Ding Ma
Ding Ma | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Savonlinna | |
| Assumed office 2026–present | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1988 (age 37–38) Suzhou, China |
| Citizenship | Finland |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Aalto University |
Ding Ma (Chinese: 马丁; born 1988)[1][2] is a Finnish civil servant with a Master of Science in Economics.[3]
He was born in Suzhou, China, from where his Chinese family moved to Turku, Finland, when he was 4.[1][4] At the age of six, Ma started school at a Chinese boarding school, from where he returned to Finland at the age of 11 and attended comprehensive school and upper secondary school in Turku.[2][5] Ma graduated from Aalto University in 2013.[3]
He has been the Director of Vitality in Lappeenranta since 2022, until the Savonlinna's Town Council elected Ma as the Mayor of Savonlinna in 2025. Ma began his current position in March 2026.[2]
Ma is married and they have one child.[4] He holds only Finnish citizenship.[6]
References
- ^ a b Salovaara, Outi (19 September 2018). "Aasia-asiantuntija Ding Ma tietää, miten kiinalaisen sisäoppilaitoksen kuri päihittää Suomen armeijan" [Asia expert Ding Ma knows how the discipline of a Chinese boarding school outdoes that of the Finnish army]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
Syntynyt Suzhoussa Kiinassa 1988.
[Born in Suzhou, China, in 1988.] - ^ a b c Rantala, Kati (15 December 2025). "Savonlinnan uusi kaupunginjohtaja Ding Ma tulee Lappeenrannasta". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ a b Vehmanen, Jukka (17 December 2025). "Varissuolta kaupunginjohtajaksi ponnistanut Ding Ma ottaa kantaa rasismikohuun: "Kasvaisivat aikuisiksi"". Turun Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ a b Rantala, Kati; Palvaila, Jaakko (3 March 2026). "Syntyi Kiinassa, muutti Suomeen 4-vuotiaana – tällainen on Savonlinnan uusi herra Ding Ma". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ Kivimäki, Petri (17 October 2021). "Nuori Ding Ma hyvästeli miljoonakaupungin". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.
- ^ Pulkkinen, Katri (17 December 2025). "Näin Savonlinnan uusi kaupunginjohtaja Ding Ma, 37, kommentoi silmienvenyttelykohua" [This is how Savonlinna's new city manager Ding Ma, 37, commented on the 'eye-stretching' controversy]. Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2026.