Daniels Pavļuts (born 14 May 1976 in

Jūrmala Jūrmala (; "seaside") is a state city in Latvia, about west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 49,325 in 2019 ...

, Latvia) is a Latvian politician and the current

Minister for Health of Latvia Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...

since January, 2021. He was formerly the

Minister for Economics of Latvia The Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republikas Ekonomikas ministrija) is the leading state administrative institution responsible for economic policy in Latvia. The ministry also represents the economic interests of ...

, a position he served in from 2011 until 2014. In addition to his political and business career, he is a concert pianist.

Career

Prior to a career in politics, Pavļuts served as the head of corporate affairs at Swedbank AS in Riga, brand director for DDB Latvia, a member of the board at the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a board member at ZENO Consulting. From 2003 to 2006, Pavļuts held the office of State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture of Latvia. In 2001, he worked as an adviser to the Director of Management and Communication at the

Latvian National Opera The Latvian National Opera and Ballet (LNOB) is an opera house and opera company at Aspazijas boulevard 3 in Riga. Its repertoire includes performances of opera and ballet presented during the season which lasts from mid-September to the end of Ma ...

Minister of Health

On January 7, 2021, Pavļuts was elected new

, after the sitting minister, Ilze Viņķele had stepped down at Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš's request. During his tenure, he has overseen Latvia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although he was originally opposed to mandatory vaccination measures, in November 2021 Saeima passed a law allowing employers to dismiss employees who do not have a valid vaccination against or recovery from COVID-19. On 16 September 2021, Pavļuts survived a vote of no confidence measure 50-34. Hours after announcing the possibility of an emergency mobilisation of the Latvian medical field on 26 October, the Latvian Medical Association called for his resignation due to a perceived lack of communication and "unprofessional approach". Pavļuts did not resign, but promised better cooperation with the medical field and clarified that emergency mobilisation was not currently imminent.

Education

Pavļuts earned a Bachelor of Arts from

Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music ( lv, Jāzepa Vītola Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmija), formerly the Riga Conservatory, is a higher education establishment of music at 1 Barona Street, Riga, Latvia. The junior institute is the Emīls Dār ...

in 1999, a post-graduate diploma in Cultural Management from

City University London City, University of London, is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, and a member institution of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute, and became a university when The City Univ ...

in 2000, and a Master of Public Administration from the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

in 2007. He speaks Latvian, Russian, English, French, and German.

Personal life

Pavļuts was married with Linda Pavļuta from 2006 until 2018, with whom he has two sons. In 2021 he married Elīna Grīnhofa, with whom he has twins. In addition to his political and business career, Pavļuts is known as a concert pianist.

References

External links

Cabinet profile

Biography on the Ministry of Economics website

The Importance of Learning. Learning What Exactly?: Daniels Pavļuts at TEDxRiga
1976 births Living people People from Jūrmala Reform Party (Latvia) politicians Movement For! politicians Ministers of Economics of Latvia Deputies of the 13th Saeima Harvard Kennedy School alumni Alumni of City, University of London {{Latvia-politician-stub