Hjallis Harkimo

In 1981–82, Harkimo was a crewmember on the yacht Skopbank of Finland in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.[3]

From 1986 to 1987 he participated in a round-the-world single-handed yacht race, BOC Challenge, and finished third.[4][5]

In 1989–90, he was a crewmember on the yacht Belmont Finland in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race.[6]

Harkimo was elected to the Eduskunta in 2015 with 11,416 votes in the election.[7] Although he was elected representing the National Coalition Party, in 2018 he left the party and founded a new political movement, Movement Now. In the 2019 parliamentary election, Harkimo was elected to the parliament as the sole representative from Movement Now.[8]

Harkimo is the chairman of the board of the Helsinki-based ice-hockey team Jokerit.[9] He is also the developer of the team's home arena, Hartwall Areena, and an investor in sports.

Harkimo hosted the Finnish version of The Apprentice from 2009 until 2013.[10] and made a one-season return in 2018.

In October 2017, Harkimo started to publish YouTube videos concerning politics, business, sports and other subjects.

In 2019 Harkimo bought the 49% share of Jokerit from Russians Gennady Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg, owners of Arena Events Oy. Harkimo sold 100% of Jokerit to Jari Kurri, long time manager of the club. Harkimo's intent was to exclude the club from the US sanction list based on the annexation of Crimea.[11][12]

Harkimo married his first wife, MP Leena Harkimo in 1989, but they divorced in 2002. He later married MP Merikukka Forsius-Harkimo in 2004, but the pair divorced after a year of marriage. Harkimo has two sons from his first marriage and a third son from his second marriage.

Harkimo has been a vegetarian since the beginning of 2018.[13]

• Hjallis Harkimo on Twitter
• Hjallis Harkimo at World Sailing