The board of the University of Vaasa is strengthened with wide-ranging business life experience
In its meeting on 20 May, the University Collegium of the University of Vaasa appointed members who come from outside the university community to the board of directors for the period 2022–2025. The appointed board members have high-level business experience, academic demonstration, as well as a genuine interest in developing the Finnish university and scientific communities. Furthermore, their expertise is strongly linked to the focus areas of the university.
The newly appointed external members are Mari Kiviniemi, CEO of the Finnish Commerce Federation, Mervi Airaksinen, CEO of IBM Finland, and Timo Aukia, CEO of Timo Aukia Oy. In addition, Juha Kytölä, Chief Technology Officerat Wärtsilä, and Markku Stenborg, Financial Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, will continue to serve on the board.
During the term commencing on 1 January 2022, the board will have 11 members, five of whom come from outside the university and six from the university community. Three of the university community members are elected from among the professors, two from the teaching, research and other personnel, and one from the students. The representatives of the university communities are selected through an election procedure during autumn 2021.
"Our external board members have valuable insight into the transformation of the information society and the resulting need for change in the university. This will bring us important experience to our development work," says Hannu Piekkola, the Chair of the University Collegium.
A more detailed presentation of the external board members of the University of Vaasa:
Mari Kiviniemi
Mari Kiviniemi is the CEO of the Finnish Commerce Federation. Mrs Kiviniemi had an impressive political career before becoming a professional director. She served as a Member of Parliament 1995–2014 and as the Prime Minister 2010–2011. In addition, she has served as the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development and the Minister for Public Administration and Local Government. Mrs Kiviniemi was appointed as Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD for two terms 2014–2018, after which she has worked as the CEO of the Finnish Commerce Federation. Mari Kiviniemi has extensive knowledge of the Finnish and the global economy. Mrs Kiviniemi is a Master of Political Science. She was born in 1968.
Juha Kytölä
Juha Kytölä is the Chief Technology Officer of the Wärtsilä Corporation. Mr Kytölä has served as a member of the Board of the University of Vaasa 2018–2021. He has enjoyed a long and varied career in the domains of product development, manufacturing, international trade and management. Mr Kytölä has served as a member and as the chair of the boards of directors of Vacon Plc, the Ostrobothnia Chamber of Commerce, Merinova Oy, and several of Wärtsilä's subsidiaries. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of T-Drill Oy. He has completed the Chamber of Commerce's training in acting as a board member and chairing a board. He has graduated from the Tampere University of Technology with a Master of Science in Technology and obtained his doctorate in science from the University of Vaasa in 2017. He was born in 1964.
Markku Stenborg
Markku Stenborg works as a Financial Advisor at the Ministry of Finance, Department of Economics, where he participates in the preparation and analysis of the government's economic policy. He also has academic work experience from the University of Turku, where he worked as a researcher and as a Deputy Professor. Mr Stenborg has served as a member of the Board of the University of Vaasa 2020–2021. Additionally, Mr Stenborg has acted as the President of the Productivity Board since 2018, and he is a member of the management team of the OECD's Economic Policy Committee. Mr Stenborg is a Doctor of Economics from Pennsylvania State University and a Docent in Legal Economics at the University of Joensuu. He was born in 1959.
Mervi Airaksinen
Mervi Airaksinen works as the CEO of IBM Finland. She has a wide-ranging background in the technology sector spanning 15 years, and she is specialised in business development. Mrs Airaksinen has served as the CEO of Cisco Finland and the Baltics, as well as the CEO of Also Finland. She serves on the boards of Vincit, Nordic Morning Group, and Learning Intelligence Group. She is also a member of the advisory board to the Digital Economy research platform of the University of Vaasa. Mrs Airaksinen holds a Master of Science in Economics. She was born in 1980.
Timo Aukia
Timo Aukia has a long career in the field of commerce. He is the CEO of Timo Aukia Oy and Jaakko Aukia Oy. After graduation, he worked as a stock exchange reporter in Kauppalehti and subsequently joined his family business to become a clothing retailer. He has extensive experience in retail, digitalisation of business operations, as well as the media sector. Mr Aukia serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Ilkka-Yhtymä Group and as a member of the Board of Directors of Liana Technologies. In addition, he has previously served as a member of the boards of directors of Leo Longlife and Alma Media. Mr Aukia is a Master of Science in Economics from the Helsinki School of Economics. He was born in 1973.
Further information: Chair of the University Collegium, Professor of Economics Hannu Piekkola, University of Vaasa, tel. +358 44 0244349
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