Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur has appointed Elmar Vaher as the new Director General of the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) on the proposal of the Top Civil Servants Selection Committee of the Government Office. Vaher was selected through an open competition and will take up his post on Monday 12 January.
Minister Pevkur says the role and workload of the ECDI has grown significantly in recent years. “The centre today is an organisation with a rapidly growing team that manages billions of euros in defence investments,” he explained. “At this point it requires proven ability to lead a large organisation through change. The selection committee did a thorough job, nominating Elmar Vaher as the strongest candidate for his years of experience in reforming and heading up one of the largest state institutions in Estonia.”
Elmar Vaher served as Director General of the Police and Border Guard Board from 2013-2023, overseeing the unification and modernisation of one of Estonia's largest public-sector organisations. He holds a Master's degree in law and has undertaken a wide range of senior management training.
“The ECDI is directly responsible for the use of taxpayers' money in boosting Estonia's defence capabilities,” Vaher noted. “That is why I aim to be guided by the needs of the Estonian Defence Forces and to be a trusted partner to businesses. The centre has much greater responsibility today than it did even a few years ago: there are more procurements, those procurements are strategically more important, and society has higher expectations.”
Vaher says he understands that his appointment to such a position will attract attention. “The selection committee conducted a very thorough competition, which reassures me that my work and experience to date are valued,” he said. “I am ready to commit myself fully to bolstering Estonia's defence capabilities.”
The ECDI was established in 2017 to carry out procurements and develop infrastructure under the Ministry of Defence. Its aim is to ensure that funds earmarked for the development of Estonia's defence capabilities are used efficiently and transparently.
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