The Dean has selected the recipients of the Dean's Impact Award 2025

Timo Korkeamäki, Dean of the School of Business, will present three Dean's Impact Awards this year. One award will go to Didier van Overveld, and the other two will be shared by the teams of Anna Chialà & Eli Saaresto and Duc Khuat, Iris Martinelli & Anna Hakola. All the award-winning students have promoted a sustainable future at Aalto and beyond, and their actions have reflected Aalto's values: responsibility, courage, and collaboration.

Anna Chialà and Eli Saaresto are founders of wednesday.. What began as an Aaltoes project in 2022 soon grew into an independent organization with a clear mission: to increase the number of diverse startup founders and to encourage female and non-binary students to start their own companies.

Today, wednesday. is now a movement for inclusivity, a thriving community of like-minded young people, and a launchpad for talented students into the world of entrepreneurship. Through events, mentorship, and community building Anna and Eli have created opportunities that empower students to break barriers, build confidence, and contribute to a more diverse and sustainable startup ecosystem.

Duc Khuat, Iris Martinelli,and Anna Hakola organised a panel discussion event called Green Growth or Degrowth – What Saves Our Planet? in Marsio in March 2025. They think that discussions at the School of Business seldom challenge the underlying assumptions of mainstream economic theory. Neoclassical economics still dominates teaching, leaving little room for alternative approaches, such as ecological and feminist economics, yet these are established branches of economics elsewhere in the world. 

The panel was born out of students’ will to fill this gap. The team aimed to create a space for critical reflection and dialogue about the role of economic growth in the age of climate emergency. Moderated by Anna and Duc, the panel brought together experts from VTT, Sitra, Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK), and BIOS research institute to explore whether sustainable growth is possible—or whether a shift toward degrowth is necessary to secure a liveable future. Attracting over 200 participants, the event sparked meaningful discussion across disciplines, encouraging the Aalto community to reimagine what “better business” and “better society” could truly mean. The event was supported by Sustainability Action Booster. 

Beyond this project, as active members of the Aalto Sustainability Club, they have organized several events throughout 2025, including a vegan cooking night, a screening of “Kiss the Ground”, a documentary film on regenerative agriculture. These events have been open and free of charge, building a community of people from all disciplines on Aalto Campus, connecting on the topic of sustainability. 

Many fellow students say that Didier van Overveld’s curiosity about sustainability, expressed through his thoughtful questions and active participation in conversations both inside and outside the classroom, is endless. This curiosity has positively influenced their mindsets and learning around sustainability. Didier believes that even small actions can make a difference, especially when multiplied by millions of people. He clearly lives by this principle and continues to inspire his peers to make impactful choices, such as travelling by train and ferry from France to Finland to advocate for low-carbon mobility. One of his greatest contributions at Aalto has been his ability to connect people from diverse backgrounds.

Didier’s commitment and work within the Aalto Sustainability Club (Vice Chair in fall 2022 and Chair in 2023) have been truly inspiring, creating opportunities for students to engage with sustainability-related topics both within Aalto and beyond. In 2024, he participated in the Solve the SDGs Hackathon with the idea of creating a physical event to bring together people passionate about sustainability: a space to connect, mingle, and build something meaningful for the Aalto community. During the hackathon, he teamed up with two other Creative Sustainability students he had not met before. Together, they developed the concept, ultimately winning the challenge with their idea, Mingle for Good. Additionally, Didier’s Master’s thesis on regenerative businesses highlights his dedication to putting sustainability into practice in every aspect of his work, spending the last six months travelling across Europe by train to interview and learn from pioneering regenerative companies.

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By the deadline (October 10, 2025), 11 proposals had been received, all of which were good. Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal. The Dean's Impact Award recipients have been invited to a coffee reception to be held at the School of Business on Thursday, November 27, 2025.

Warm congratulations to the recipients!