After a broad search and comprehensive review of an exceptional list of candidates, the Supervisory Council of Vabamu has appointed Ivo Lille as Executive Director, effective September 1, 2024. Lille is culture and music policymaker at the Estonian Ministry of Culture. 

“My mission at Vabamu is to connect Estonia and the wider international community to stand together for freedom,” Lille said. “I want Vabamu to be highly visible and to offer value that will help society act more consciously so that the terrible events of the last century cannot be repeated. I am excited to support the Vabamu team continue their advocacy advancing freedom in Estonia and across the globe.” 

This change in leadership comes at a time when Vabamu’s advocacy for freedom in the Baltic region and beyond is significantly expanding. Notable highlights include: 

Museums and Exhibits 

• KGB Cells is being expanded and a new visitor experience will be delivered. 

• Vabamu’s main museum will host a new exhibit on Estonia’s reaction to the war in Ukraine and events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Mass Flight in 1944. 

NOVA and student engagement 

• Constantly developing new content and launching initiatives for youth.  

Global Conversations 

• Vabamu is a lead sponsor of the Creative Destruction Lab in Estonia; in 2024/25 the Digital Society Stream will include Freedom and Security as well as Biotech and Financial Services. 

• Programs partnered with Stanford University include academic fellowships, student internships, Digital Society Summits across the USA and a curated visitor program for 100 international VIPs during Laulupidu 2025. 

Ivo Lille has worked through the Estonian Ministry of Culture to lead several major cultural organizations. He is former director of the Georg Ots Tallinn Music College and has also served as a board member of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, and the  national concert organization Eesti Kontsert. Lille has a master’s degree from the Sibelius Academy in Finland and a doctorate from the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.  

Sylvia Kistler Thompson, daughter of Vabamu founder Olga Kistler-Ritso, issued a statement on behalf of the Vabamu Supervisory Council: “We are delighted that Ivo Lille has agreed to serve as leader of Vabamu. His experience successfully leading large cultural organizations, ensuring focus on mission, effective collaboration and delivery of financial results based on grant funding, customer revenues and sound fiscal management are especially relevant. This unusual combination of experience is exactly what is required as Vabamu expands its work in memorializing the occupations, honoring the resistance, showcasing Estonia’s extraordinary recovery, and its global leadership in digital society and expansion of freedom”. 

 About Vabamu 

Vabamu is the largest active non-profit museum in Estonia. Vabamu’s mission is to educate the people of Estonia and its visitors about the recent past, sense the fragility of freedom, and advocate for justice and the rule of law. It was founded by Olga Kistler Ritso, an Estonian-American refugee, in partnership with the Estonian government, to support its wish that Estonia never again be occupied by a foreign power.