Speakers at 2022 Event

Prof. Dr. Lidwien van de Wijngaert @ Radboud University

Dr. Lidwien van de Wijngaert has been working as professor of Communication in Organizations at Radboud University’s Faculty of Arts since August 2016. Van de Wijngaert is an expert in the field of social media. She developed methods for the analysis of social media in crisis and marketing communication and conducts research into the use of ICT by a broad public: ‘If we know more about the use of new IT-related services and their effects, we can also formulate requirements for new technology’.

Lidwien van de Wijngaert (Best, 1970) obtained her Master’s in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam in 1993, specialising in Information Studies. She worked as a researcher at the Telematica Instituut and obtained her PhD six years later at Utrecht University for her research: Matching Media: Information Need and New Media Choice, a study into the relationship between task and situational characteristics and the choice of a communication channel.

Subsequently, she worked as a lecturer in mass communication (1998-1999) and as an assistant professor and researcher at the Institute for Informatics and Information Science (1999-2008) at the same university. She has held guest lectureships at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA and Syracuse University, Upstate New York. In 2008 she became a senior researcher at the University of Twente, where she leads research into the use of electronic government. For example, she has researched the role of social media in the run-up to the Project X party in Haren.

At Radboud University, Van de Wijngaert conducts research within the Center for Language Studies research institute into communication in networks within and between organizations. She also provides education for the Bachelor’s degree program in Communication and Information Sciences, the Master’s specialisation in Communication and Influencing and the Research Master’s in Language and Communication.

Elina Koskela (Director, Global Manpower Solution) @ Barona

Elina has almost 20 years of experience in the recruitment business in Finland and 15 years of experience in recruiting and working with employees from other countries. She is passionate to help Nordic countries to find global talents and to settle for life as well as to help global talents finding their place in Nordic societies.

Michael Lindholm (Network Manager) @ Turku Business Region and Turku Science Park Ltd

Michael has been an entrepreneur in the ICT sector for over 25 years and joined Turku Science Park Ltd in December 2017. He has also more than ten years in the entrepreneur organisation which included vice chairman of Turku Entrepreneurs, a member of Southwest Finland and Finnish entrepreneurs of the Board and Chairman of the national Swedish Network as well as a board member of Finnish Enterprises. He was the chairman of Åbo Svenska Teater 2016-2020.

His areas of expertise are entrepreneurship, networking and internationalisation, as well as technology-focused networks in the creative industries nationally and internationally. He is responsible for the coordination of intelligent technology, such as AI and ICT in the area, as well as cooperation with the SME and large companies. He has also a close cooperation with business, universities, educational institutions and the public sector to create a basis for new innovations as well as successful new products.

Turku Business Region (www.turkubusinessregion.com) is a business and innovation cluster of 22,000+ companies, 6 universities, the City of Turku and regional municipalities On behalf of the regional development company Turku Science Park Ltd, Michael Lindholm and Lotta Kujanpää are pleased to join the Talent Boostcamp 2022. They give an overview on the local business ecosystem and its spearhead fields, with concrete tips on building a career in Turku Business Region. Turku Science Park Ltd also maintains a lively startup community Turku and runs acceleration and growth programmes for startups.

Anna Kivinen (Project Director) @ City of Turku

International House Turku www.ihturku.fi/en brings together counselling and guidance services promoting and supporting the integration of immigrants and international newcomers in Turku and the Turku region. The services are offered in many languages, across multiple channels and they are easily accessible. Anna Kivinen is pleased to welcome Talent Boostcamp 2022 participants to Turku and present the services of the city to international talents.

Monika Luukkonen (Account Manager & Planing Officer) @ University of Oulu

Monika was born in Oulu and later on, was away from Oulu for 18 years, till she came back in 2008. She has a MSc. (Econ.) from University of Tampere. Over the years, she has lived and worked both in the UK and Japan (mainly in international marketing roles in tech companies). She is very familiar with effects of culture shock (and reverse culture shock) while living abroad and when returning to Finland. She has written books and talked in seminars and webinars about the Finnish way of life and the Finnish education system for the Japanese market.

David Delahunty (Solution Designer) @ University of Oulu

David is originally from Ireland. He came to Oulu over twenty years ago for a one-month vacation and somehow found himself still there. During these years he has worked in Oulu in several fields and actually learned Finnish (pretty well). He has completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, in addition to a degree in international business during his time in Finland. In addition to having lived in Oulu for over two decades, he has lived in China, and the United Kingdom and have also worked on educational projects in Thailand.

Lotta Kujanpää (Project Specialist Talent Turku) @ Turku Business Region and Turku Science Park Ltd

Lotta has 15+ years’ experience in business development services, university-business collaboration, and project management. Currently she is running the Talent Boost project team in Turku Science Park Ltd and helping local companies in attracting, recruiting, and retaining talent. The services of the team are listed in www.turkubusinessregion.com/talentboost.

Turku Business Region (www.turkubusinessregion.com) is a business and innovation cluster of 22,000+ companies, 6 universities, the City of Turku and regional municipalities On behalf of the regional development company Turku Science Park Ltd, Michael Lindholm and Lotta Kujanpää are pleased to join the Talent Boostcamp 2022. They give an overview on the local business ecosystem and its spearhead fields, with concrete tips on building a career in Turku Business Region. Turku Science Park Ltd also maintains a lively startup community Turku and runs acceleration and growth programmes for startups.

Jonathon Murphy (Talent Advisor) @ International House Turku

Jonathon is Talent Advisor at International House Turku and is responsible for soft-landing services and welcoming new arrivals to Southwest Finland. He can offer advice on getting started in Turku as well as making the transition from the university environment to the workplace. Originally from the UK, Jonathon has lived in Turku for almost 5 years and during that time he has been unemployed, an intern, a student and a professional as well as attending more Finnish language courses than he cares to remember. Consequently, he has first-hand experience of the types of difficulties faced by international talents in Finland.

Meet with Jonathon on Friday 3rd, 15:00 “Everything you wanted to know about living in Turku (but were too scared to ask)”. Join Jonathon from International House Turku as he shares his experiences of making the leap from student to professional life in Turku! This will be a relaxed, outdoor session where you can freely ask questions about everyday living in our region. During this session you can also hear more about using the practical services offered by International House Turku, as well as reflecting on what you have learnt throughout the week at the Talent Boostcamp.

Maria Aartela (Head of Strategic Partnership and Category Management) @ If Insurance

Throughout her career, Maria continuous improvement and development have been a constant theme. She can create a vision and engage and inspire colleagues and team members to execute the strategy for reaching that goal. She is experienced in working with C-level stakeholders and delivering results in a multicultural, matrix organisation. She has successfully led and managed cross functional, international expert teams as well as coached aspiring professionals in several industries. She believes the key to developing a successful partnership is listening.

Over 20 years of experience working and leading teams in a multicultural environment. Global and multinational companies including Nokia, Finnair, and If Insurance. Working and living in several geographies such as Finland, Singapore, U.K. and the US. Additionally, working in global and regional roles requiring collaboration with multiple internal and external stakeholders in various countries.

Maria has the following specialties: strategy development, change management, team leadership, strategic sourcing & outsourcing, category management, relationship management, partnerships, digitalisation, public procurement, asset management planning, negotiations, project management, process development.