Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Born: 26 December 1953, Stockholm, Sweden

President of the Republic of Estonia
9 October 2006 – 10 October 2016

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves was born on 26 December 1953 in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Over the course of his life, he has lived and worked in five countries.

The Estonian values of his childhood home, an education at one of the leading universities in the United States, and more than twenty-five years of professional engagement with Estonia's present and future have shaped Toomas Hendrik Ilves both as an individual and as the President of a European small state in the twenty-first century.

He received his education in the United States, graduating from Columbia University in New York in 1976 with a degree in psychology and earning a Master's degree in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.

In 1984, Ilves moved to Europe to work for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany. He initially served as a researcher and foreign policy analyst before becoming Head of the Estonian Service.

From 1993 to 1996, Toomas Hendrik Ilves was Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United States, while also accredited to Canada and Mexico. During this period, together with Minister of Education Jaak Aaviksoo, he initiated the Tiger Leap Programme (Tiigrihüpe), which aimed to bring computers and internet access to all Estonian schools.

From 1996 to 1998, he served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. After a brief period in 1998 as Chairman of the North Atlantic Institute, he returned to the post of Foreign Minister, serving again from 1999 to 2002.

From 2002 to 2004, Ilves was a member of the Riigikogu, Estonia's Parliament. In 2004, he was elected to the European Parliament, where he served as Vice-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. During his time in the European Parliament, he initiated the Baltic Sea Strategy, which later became an official policy area of the European Union.

In 2006, Toomas Hendrik Ilves was elected President of the Republic of Estonia and was re-elected for a second term in 2011.

During his presidency, Ilves held several prominent international positions in the field of information and communication technologies.

From 2011 to 2012, he chaired the European Union eHealth Task Force, and from November 2012 to February 2014, at the invitation of the European Commission, he served as Chairman of the Steering Board of the European Cloud Partnership. Between 2014 and 2015, he was Co-Chair of the Advisory Board for the World Bank's World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends. Since June 2014, he has also chaired the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity.

Ilves's interest in computers began in childhood. At the age of thirteen, he learned computer programming, and since Estonia regained its independence he has been one of the country's leading advocates of digital transformation and information technology development.

In recent years, President Ilves has spoken and written extensively at international forums on topics including European integration, transatlantic relations, digital government, cybersecurity, and international security.

He has published numerous essays and articles in both Estonian and English on subjects ranging from the Estonian language, history, and literature to foreign and security policy. His books include essay collections published in Estonian, Finnish, Latvian, Russian, and Hungarian.

Toomas Hendrik Ilves has three children: a son, Luukas Kristjan (born 1987), and a daughter, Juulia (born 1992), from his marriage to Merry Bullock, and a daughter, Kadri Keiu (born 2003), from his marriage to Evelin Ilves.

Since 2 January 2016, he has been married to Ieva (Kupce) Ilves, who has two children: a son, Ralfs (born 2002), and a daughter, Isabella (born 2014).

Education

1978 – Master of Arts in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania (USA)

1976 – Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Columbia University (USA)

Career

2006-2016 – President of the Republic of Estonia

2004-2006 – Member of the European Parliament

2002-2004 – Member of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia)

1999-2002 – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

1998 – Chairman of the Board, North Atlantic Institute

1996-1998 – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia

1993-1996 – Ambassador of Estonia to the United States, Canada and Mexico

1988-1993 – Head of the Estonian Service, Radio Free Europe (Germany)

1984-1988 – Analyst and Researcher, Radio Free Europe Research Institute (Germany)

1983-1984 – Lecturer in Estonian Literature and Linguistics, Simon Fraser University (Canada)

1981-1983 – Arts Administrator and Director, Vancouver Literary Centre (Canada)

1979-1981 – Deputy Director and English Teacher, Open Education Center, New Jersey (USA)

1974-1979 – Assistant Researcher, Department of Psychology, Columbia University (USA)

Publications

"Eesti jõudmine. Kõned ja kirjutised aastaist 1986-2006" (Estonia's Journey: Speeches and Writings 1986-2006), Varrak, Tallinn, 2006

"A nagy európai fal?", Szombathely, Hungary, 2007

"Atvērtā pasaule un nacionālās vērtības: runas, raksti, viedokļi", Riga, 2010

"Omalla äänellä" (With One's Own Voice), Helsinki, 2011

"Suurem Eesti. Valik presidendikõnesid ja -kirjutisi 2006-2011" (Greater Estonia), Tallinn, 2011

"Omal häälel" (In One's Own Voice), Tallinn, 2012

"Говорит глава государства" (The Head of State Speaks), Tallinn, 2014

"Tomass Hendriks Ilvess. Savā balsī", Riga, 2015

Numerous articles in Estonian and international newspapers and journals

Memberships and Public Activities

Member, Estonian Students' Society (since 1995)

Member, Trilateral Commission (2004-2006)

Member of the Board of Trustees, Friends of Europe (since 2005)

Founding Member and Board Member, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute (2000-2002)

Honorary Member, Latvian Student Association Austrums

Member, Council of the Estonian Academy of Arts (2004-2006)

President, Special Olympics Estonia (1997-2004)

Member, Council of the University of Tartu (1996-2003)

Founding Member and Board Member, Estonian European Movement (1999-2004)

Honorary Member, Estonian Society in Belgium (since 2006)

Orders and Decorations

1999 – Royal Norwegian Order of Merit, First Class

1999 – Grand Cross of the Order of Honour (Greece)

2001 – Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour (France)

2004 – Order of the National Coat of Arms, Third Class (Estonia)

2004 – Order of the Three Stars (Latvia)

2006 – Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (Estonia)

2006 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)

2007 – Order of the White Rose of Finland

2007 – Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia)

2007 – Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (Japan)

2007 – Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain)

2008 – Collar of the Order of the National Coat of Arms (Estonia)

2008 – Collar of the Order of Vytautas the Great (Lithuania)

2008 – Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion

2008 – Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (Belgium)

2009 – Collar of the Order of the Three Stars (Latvia)

2009 – Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit

2010 – Order of Saint George (Georgia)

2011 – Collar of the Order of the Seraphim (Sweden)

2011 – Collar of the National Order of the Star of Romania

2011 – Order of Dostyk, First Class (Kazakhstan)

2012 – Collar of the National Order of Merit (Malta)

2012 – Cross of Recognition, First Class (Latvia)

2013 – Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

2014 – Order of the White Eagle (Poland)

2014 – Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Olav (Norway)

2015 – Order of the White Double Cross, First Class (Slovakia)

International Awards and Recognition

2013 – Democracy Award, National Democratic Institute (NDI)

2014 – Freedom Award, Atlantic Council

2015 – Aspen Prague Award

Leadership of International Expert Groups

2011-2012 – Chair, European Union eHealth Task Force

2012-2014 – Chair, Steering Board of the European Cloud Partnership

2013 – Chair, ICANN High-Level Experts Panel

2014-2015 – Co-Chair, Advisory Board for the World Bank's World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends

Since 2014 – Chair, World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Cybersecurity

Languages

Estonian

English

German

Spanish