Shaping the Future of Sustainable Investing: Building Resilient Investment Strategies

Place
Helsinki
Room
Assembly hall
The side of a glass building with reflections of green trees and a blue sky.
During this edition of Hanken Insights, we will discuss how sustainability, regulation, and geopolitics shape the investment landscape in a changing world. The event is hosted by the Department of Accounting and Commercial law and part of Hankens SDG week. The event will be held in English and is free of charge but requires registration in advance.

Programme


Welcome words
Hanna Silvola, Associate Professor 

Climate Stress Testing in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainty 
Ingalill Aspholm, Professor of Practice

Who Puts the Green in a Green Bond? 
Tra Tham, Doctoral Researcher

Usage of Sustainability Information in Decision Making – How Does It Matter?
Elina Hokkanen, Doctoral Researcher

The Impact of Geopolitics, Sustainability and AI Change on How We (Should) Invest
Ingalill Aspholm, Professor of Practice
Erik Wikström, Head of ESG, Clients & Sustainability at Fondita Fund Management Company Ltd
Sari Lounasmeri,  CEO the Finnish Foundation for Share Promotion (Pörssisäätiö)
Sirkku Palmuaro, Sustainability & Finance Director at Verkkokauppa.com

Closing words

After the seminar, there is time to network and discuss further while enjoying some refreshments in the foyer.

The event is free of charge but requires registration in advance (by 17.9) via this registration link

For questions, contact events@hanken.fi 
 

More about the speakers & presentations 


Hanna Silvola

Hanna Silvola

Hanna Silvola is an Associate Professor of Accounting at Hanken School of Economics. Her research covers topics such as sustainable investing as well as measuring, reporting and assuring corporate sustainability information for strategic decision-making.


Ingalill Aspholm

Ingalill Aspholm

Ingalill is a Senior Advisor, Professor of Practice, and an experienced professional working in the intersection of regulation and sustainability, also bridging academic knowledge and real-world experience through teaching, research and strategic engagement.

Her presentation provides an accessible introduction to how climate change can create financial risks for companies, banks and the wider economy. The presentation explains the basic concepts of physical and transition risk and shows how a climate event can develop into a financial impact. It then explores how geopolitical conflicts, energy disruptions and trade tensions can intensify climate-related risks. 


Tra Tham

Tra Tham

Tra Tham is a doctoral researcher at Hanken School of Economics with a background in accounting and finance. Her research focuses on the valuation, economisation, and marketisation of environmental concerns.

Tra’s presentation looks at green bonds and their promise to support environmentally sustainable activities and to drive the decarbonisation transition. It asks what counts as “green”, who gets to decide, and shows why different market frameworks can produce different answers. This has implications for the credibility of green finance and the allocation of green capital.


Elina Hokkanen

Elina Hokkanen

Elina Hokkanen is a doctoral researcher in the department of accounting at Hanken School of Economics. With over 20 years of experience holding sustainability expert position in the industry and the financial sector, Elina has a deep understanding of risks, opportunities and practical needs of the sustainability transition from both financier and real-economy operator perspectives. Her experience includes integrating sustainability information into asset management investment process and analysing the risks and opportunities of sustainability transition and physical risks in banking.

Elina’s presentation provides context on sustainable investing and how sustainability information is being integrated in investment decisions. It raises questions about the financial sector's structures and its role in the sustainability transition, and what that means for how sustainability information shapes real-world outcomes.


Erik Wikström

Erik Wikström

Erik holds a master’s degree in Economics from Hanken School of Economics, and in Sustainable Technology from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. He is responsible for sustainability at Fondbolaget Fondita (Fondita Fund Management Company) and has over ten years of experience in responsible investments, with tasks ranging from regulatory affairs to client relations. Erik is currently particularly interested in vibe coding, that is, the development of software with the help of artificial intelligence, something that has enhanced the efficiency of his daily work.


Sari Lounasmeri

Sari Lounasmeri

For over a decade, Sari has led efforts to improve national financial literacy and retail investing. She is a top expert on investor rights across Europe. Sari serves as the Vice Chair of the ESMA Stakeholder Group and is a member of the European Commission's Financial Services User Group (FSUG).


Sirkku Palmuaro

Sirkku Palmuaro

Sirkku Palmuaro is the leading expert and advisor at Impactful Oy, specialising in sustainability reporting at EU and global level, the integration of financial and sustainability information, corporate governance, and disclosure obligations of listed companies. She is an Authorised Public Accountant (KHT) and serves as Senior Advisor to several companies, helping them integrate the link between business strategy and sustainability into their values and management. She is also the Sustainability and Finance Director at Verkkokauppa.com.

With over 20 years of experience across the private and public sectors, Sirkku has held leading expert roles in sustainability and financial reporting, including at Finanssivalvonta. She has contributed to the development of EU and global sustainability reporting through her work with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) and in the EFRAG Connectivity Advisory Panel. Sirkku is an author, lecturer and educator in Finland on ESRS and IFRS reporting.