Henrik Hololei has been the director-general for mobility and transportation in the European Commission since 2015.
He holds a master’s degree in economics from Tallinn Technical University and another master’s degree in political science and international economy from Aarhus University, Denmark.
His career began in 1993 as an assistant trade commissioner at the Finnish Foreign Trade Association. Between 1995 and 2004, he held various positions in the government, including the director of the Office of European Integration, chairman of the Estonian Council of Senior Civil Servants for EU Integration, and chief government counselor of EU Affairs.
Between 2001 and 2002, Hololei was the Minister of Economy. He represented the Estonian government in nominating itself as a member of the European Commission.
In 2004, he moved to Brussels as the head of the cabinet of Vice President Siim Kallas, a position that Hololei held during both of Kallas’s regimes; the first dealing with administration, audit and anti-fraud and the second dealing with transport.
Hololei became deputy secretary-general of the European Commission and, on Oct. 1, 2015, became director-general for mobility and transport.
Hololei is chairman of the supervisory board of the Estonian School of Diplomacy and a member of the board of the Institute of Social Sciences of Tallinn University. He is also a member of the advisory council of the Baltic Development Forum.
He is a highly decorated official. His awards include the Grand Cross of the Lion of Finland, awarded by the President of Finland and the 3rd Class Order of the White Star by the President of Estonia, to name a few.
Hololei was named “European of the Year” by the Estonian European Movement.