News

Alumni encounters from Zurich to Washington D.C.

From keynote events in the US and Germany to after works in Switzerland, alumni across borders, industries and generations were reuniting this spring and summer to celebrate connections, share stories, and spark new opportunities. Aalto alumni are truly global: nearly 30 000 live outside Finland. Over the past years, we have helped launch local alumni networks around the world, now led by more than 70 alumni ambassadors in over 20 countries.
Alumni in Munich May 2026
Almost 200 Aalto Alumni met in Munich at BMW Welt in May. Hannu Seristö, Director of Advancement and Annika Linna, Head of Alumni Engagement, encouraged alumni to network and become active members of the global Aalto community.

The alumni event in Munich gathered nearly 200 alumni at BMW Welt. The evening featured inspiring key notes on future mobility, material innovations and customer experience from Kari Tammi, Pirjo Kääriäinen, Ulrike v. Mirbach and Peter Mueller.

Warm thanks to Antonino Gomes de Sá from BMW and our president Ilkka Niemelä for hosting the evening, and special thanks to our alum Franca Ennerst, who guided the conversations with warmth.

The most meaningful part in alumni events is always the networking, when new connections are made, ideas shared and collaborations initiated creating a shared feeling that Aalto remains part of your life wherever you are in the world.

Alumni in Zurich April 2026
An after work in Zurich in March brought alumni together to network and hear the latest news about Aalto from Petri Suomala, Vice President for Education and Jonna Söderholm, Head of External Relations at the School of Business.

Alumni gatherings can be any types of events or activities, for example, social mixers, speaker nights, workshops, family-friendly outings, sports meetups and Vappu gatherings.

– Peggy Torres, Aalto Alumni Ambassador in Zurich, who organised 4 alumni gatherings in the spring 2026
Alumni in Washington D.C. April 2026
Aalto alumni in the joint Finnish universities' alumni event in Washington D.C. in April.

Embassy of Finland in the U.S. and ambassador Petri Koikkalainen hosted an alumni event for Finnish Universities in their beautiful premises in Washington D.C. The atmosphere amongst our alumni felt like a reunion of old friends from diverse backgrounds thanks to our shared experiences in the study times. 

Alumni in Brussels 2026
Sirpa Pietikäinen, an Aalto alum and a member of the European Parliament, spoke about the importance of circular economy in the Pathfinders exhibition opening in Brussels.

Aalto University's The Pathfinders exhibition opening at the New European Bauhaus Festival in Brussels brought together researchers, policymakers and Aalto alumni to explore the bottlenecks slowing the transition from a "take–make–waste" economy to a circular one.

The exhibition in June showcased research tackling the barriers of designing buildings for reuse rather than demolition, recovering critical metals from lithium-ion batteries, and scaling textile recycling across value chains.

Cities
14
Attendees
400
New alumni ambassadors
5
New active networks
2

+ Countless ideas exchanged and new lifelong connections formed.

Furthermore, alumni met Aalto delegations and got together in Barcelona as well as in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New Delhi and Bangalore. Aalto alumni working across design, business and technology were doing what alumni do at their best – making friends and sharing ideas.
 

Become an alumni ambassador

We want to build an active international alumni community that consists of numerous local alumni networks around the world. 

In these networks, alumni ambassadors play a key role. Ambassadors, for example, organise alumni meetings, act as a contact point between the university and local alumni, and advise students who consider moving abroad for work or studies.

We encourage alumni to set up groups that will serve as a hub for networking, sharing opportunities, and organising future events and activities. 

We also would like to invite fresh graduates to participate with us in student recruitment fairs, where you can tell potential students about your study experiences in Aalto and your life in Finland.

Coming up this autumn

We will meet alumni in Stockholm on September 2, in Glasgow on September 7 and in Singapore on November 28. Furthermore, our alumni ambassadors will organise get-togethers in many cities around the world. 

If you would like to be invited to an alumni event in your area, please keep your contact information updated here.

Alumni encounters from Seoul to New York

Over the past autumn, Aalto alumni met all around the world to catch up, share ideas and make new connections.

Read more
A group of people gathered outdoors at night. They are standing around tables with drinks, under trees and string lights.

More information:

 Susanna Ritala

Susanna Ritala

Alumni Engagement Manager
PowerBI kartta alumneista

Over 100 000 alumni around the world (external link)

Take a look where our Aalto University alumni are located according to the alumni database!

Upcoming events:

Tapahtumia alumneille

Join events

Every year, Aalto University and its partners organise hundreds of events open to alumni and partners, many of them also online.

For alumni
  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

Large diverse crowd outdoors, looking up and waving, dressed in colourful winter clothes
Cooperation, University Published:

Unite! Secures €7.2 Million in EU Funding

The next phase of the Unite! alliance will start in November 2026, bringing continued opportunities for Aalto students, faculty and staff.
Qutub Minor Delhi
Cooperation Published:

Apply for Flexible Mobility Funding for Collaboration with India

Aalto internal funding for Flexible Mobility for India collaboration is open for proposals. The budget available is 30,000 Euros. The call is open until the funding is exhausted or until 31.1.2027.
Smiling couple in dark blue formal outfits, standing close together against a light blue studio background
Press releases Published:

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel to visit Aalto University in Espoo

The visit on Friday 21 August 2026 includes familiarising with quantum technology, space technology and ice research
Design students Taija Piikkilä, Kasi Jutila and Leena Hurtig chatting in a green park, holding a friend book.
Studies Published:

Keep in touch: a friend book for building your student network

A student team designed a friend book for Aalto University Shop to help students build contacts and make connections.