixth round after five previous unsuccessful rounds. She was nominated on 30 September 2016 by the majority of parliamentary parties as a joint candidate for president, and the only official candidate for the sixth round. Kaljulaid was voted president on 3 October 2016, with 81 votes and 17 abstentions.
[Kersti Kaljulaid sai 81 häälega uueks Eesti presidendiks](_blank)
ERR, 3 October 2016 (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 October 2016
In 2024, she was elected the next
Estonian Olympic Committee president for the next four years.
Early life and education
In 1987, Kaljulaid graduated from Tallinn Secondary School no. 44. During her studies there, she was a member of the Students' Scientific Association, specializing in
ornithology
Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...
. In 1992, she graduated from
University of Tartu
The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country. ''cum laude'' as a biologist. She is a member of Estonian female student corporation,
Filiae Patriae. In 2001, she graduated from the University of Tartu with an MBA in business management. Her thesis was titled as "Riigi poolt asutatud sihtasutuste juhtimissüsteemi täiustamine" or "The improvement of the management system of state-founded foundations" in English.
[Kersti Kaljulaid. "The improvement of the management system of state-founded foundations"](_blank)
in ETIS, the Database of Estonian Science (in Estonian) Accessed on 30 September 2016.
Career
Business career
From 1996 to 1997 Kaljulaid was a sales manager in state-owned telecom Eesti Telefon and from 1997 to 1998 a project manager in
Hoiupanga Investeeringute AS. From 1998 to 1999 she was employed in
Hansabank's investment banking division
Hansabank Markets.
[Kes on Kersti Kaljulaid?](_blank)
'' Postimees
is an Estonian daily newspaper established on 5 June 1857, by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In 1891, it became the first daily newspaper in Estonia. Its current editor-in-chief is Priit Hõbemägi. The paper has approximately 250 employees.
''P ...
'', 27 September 2016 (in Estonian). Retrieved 30 September 2016. From 1999 to 2002, Kaljulaid worked as the economic advisor of Estonian Prime Minister
Mart Laar.
From 2002 to 2004, she was the director of
Iru Power Plant, a subsidiary of the state-owned energy company
Eesti Energia
Eesti Energia AS is a public limited energy company in Estonia with its headquarters in Tallinn. It is the world's biggest oil shale to energy company. The company was founded in 1939. As of 2014, it operates in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Fi ...
. She was the first woman to lead a power plant in Estonia.
In 2004, when Estonia joined the European Union, Kaljulaid was appointed the country's representative at the European Court of Auditors.
Since 2011, Kaljulaid has been the chairperson of the board of the University of Tartu.
Political career

Kaljulaid has defined herself as a
liberal conservative. She has spoken in support of strong civil society with less state interference, whilst placing high importance on helping those in need.
She holds liberal views on social issues such as LGBT rights and immigration.
She has often published opinion pieces in Estonian media, considering the position of Estonia in the European Union and on social and economical matters. Additionally, she has been a regular participant in political analysis programmes of
Radio Kuku
Radio Kuku (, also called ''Kuku-raadio'') is an Estonian radio station. It was the first politically independent privately owned radio station in post- occupation Estonia, established in 1992 by a media businessman and later politician Rein La ...
, e.g. "
Keskpäevatund".
From 2001 to 2004, Kaljulaid was a member of the political party
Pro Patria Union, a predecessor of the current
Pro Patria and Res Publica Union
Isamaa () is a Christian democratic and national conservative political party in Estonia.
It was founded on 4 June 2006 under the name of "Pro Patria and Res Publica Union", by the merger of two conservative parties, Pro Patria Union and Res ...
, yet did not run in the elections.
As Kaljulaid's term as a member of the European Court of Auditors was due to end on 7 May 2016, she was confirmed as the next head of PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies in November 2015. Although the Estonian government should have proposed her replacement in the court by 7 February 2016, it still had not managed to do so by the end of her term, so she remained in the position.
On 19 September 2016, the freshly founded Development Monitoring Advisory Board at the chancellery of Estonian Parliament voted Kaljulaid to be its chair.
President of Estonia
After several failed attempts to elect a new president in
August and September 2016, a so-called "council of elders" of the
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...
, comprising the speaker, vice-speakers, and leaders of most parliamentary parties, asked Kaljulaid if she would be willing to stand for president. With her consent, the "council of elders" proposed her as the only potential presidential candidate to be put before the members of the Riigikogu on 3 October 2016. Her candidacy was officially registered on 30 September.
["FOTOD ja VIDEO , Vanematekogu tegi ettepaneku esitada presidendikandidaadiks Kersti Kaljulaid"](_blank)
Estonian National Broadcasting (ERR), 27 September 2016 (in Estonian). Retrieved 30 September 2016. Riigikogu Speaker
Eiki Nestor said that Kaljulaid undoubtedly had the required 68 votes from the 101-member Riigikogu, but the exact number remained to be seen. Ultimately her candidacy was supported by 90 Riigikogu MPs. She won the elections by 81 votes with 17 abstainers and no votes against her;
the parliamentary party that had publicly declared not to support her was
EKRE which had only 7 votes.
Under the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
, the president is a ceremonial figure without even nominal executive power; the Constitution explicitly vests executive power in the
Government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
. Nonetheless, Kaljulaid's election was seen as historic, as she was the first female head of state in the country's history.
The main objection raised repeatedly during her candidacy by media as well as politicians and street polls was her being relatively unknown, compared to the candidates that had participated in the campaign. She confronted the objection in her public letter and during several interviews by promising to become visible across the country, visiting different areas and talking to the people directly.
[Kersti Kaljulaid: minu kiri kõigile Eestimaa inimestele](_blank)
. ''Postimees'', 29 September 2015 (in Estonian). Retrieved 3 October 2016. In mid-October 2016, the first conducted survey showed Kaljulaid's approval rating at 73%.
In 2020, the Estonian government nominated Kaljulaid as its candidate to succeed
Angel Gurría in the position of Secretary-General of the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
(OECD) for a five-year term. In January 2021, Kaljulaid announced that she had withdrawn her candidacy, citing consultations that led her to believe that accepting the position at the end of her first term as president amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic in Estonia would "not be the best solution." She had just advanced to the second round of the interview process.
On 21 January 2021, the opposition
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Form ...
announced that they would support Kaljulaid should she run for a second term in the
2021 Estonian presidential election. Had she been nominated by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
of Prime Minister
Kaja Kallas as its presidential candidate in the election, this would have given her enough votes to be elected by the
Riigikogu
The Riigikogu (, from Estonian ''riigi-'', "of the state", and ''kogu'', "assembly") is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the prime minister and chi ...
. By June 2021, it was stated that the government had "cooled" on the prospective of Kaljulaid serving a second term as president, finding her too polarizing. Nevertheless, Kaljulaid later confirmed that she would stand as a candidate for a second term in the election. However, she did not receive enough endorsements from MPs to be eligible; the Constitution requires presidential candidates to be nominated by at least 21 MPs in order to stand.
Life after politics
After the end of her presidential term in 2021, Kaljulaid co-founded the President Kaljulaid Foundation, an NGO and think-tank for advancing democracy, empowering the vulnerable, and navigating the societal impact of digitalization. Among other things, the foundation has raised around €400 000 to help Ukrainian journalists and schools.
In 2021, Kaljulaid served on the advisory panel for the
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
's
World Development Report
The World Development Report (WDR) is an annual report published since 1978 by the World Bank. Each WDR provides in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of economic development. Past reports have considered such topics as agriculture, youth, equity ...
. Since 2022, she has been co-chairing – alongside
Keith J. Krach – the nonpartisan
Global Tech Security Commission to safeguard freedom from technological authoritarianism, which was jointly established by the
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...
and the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at
Purdue University
Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
.
In 2023,
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...
appointed Kaljulaid as co-chair of the United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession, alongside
Paula-Mae Weekes.
Since October 2024, she has been serving as the president of the
Estonian Olympic Committee.
Other activities
Non-profit organizations
*
Munich Security Conference
The Munich Security Conference (MSC), formerly Munich Conference on Security Policy, is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Germany, since 1963.
Over the past four decades the Munich Security Con ...
, Member of the Advisory Council (since 2023)
*
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank in the field of international affairs, favoring Atlanticism, founded in 1961. It manages sixteen regional centers and functional programs related to international security and global economic prosp ...
, Member of the International Advisory Board
*
Centre for European Reform (CER), Member of the Advisory Board
*
Council of Women World Leaders, Member
*
European Council on Foreign Relations
The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decis ...
(ECFR), Member of the Council
*
GLOBSEC, Member of the International Advisory Council
* Yalta European Strategy (YES), Member of the Board
*
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Member of the Board
Recognition
In 2017, Kaljulaid became the first
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
to be featured in the ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine's list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, placed at 78th, and came twenty second among the most influential female political leaders.
Honours
National honours
* Grand Master and Collar of the
Order of the National Coat of Arms
The Order of the National Coat of Arms (, ) was instituted by Konstantin Päts on 7 October 1936 to commemorate 24 February 1918, the day on which Estonian independence was declared. The Order of the National Coat of Arms is bestowed only on Est ...
(10 October 2016)
*

Grand Master of the
Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
The Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (, also the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land) was instituted by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 16 May 1995 to honour the independence of the Estonian state. (The Latin name ''Terra Mariana'' ...
*

Grand Master of the
Order of the White Star
The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state.
Design
Classes
The Order of the White Star ...
*

Grand Master of the
Order of the Cross of the Eagle
The Order of the Cross of the Eagle (; ) was instituted in 1928 by the Estonian Defence League to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Estonian independence. It was adopted as a state order in 1936. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle is bestowe ...
*

Grand Master of the
Order of the Estonian Red Cross
The Order of the Estonian Red Cross (; ) was instituted in 1920 by the Estonian Red Cross Society. The Order of the Estonian Red Cross is bestowed in order to give recognition for humanitarian services rendered in the interests of the Estonians, ...
Foreign honours
*: Grand Star of the
Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system.
History
The Decoration of Hono ...
(26 May 2021)
*: Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of the White Rose of Finland
The Order of the White Rose of Finland (; ) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. The President of Finland is the Grand Master of all three orders. The ...
(7 March 2017)
* Grand Cross 1st Class of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...
(15 March 2023)
*: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
(5 June 2018)
*: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the
Order of the Three Stars
Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...
(8 April 2019)
*: Grand Cross of the
Order of the Netherlands Lion
The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815.
The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...
(12 June 2018)
*: Grand Collar of the
Order of Prince Henry
The Order of Prince Henry () is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese ''infante'' Prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of the Age of Discovery. M ...
(16 April 2019)
*: Collar of the
Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the Order of Michael the Brave. It is the oldest Order of Romania. It is awarded by the Preside ...
(16 June 2021)
*: Recipient of the
Order for Exceptional Merits (2 September 2019)
*: First Class of the
Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
The Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise () is a Ukrainian award. It is awarded for distinguished services to the state and people of the Ukrainian nation in the field of state building, strengthening the international prestige of Ukraine, develop ...
, 1st class (2021)
Awards
* In 2009, European Movement Estonia awarded Kaljulaid with the European of the Year title.
* In 2014, the Open Estonia Foundation awarded her the Award of Unity for her analyses and comments explaining the function of European Union for Estonian audiences.
* In 2020, the Estonian LGBT Association awarded her the Rainbow Hero Award (''vikerkaarekangelase auhind''), for her public support of the gay community in Estonia.
Personal life
Kaljulaid has a daughter and a son from her first marriage. She is also a grandmother of three. Kaljulaid's second husband is
Georgi-Rene Maksimovski; they have two sons. Kaljulaid's half-brother,
Raimond Kaljulaid, is a politician and member of parliament.
Besides
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also ...
, Kaljulaid is fluent in
English,
Finnish,
French and to a certain extent,
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
.
See also
*
List of official overseas trips made by Kersti Kaljulaid
*
2016 Estonian presidential election
An indirect election took place in Estonia in 2016 to elect the president of Estonia, who is the country's head of state. The Riigikogu — the Parliament of Estonia — elected Kersti Kaljulaid to be the next head of state of Estonia to succee ...
*
Raimond Kaljulaid
References
External links
Estonia: Parlt parties voice support of Kaljulaid's candidacy''The Baltic Times'', 28 September 2016.
"President Kersti Kaljulaid's Interview for Finnish Business Newspaper Kauppalehti: 'Digital' Supports a Return to Growth" Estonian Investment Agency, 29 November 2016.
"Estonia ‘not afraid’ to be on Nato frontline, president says" ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...
'', 9 February 2017.
* Lally Weymouth
"‘Russia is a threat’: Estonia frets about its neighbor" ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'', 24 March 2017 (Interview with Kersti Kaljulaid)
"Biography , President" Office of the President of Estonia, 3 August 2017.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaljulaid, Kersti
1969 births
Female heads of state
Living people
Politicians from Tartu
Presidents of Estonia
Women presidents in Europe
University of Tartu alumni
21st-century Estonian politicians
21st-century Estonian women politicians
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class
First women presidents
European Court of Auditors people
21st-century women presidents