Hanken Ambassadors

Philip Aminoff

Philip Aminoff is a family business entrepreneur, Chairman of Helvar Merca and Helctron, Deputy Chairman of Veho. Philip is also the Chairman of the Finnish Family Firms Association and President of the German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce. Philip graduated from Hanken in Helsinki in 1986 and was appointed as Alumnus of the Year in 2009.

Henrik Ehrnrooth

Henrik Ehrnrooth is President and CEO at KONE. Henrik graduated in 1994 from Hanken and was appointed as Alumnus of the Year in 2015. Henrik is the Chairman om Hanken's donation committee.

Sten Eklundh

Sten Eklundh studied finance at Hanken in 1979-84. Sten has mainly worked within the financial sector (Föreningsbanken, Mandatum, Sampo, Aventum Partners) within corporate finance and M&A. Sten has been a member of the investment committee at Hanken since 2012.

Simone Falck

Simone Falck is a master's student at Hanken with business management and organization as her major. During her studies, Simone has worked in the clothing industry. As a co-founder at Barfàl, Simone works with the operational tasks. Barfàl is a clothing and accessories store that sells timeless, durable products made in Finland. Barfàl's goal is to increase interest in supporting domestic and think more about sustainability when buying clothes and jewelry, therefore the products are ecological and of high quality. In February 2022, Simone became the second recipient of the Fazer Scholarship, which is awarded every two years to a student with good study results who actively work for gender equality, sustainable development, or other social issues.

Kristian Gerkman

Kristian Gerkman is Investment Director at The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland. Kristian graduated from Hanken in 1997 and is the Head of the investment committee at Hanken. 

Nella Ginman-Tjeder

Nella Ginman-Tjeder is Managing Director of Eira hospital. Nella has extensive and broad experience within strategic and operational management, as well as board work within many different fields. Prior to her current position, Nella worked as the Nordic Managing Director for the Swiss photo company Ifolor. She has previously worked as Country Manager of American Express, Director of Marketing Communications at Finpro as well as several years within Sanoma Group. Nella is also a board member of Atria Plc and Viking Malt. Nella graduated from Hanken in 1983 and is a member in Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Carl Haglund

Carl Haglund is the CEO for Veritas. Before his current position he has worked as Managing Director at Accenture with focus on the financial sector. On top of that Carl is the Chairman of the Board for Finnish Business and Policy Forum, EVA, and ETLA Economic Research. He is also the Chairman of the Board for Helsinki Bourse Club. Carl has previously worked with forest and biofuel issues, in the media sector and been a member of several boards. Carl was also engaged in politics as Minister, Member of Parliament and Member of the European Parliament. Carl graduated from Hanken in 2007 and is a member of Hanken’s donation committee.

Johanna Hamro-Drotz

Johanna Hamro-Drotz the CEO at Sinituote Oy. She graduated from Hanken in 2007 and is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Mats Hansson

Mats Hansson is the Chief Strategist at Nordea Wealth Management Investments. Mats graduated from Hanken with his Master’s Degree in 1995 and completed his PhD in 1999. Mats has since then had several different positions at the Department of Finance in 1994-2010, latest Professor 1998-2010. Mats was also visiting research fellow at Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business in 2000. Since 2010 Mats has had several expert- and foreman positions at Nordea Wealth Management, mainly within strategic and tactical allocation. Mats is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Eleonor Hedström

Eleonor Hedström works as Senior Manager, New Business Portfolio at Wärtsilä Energy. Eleonor worked at Wärtsilä for over 15 years and has experience within innovation and implementation of new business initiatives at Wärtsilä. In her current role, Eleonor actively works with finding new cooperation opportunities with start-ups, universities, and established companies within the ecosystem of the energy sector to develop future innovations for Wärtsilä Energy. Eleonor graduated from Hanken in Vaasa in 2013 and is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Max Heino

Max Heino is a master’s student at Hanken and studies Finance as his major. During his studies, Max has worked with Investment Banking, Management Consulting and Private Equity. As the co-founder of the second-hand web store Mjuk, Max works with promoting sustainable consumption. Mjuk’s unique business idea enables the sales of quality second-hand furniture in an effortless and modern way. Mjuk takes care of everything from pick-up, treatment and photographing of the furniture, to storing, marketing and customer service. In February 2020, Max was the first recipient of the Fazer Award, which is awarded every two years to a student who has demonstrated good academic performance and highlights or actively works on issues such as equality, sustainable development, openness and transparency, responsibility and respect for the environment, healthy lifestyles or socially responsible working methods. On top of that, Max is acts as a member of the board at Hankinvest, which aims at helping Hanken students in forming and reaching their career goals.

Roger Holm

Roger Holm is President Marine Power & Executive Vice President at Wärtsilä and a Member of the Board at Hanken since 2018. Roger graduated from Hanken in 1997 in Vasa.

Anna Häggblom

Anna Häggblom is CEO of interior design and construction company AVEO. Anna graduated in 2006 from Hanken and was appointed as Alumna of the Year in 2014.

Nina Ingves

Nina Ingves is Regional Manager at Junior Achievement Finland. Junior Achievement Finland’s goal is to advance entrepreneurial attitude and an active lifestyle among Finnish youths by increasing their knowledge of entrepreneurship, providing entrepreneurial experiences, enhancing readiness for working life and financial management skills. With one foot in entrepreneurship and the other in the education sector, Nina finds fuel for curiosity and lifelong learning. Nina has a strategic approach and is a problem solver in all her projects, workplaces and roles. Nina graduated from Hanken in 2004 and was appointed as Alumna of the Year in 2016.

Ole Johansson

Ole Johansson is a member of the board at Svenska Handelsbanken AB and Konecranes Oyj Abp. Ole is also treasurer The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland. Ole graduated from Hanken in 1973 and was appointed as Alumnus of the Year in 2010.

Picture: Janne Rentola/SLS

Henrik von Knorring

Henrik von Knorring is CEO of the Life Annuity Institution Hereditas Ltd. Henrik graduated from Hanken in 1988 and has since then worked within the finance industry, specifically within assent management, in Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen. Henrik is a member of the investment committee of the Hanken board since 2019. 

Petri Kokko

Petri Kokko is the Managing Director Client Solutions, Central Europe at Google. Prior to his current role, he has held multiple director roles in Germany. Before moving to Germany, Petri worked as Global Director for Learning and Development in Mountain View, California. Petri graduated from Hanken in 2001 and is since November 2021 a member of Hanken’s International Advisory Board.

Staffan Kurtén

Staffan Kurtén is co-founder of HRM Partners (1993). The company that continuously developed professional services (B2B) within change leadership, career coaching and outplacement, grew quickly into a market leader position within its business-niche in Finland. Staffan worked as entrepreneur/CEO in the company for twelve years and after that as chairman of the board. In February 2020 the company was acquired by Hanken&SSE Executive Education where the operations continue under the HRM Partners brand. During this time, Staffan was also active as European Chairman and Global Chairman at Arbora Global Career Partners. Today he is a member of the board at Hanken&SSE. Before founding HRM Partners, Staffan worked among other things as a recruitment consultant at MPS in Finland and in the Nordics. Staffan graduated from Hanken in 1978.

Janne Larma

Janne Larma is CEO for eQ since 2011. Janne graduated from Hanken in 1989 and has since then worked in the finance field in Finland. Janne is a Member of the Board at Hanken and a member of the investment committee.

Kristina Pentti-von Walzel

Kristina Pentti-von Walzel graduated from Hanken in 2002 with a major in entrepreneurship. After her studies, Kristina has engaged with Hanken in fundraising campaigns and as a member of the donation committee. Kristina is a member of several boards and has since 2015 been CEO and Chairman of the Board at Laponie, a company she has founded.

Rasmus Roiha

Rasmus Roiha is the Managing Director of the Finnish Software and eBusiness Association with solid experience in digital business. Rasmus graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 2008 from Hanken in Helsinki and has completed his EMBA diploma in 2011. In 1998, Rasmus started his first software company that grew into an international operator in the 2000s. He has been a serial software entrepreneur ever since. Today, Rasmus leads the association of 700 software and business companies and is an active promoter and opinion-leader in the field. Rasmus is also a partner and chairman of the board at IWA Ltd, a software company he founded back in 2009.  Rasmus has been chosen as the Influencer of the Year/Top 100 Influencers in the Finnish ICT industry every years since 2012. Rasmus is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Johan Sandell

Johan Sandell has a long and exciting career at IBM within the IT&Services sector. He has worked with Nordic and global tasks for over 25+ years within the group in many different countries. His latest position was Managing Director for IBM in Finland. Johan graduated with his Master’s degree from Hanken in 1981 and is the Chairman of the Board at Hanken&SSE.

Dag Sandås

Dag Sandås has a long experience in global technology companies. He is a business angel and seed investor in start-up and scale-up companies. Dag is CFO & Deputy to CEO at The Switch/Yakasawa Environmental Energy. Dag graduated from Hanken in 1984 and was appointed as Alumnus of the Year in 2012.

Heidi Schauman

Heidi Schauman is Head of Research at Danske Bank. Before her current position, Heidi was the Chief Economist at Swedbank in Finland and has a long career in Economic Analytics, both within the public and private sector. Heidi has a PhD in Economics from Hanken from 2006 along with her Master's Degree from 2003. Heidi is a Member of the Board at Helsinki Graduate School of Economics, a joint unit of Hanken School of Economics, Aalto University and the University of Helsinki. Heidi was appointed Alumna of the Year in 2021.

Catharina Stackelberg

Catharina Stackelberg is Senior Advisor and Member of Board at Marketing Clinic. Catharina also currently holds board positions in companies such as Purmo Group, Korjaamo Oyj, Royal Unibrew and Alma Media Corporation. Catharina graduated in 1993 from Hanken and was appointed as Alumna of the Year in 2013.

Mikael Still

Mikael Still is a Naval Architect from Southampton College of Technology and Economist from Hanken in Vaasa. During his career, Mikael has worked at Time Manager, Envirovac, Sanitec, Wärtsilä, Nautor, Wereco, KPMG, Ahola Transport and Norlic. Since Mikael established his own consulting company, VisionWorks, he has become a serial-entrepreneur (Plommonet, RomiSystems, A-zeta, Nooga). Mikael is a member of half a dozen boards, lectures at Hanken&SSE Executive Education courses, and is a pround Hanken Ambassador and mentor at Hanken. Mikael graduated in 1985 and was appointed Alumnus of the Year in 2018.

Annika Sucksdorff

Annika Sucksdorff is Chairman of the Board of the family enterprise Oy Victor Ek Ab and Nordic Director of Original series at Netflix. She graduated from Hanken in 2003 and was appointed Alumna of the Year in 2017.

Joel Sunabacka

Joel Sunabacka is CEO of LokalTapiola in Ostrobothnia and graduated from Hanken in Vaasa in 2014. Joel was appointed Alumnus of the Year 2022.

Henrik Tötterman

Henrik Tötterman has 20 years experience as an international leader. Nowadays, Henrik works with clients as the President of LEADX3M LLC. On top of that, Henrik holds lectures at Harvard Extension School and is Professor at Hult International Business School in Boston. Henrik graduated from Hanken in 2002 with his Master’s degree and received his PhD in 2008. Henrik is a member of the EMBA Advisory Board and Hanken's International Advisory Board.

Ann Wahlroos-Jaakkola

After nearly 40 years of working in the industry, Ann Wahlroos-Jaakkola currently works solely in boards. Ann currently holds three positions as Chairman of the Board in the companies that are a part of the Transmeri group. Anns experience lies within consumer goods (FMCG) and sales leading. Companies that Ann has worked with are Picnic, LähiTapiola, S-Group, Unilever, Sinebrychoff and more. Ann graduated from Hanken in 1979 and is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board. 

Mikael Vainionpää

Mikael Vainionpää lives in Florida with his family. Mikael has had several leading commercial and operational positions in different industries, most recently as Managing Director, Schindler Denmark, and Area Director of the Service & Maintenance division in five countries. Mikael’s career started in financial and commercial advisory (M&A). He completed his formal education with a D.Sc. Econ. from Hanken. Mikael is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Fredrik Wildtgrube

Fredrik Wildtgrube is Vice President at Finnair Cargo. Before this he has built a career at for instance Nokia and Microsoft. Fredrik graduated from Hanken in 2005 and is a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Christoph Vitzthum

Christoph Vitzthum graduated from Hanken in 1994. After a long career at Wärtsilä, Christoph became president and CEO of Fazer Group. He has engaged with Hanken in many ways, e.g as a member of the fundraising campaign committee and in his role as CEO for Fazer, who is part of Hanken’s partner programme. Christoph is currently the chair of the Board of Hanken. Christoph was appointed as Alumnus of the Year in 2009.

Veronica Vitzthum Lindholm

Veronica Vitzthum Lindholm graduated from Hanken in 1993. Her previous employers include Fazer, The Walt Disney Company, Mondelez. Her latest employer was Finnkino, where she was the CEO for Finland and the Baltics. Currently Veronica is CEO at Indoor Group Oy as well as a member of the board at Nokian Renkaat and foundation of the Swedish Theatre in Helsinki. Veronica was appointed as Alumna of the Year in 2011 and is also a member of Hanken’s External Stakeholder Advisory Board.

Maria Östergård Käld

Maria Östergård Käld graduated from Hanken in Vaasa in 2004 and has worked within the finance industry for over 20 years. Currently, Maria works as Senior Manager for Seligson & Co Asset Management / Localtapiola Asset Management Ltd. She has even had different positions of trust within foundations and associations. Maria has through the years been an active mentor for many students in the mentorship programme and is currently a member of Hanken’s donation committee.