Diana Nausėdienė ( Nepaitė; born 9 July 1964) is a Lithuanian business manager and lecturer, who has served as the

First Lady of Lithuania First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

since 12 July 2019 as the wife of

Gitanas Nausėda Gitanas Nausėda (; ; born 19 May 1964) is a Lithuanian politician, economist, and banker who is serving as the ninth and incumbent president of Lithuania since 2019. Born in Klaipėda, Nausėda graduated from Vilnius University with an economic ...

President of Lithuania The president of the Republic of Lithuania () is the head of state of the Republic of Lithuania. The president directs and appoints the executive branch of the Government of Lithuania, represents the nation internationally and is the commande ...

Early life

Nausėdienė was born in Klaipėda, Lithuania, where she was brought up in a traditional Lithuanian household. Nausėdienė's father was the captain of a long distance fishing boat and her mother was an accountant. She has a sister who is three years her elder.

Career and education

In 1987, Nausėdienė graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute Faculty of Light Industry (now

Kaunas University of Technology The Kaunas University of Technology (abbreviated as KTU, ) is a public university, public research university located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Established in 1922, KTU has been seen as one of Lithuania's top science education centers. In 2021, KTU ...

). After graduation, Nausėdienė worked for H&M Hennes & Mauritz GBC AB where she performed quality management and standards maintenance, before becoming a lecturer at the Vilnius University International Business School. Speaking at an event on women's leadership in September 2020, Nausėdienė caused controversy when she argued that increasing the share of women in any given field did not automatically lead to better outcomes, giving education as an example. Commentators accused Nausėdienė of blaming women for the ills in Lithuania's education system, saying she had completely missed the root of the problem.

Honours

Foreign honours

* : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (24 October 2022) * : Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

(5 July 2023)

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Nausediene, Diana 1964 births 21st-century Lithuanian businesspeople First ladies of Lithuania People from Klaipėda Living people Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) 21st-century Lithuanian women Lithuanian lecturers