Rolf Holmboe

Head of Mission

Rolf M.H.P. Holmboe is a distinguished diplomat with extensive experience in international relations and conflict resolution. He has held various key positions within the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, showcasing his commitment to promoting peace and stability in fragile states.

Rolf Holmboe joined EUAM Ukraine as Head of Mission in June 2023 after serving as Denmark’s ambassador to Mali (2020-2023) and Pakistan (2017-2020), as well as to Lebanon and Syria (2012-2015). From 2010 to 2012, he served as Director of Strategy and Policy Planning at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

As Head of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department for Stabilisation and Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, he dealt extensively with combined political, stabilisation and development interventions in fragile states. Prior to that, he served as Denmark's Representative to the Palestinian Authority from 2005 to 2009.

From 1992-2005 he was inter alia responsible for Neighbourhood Programmes, including in Ukraine, Caucasus and the Balkans. As an army reserve officer, he has participated in several missions of longer or shorter duration in conflict zones as well as an arms control inspector under the CFE and Open Skies Treaties. Until 2016, he served as commander of a reserve specialist corps (battalion structure), providing mission area expertise to Danish military missions abroad. As an external lecturer, he has taught conflict studies in fragile states at the Institute of Political Science, Copenhagen University. From 2015-2017 he was a research fellow on temporary leave at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute in Ottawa. Rolf Holmboe holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science and a Supplementary Degree in Arabic Studies from Aarhus University.

Mia Rahunen

Deputy Head of Mission

Mia Rahunen joined EUAM Ukraine in 2025 as Deputy Head of Mission. Mia brings over two decades of experience in international crisis management, conflict prevention, and sustainable development, with a strong track record in strategic planning, leadership, and cross-sectoral coordination within the framework of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy.

Before joining EUAM Ukraine, Ms Rahunen worked with the CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation from 2023 to 2024, focusing on conflict prevention through dialogue and mediation in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.

Ms Rahunen has previous experience from civilian crisis management missions, responsibilities ranging from overseeing field operations to senior management positions in the headquarters. From 2020 to 2023 she served at the EUCAP Sahel Mali mission – first as Head of Planning, Evaluation and Reporting, and subsequently as Chief of Staff. Between 2014 and 2017 she held several management positions with the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia, including Deputy Head of Field Office.

Ms Rahunen’s experience also includes international policy and advocacy. She worked with WWF Finland (2018–2020), focusing on national and international climate policies, and held senior advisory positions at the Nordic Council of Ministers (2007–2014), where she for example led regional governmental cooperation on sustainableтdevelopment.

She holds a master’s degree in communication and media studies from the University of Turku, including studies in EU affairs and social and political sciences.

Lynn Sheehan

Head of Operations

Lynn Sheehan practised as a solicitor in her native Ireland until 2004 specialising in EU law, competition law and international trade. During this time she lectured at the Law School of the Law Society of Ireland (the professional training body for solicitors in Ireland) and was both an internal and external examiner in EU law.  Lynn has an MA in European Studies from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona and an LLM in European Law from the College of Europe in Bruges.  She was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in Ireland in 1999.

Since commencing her overseas career Lynn has worked in the Balkans, Myanmar, Palestine, Niger and Ukraine.  In 2006 Lynn was appointed by the High Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as an international member of the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH which, inter alia, had the task of overseeing the reform of the justice sector in BiH post the war of 1992-1995.  From 2008-2012 she served as Head of the Legal Unit of the International Civilian Office/EUSR in Kosovo which was tasked with supervising the independence of Kosovo after its declaration of independence in February 2008.  Lynn commenced her work in Common Security and Defence Policy missions in 2012 and has served as Head of the Rule of Law Section of EUPOL COPPS in Palestine and Chief of Staff at EUCAP Sahel Niger.  She worked as Deputy Head of Operations at EUAM Ukraine from 2016-2020 and in October 2022 she returned to EUAM as Head of Operations. 

Jean-Michel Blaudez

Chief of Staff

Born in Germany, Jean-Michel Blaudez is a commissioned officer of the French National Gendarmerie. During his 32-year career, he constantly alternated between law enforcement and international experience. As a police officer he was successively leader of a riot control / SWAT unit, trainer, head of a police division, head of a police department and deputy director of a police academy. His international experience started with a deployment within the UN-IPTF mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1997. From 2004 to 2008, he was head of unit for EU cooperation within the Gendarmerie and a member of the French delegation to the Law Enforcement Working Group of the EU Council. From 2011 to 2015, he had an assignment to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the field of Security Sector Reform (SSR). During this period, amongst others, he implemented the European Union Police Services Training programme (EUPST) in African countries. From 2021 he was involved in EU external Border Management within the context of the migration crisis in the English Channel. In addition, he developed an European police training model for frontline agents under the Erasmus+ programme. From March 2022 he participated in the design of French forensic missions deployed to alleged war crimes investigations in Ukraine. He is graduated in law and criminal sciences and holds a Master in international relations.