PhD Annika Vatanen, 39, has been appointed director of Hanken School of Economics MBA programme. Ms. Vatanen comes to Hanken MBA from the Department of Management and Organization at Hanken, where she has been involved in a research project on boards of directors and innovation financed by Tekes. She holds a PhD from Hanken and a Master's degree in Economics from Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium.

"I want to help the MBA participants develop into strategic thinkers and humble winners. Success requires understanding organizational circumstances and resources from multiple perspectives, choosing a clear direction, and ensuring that the direction is shared at each level. Far too often, companies consist of silos heading different ways. No wonder many individuals do not understand their strategic role and what is expected from them", says Ms Vatanen, who has worked with management teams helping their members find shared goals. She also sees bringing out the hidden potential in each individual as one of her missions.

In addition to her commitment to research, Ms Vatanen has previously worked in the field of leadership development, team development and self-leadership. Her previous employments include working as a research director and leadership developer at Hunting Minds Ltd. She has also worked as a consultant and lecturer consulting Finnish companies in their China-related operations. Ms. Vatanen is multilingual and has both worked and conducted research in China, Australia, Hong Kong and Brussels. Her research on management and leadership has been published as a book and several articles.

"Despite of the recession, the Hanken MBA programme starting this year has had more applications than ever before. This is a clear indication of business life's need for the specialized knowledge and individual service offered by Hanken MBA," says former MBA Director, Henrik Tötterman, PhD, who leaves Hanken to become Academic Dean at Hult International Business School in Boston, USA. Once again Hanken MBA has gathered a diverse group of experienced participants, which also enables them to learn a lot from each other.

The Hanken MBA is an internationally accredited, part-time programme that lasts for two years. The areas of specialisation include service and relationship marketing, finance / real estate finance and international management. Hanken is at the forefront in these areas both nationally and internationally. The programme is delivered in monthly modules which make it possible to combine work, personal life and study.