Jorma Jantunen, the Head of Authority Services at the Finnish Environment Institute, passed away on 23 December 2023, aged 66. The news of the sudden passing of a well-liked and warm-hearted colleague in the middle of Christmas preparations have been met with sadness by our working community.
Jorma Jantunen 1957–2023
Jorma Jantunen was an experienced and versatile environmental expert who had worked in development roles at the Finnish Environment Institute since 2007. He started his career in research in the 1970s and he then worked for the Finnish Nature Association (Luontoliitto) for some years as Secretary General. Later he worked for the municipalities of Espoo and Kauniainen and for the Ministry of the Environment.
His 20-year long career in environmental administration consisted of extensive preparatory and evaluation tasks, in which his ability to analyse issues from different perspectives was commendable. He played a key role in various major environmental assessments, such as the international EIA process for the gas pipeline from Finland to Estonia. His expertise was also put to good use abroad, for example in developing administration in Myanmar.
Jorma Jantunen was involved in the development of one-stop-shop practices for environmental permit granting already during the Sipilä government. In the development of environmental processes planned by the current government, his expertise will now remain untapped.
In his work community, Jorma Jantunen was a reliable and responsible colleague – calm, knowledgeable and always eager to help. He was at his best in complex and difficult situations, where his ability to look at issues from different angles was admirable and helped to simplify many processes.
Jorma's passing leaves a void in the Syke community. His character was seen as the bedrock of the work community, especially his warm sense of humour and positive attitude. Jorma brought strength, gentleness, and hope to everyday life.
Inquiries: Heli Karjalainen, Service Development Director, e-mail: firstname.lastname@syke.fi