Alumni of the Year
Service design expert Mariana Salgado speaks for the designers’ role in public policy creation and in helping strengthen participation. She works as an independent consultant and public speaker on design via her own company.
Mariana Salgado, School of Arts, Design and Architecture Alum of the Year 2024
‘There is a great deal of demand for wide-ranging competence in the labour market,’ says Kristo Ovaska, the co-founder of the technology company Smartly.io who served as its CEO for ten years.
Johanna Småros, Michael Falck and Mikko Kärkkäinen, graduates of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, founded in 2005 Relex Solutions, a software company providing supply chain and retail planning solutions to retailers, distributors and manufacturers of consumer goods.
Johanna Småros, Michael Falck and Mikko Kärkkäinen, School of Science Alum of the Year 2023
Heikki Holmberg, Senior technology development manager at Okmetic, says that he ended up in the semiconductor industry through his own interest, but also by chance. 'I've always liked physics. When I took the course Basics of Semiconductor Technology, I got hooked into the field.'
Heikki Holmberg, School of Electrical Engineering Alum of the Year 2023
Antti Valkonen completed his master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2016 at Aalto, and defended his Ph.D dissertation at Princeton University in 2023. ”I hope that my example can encourage students to go abroad after graduation. The competition can get tough, but it should not scare you off."
Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, CTO at Solar Foods and one of the founders of the company draws on everything he has learned at Otaniemi when he does his work. "We’re currently building a demonstration plant at Vehkala in Vantaa, which is a major investment. The company deals with a hydrogen economy in which we utilise carbon dioxide and renewable energy."
Juha-Pekka Pitkänen, School of Chemical Engineering Alum of the Year 2023
Päivi Hurttia has pursued a career in journalism and communications, among other things. Hurttia recently returned from Ethiopia where she spent a year working for the International Committee of the Red Cross and ensuring the safety of humanitarian assistance to all regions.
Päivi Hurttia, The MBA Alum of the Year 2023
Previous Alumni of the Year
Katja Soini is the Alumna of the Year of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture
The design professional is Senior Advisor at AFRY working with the built environment. She's also Chair of the design professionals’ association Ornamo. Soini is delighted that design is now recognised as a key factor in business management.
School of Electrical Engineering Alumnus of the Year 2022 Pekka Tiitinen: Electricity sector training opens up diverse career opportunities
Managing Director of ABB Finland encourages students to acquire broad experience of business life already during their studies – because experiencing a range of different work duties can teach you a lot.
Alum Maija Jokela’s work is displayed around town
The construction industry is more diverse than its reputation, realised Ramboll Finland’s Managing Director Maija Jokela during her first summer job.
Construction industry influencer Maija Jokela has been named School of Engineering Alumna of the Year 2022
’Sustainable development and energy efficiency are at the heart of planning in construction projects. Together with Aalto University, we are working to make strides in these themes as well.’- Published:
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