Board
The Chair of the Aalto University Board is Mikko Kosonen and Vice Chair is Ilkka Kivimäki. Other board members are Mariana Amatullo, Sari Baldauf,Karel Luyben, Andreas Mortensen and Marita Niemelä
The board members are appointed by the Aalto University Academic Affairs Committee. The seven members represent a wide spectrum of sciences and arts, as well as the best social and industrial expertise on both national and international levels.

Mikko Kosonen, Chair
Mikko Kosonen, PhD (Econ), worked as President of Sitra, the Finnish Innovation Fund, in 2008-2019, and earlier he had leadership positions at Nokia, for example Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Infrastructure. Kosonen is member of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, the Supervisory Board of Smart & Clean Foundation and the Delegation of the Foundation for Economic Education’s Supporters’ Association. Kosonen has an Honorary Professorship of Budapest Business School. He has published books and articles on strategic leadership.
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Hely Kilpeläinen, Executive Assistant
[email protected]
+358 50 452 4690

Ilkka Kivimäki, Vice Chair
Ilkka Kivimäki, MSc (Tech), is a partner at Maki.vc, early stage venture capital fund. He has worked with numerous startup companies as an investor and a coach. Kivimäki has an extensive entrepreneurial background, for example in PC-Superstore and Wicom Communications, and he has also worked in the multinational software company SAP AG as its Senior Vice President.He was the Chair of Slush’s Board of Directors, and he is one of the founders of Startup Foundation. Kivimäki is a member of the Finnish National Innovation Council and the National AI Steering Group and co-founder and board member of Kasvuryhmä – Finnish Scaleups.

Mariana Amatullo
Professor Mariana Amatullo is Vice Provost for Global Executive Education & Online Strategic Initiatives at the New School in New York and Associate Professor of Strategic Design & Management at the Parsons School of Design. Amatullo has pioneering experience of integrating the creative fields into international development programmes and executive education. Her scholarship and consulting intersect between the fields of management and design for social innovation. She is Honorary President of the Cumulus Association of Art and Design Education and Research and serves on a variety of international panels and advisory boards dedicated to the arts and design.

Sari Baldauf
Sari Baldauf, MSc (Econ), is a professional board member in several companies and organisations. Sari Baldauf is Chair of the Board at Nokia, Non-Executive Director at Daimler AG and Mercedes Benz AG and Senior Advisor at DevCo Partners. She is also member of the board and board’s working committee at Technology Industries of Finland. She worked previously at Nokia Corporation in various executive positions, and as a member of the Nokia Executive Board.

Karel Ch. A. M. Luyben
Karel Luyben is professor of biochemical engineering in the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. He has previously worked at the university as rector magnificus, dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and as scientific director of the Graduate School Biotechnological Sciences Delft Leiden. He provides industry and government with consultation in the areas of technology, innovation and industrial policies.

Andreas Mortensen
Professor Andreas Mortensen is Vice President of research and professor in the Institute of Materials at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. He currently serves as the Director General of the EU FET Flagship Human Brain Project. Prior to joining EPFL he was a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Professor Mortensen has been a member of various high-level expert groups, research and scientific councils, and foundations, for Europe and other organisations.

Marita Niemelä
Marita Niemelä, DSc (Tech), leads Rejlers Finland’s division focused on sustainable energy solutions. Previously, she was director of the energy business unit at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency and innovation catalyst, and has held leading positions at Neste Engineering Solutions, Valmet, Metso and Pöyry. In 2009–2011, she served as part-time professor at Aalto University. Niemelä has been board member in Academy of Finland and the Finnish Bioeconomy Cluster FIBIC and advisory board member in VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
Photos: Aalto University / Jaakko Kahilaniemi & Mikko Raskinen
Previous board members
- Director General Susanna Pettersson 2014–2022
- Professor Liqiu Meng 2013–2021
- Professor Colin Whitehouse 2013–2019
- Professor of Practice Anne Brunila 2008–2018
- Professor Bengt Holmström 2008–2017
- Professor Saku Mantere 2008–2017
- CEO and President Matti Alahuhta 2008–2015
- Rector Anna Valtonen 2008–2014
- Professor Marja Makarow 2008–2012
- Professor Patrick Aebischer 2011–2012
- Professor Robert A. Brown 2008–2010
The board started its work in August 2008.
News

Board appointed Professor Jyri Hämäläinen as Vice President of Research, and Dean Tuomas Auvinen and Vice President Janne Laine to the 2nd term
Prior to its official meeting, the board discussed with Aaltonians and invited the community to participate in the Preview 2023 process
Board approved budget and long-term plan, appointed Dean Kristiina Kruus to second term and reviewed strategy implementation status
The university board’s meeting was held on campus on 7-8 June
Board appointed Professor Jussi Ryynänen as Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering and Vice President Petri Suomala to the second term
The board of Aalto University decided on appointments and approved Annual Board Report and Financial Statements for 2022
Ilkka Kivimäki appointed new Vice Chair of Aalto University Board
Mikko Kosonen continues as Chair- Published:
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