Alexander Stubb

Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb (born 1 April 1968) is a Finnish politician who has been Minister of Finance since 29 May 2015 and Leader of the National Coalition Party since 14 June 2014.

From 2004 to 2008, Stubb was a Member of the European Parliament. He previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2008 to 2011, as Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade from 2011 to 2014 and as Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015.

Background

Bilingual childhood

Stubb was born in Helsinki into a bilingual family; his father was a native Swedish speaker and his mother a native Finnish speaker. Stubb spoke both languages at home. His father Göran Stubb worked in the business of professional ice hockey and was the CEO of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association from 1976 to 1983.

Education

In 1986 Stubb graduated from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida and, two years later, graduated from the Gymnasiet Lärkan in Helsinki. After completing his military service, he won a golf scholarship to Furman University in South Carolina. At Furman, Stubb studied political science and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. The following year he studied French and obtained a Diploma in French Language and Civilisation from the Sorbonne in Paris. Stubb speaks five languages: Swedish, Finnish, English, French and German.