Mr. Ossian Hartig is the Chief Public Affairs Officer for the Finnish National Defence University (FNDU) in Helsinki. With Finland’s recent accession to NATO there is an increased need for career officers. FNDU’s public affairs team is responsible for promoting and marketing the officer career as a viable option to young Finns with an increased focus on social media marketing – and also sometimes challenging the stereotypical imagery of what a career soldier should be like. In an effort to bring the Defence Forces closer to younger audiences by defining a clear tone of voice and quality visual content, the Finnish Defense Forces’ social media channels saw a major increase in followership and engagement, which has continued to this day.

Before joining the Finnish Defence Forces, Mr. Hartig worked as a journalist covering tech and business.