Hämäläinen was born to a farmer Martti Oskari Hinkkala and economics teacher Impi Aune Nikander. In 1957 she graduated from the Karkkila Co-educational School and following it attended Helsinki School of Economics from which she obtained her B.S. and M.Sc. in economics in 1961 and 1964 respectively. She continued her studies at the same alma mater and got her Licentiate and Doctorate in 1979 and 1981 respectively.
Career
Sirkka Hämäläinen began her career in 1961 as a Research Assistant at the Bank of Finland Institute for Economic Research. She was then promoted to a Researcher and served as such until 1972 when she became Office Manager of the Department of National Economy. From 1981 to 1982 Hämäläinen was head of the department of the Ministry of Finance and from 1982 to 1991 served as Governor of the Bank of Finland. After that, her positions had broadened and Hämäläinen ended up serving as an Adjunct Professor of Economics at the Helsinki School of Economics and as Executive Board Member, positions which she kept until 2006 and 1992 respectively. She was the first Finnish woman to serve on the Board of Directors of the European Central Bank, a position which she kept from 1998 to 2003. Between those positions, she also was a Chairwoman of the Valamo Foundation and Savonlinna Opera Festival. During those times, Hämäläinen was also a Chairwoman of the Raging Roses Association and since 2000 serves on its Board of Directors. In October 2000 Hämäläinen spoke at the Institute of International and European Affairs.
Board member
From 1986 to 1992 Hämäläinen served on Supervisory Board of the Huhtamaki and from 1987 to 1990 she was a member of the Executive Board at the Finnish Cultural Foundation's Supporting Society. Hämäläinen was then promoted to Board of Directors and then to its Supervisory Board at which she served until 1992 and 2005 respectively. She also served at the Board of Business Education Fund in 1989 and was a Chairman of the Board of the Consumer Research Center from 1990 to 1996. From 1992 to 1998 Sirkka Hämäläinen was a Board Member of the Finnish National Theatre and during the 1990s was a Director of Helsinki Music Centre where she still serves along with theatre director and administrator Raija-Sinikka Rantala and director Helena Hiilivirta. The theatre, under her direction had performed at the Villa Lante and Finnish Institutes in Athens and Frankfurt. Hämäläinen had also served on many Delegation Boards. In 1994 she served as a Delegation Member of the Savonlinna Opera Festival while being a Chairman of the Risto Ryti Delegation. A year later, she served on Delegation Boards of Valamo Foundation and Stiftelsen Åbo Akademie and from 1995 to 2006 held the same post at the Trilateral Commission. Between 1997 and 2000 she served as Chairman and then as a Director of the Raging Roses Association. In 2004 Sirkka Hämäläinen joined Board Professionals Association and the same year was promoted to its Board of Directors. Same year, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Investor AB and in April 2010 was re-elected to serve again. The same year she started her term as Board of Directors at the Investor AB, she was also elected as a Board of Directors member for Kone and eventually was re-elected to the same position in 2007. In 2008 she was appointed as Vice Chairman on the same company and in 2011 and 2014 was re-elected to the same position. She also served on Board of Directors at Sanoma Corporation since 2004, and served as its Chairman from 2009 to 2014. While serving to various corporate organizations, Hämäläinen was a Chairman of the Board of the Finnish Chamber Orchestra from 2004 to 2008 and until 2009 she served on the Helsinki School of Economics Advisory Board. Sirkka Hämäläinen returned to her alma mater and served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture from 2012 to 2014.
Personal life
From 1961 to 1995, Sirkka Hämäläinen was married to Lieutenant Colonel Arvo Alpo Ossian. Together they had two children, Salla Johanna and Jonni Tero. In 1999 she married Bo Erik Johan Lindfors.
