Service Manager Tommi Sykkö has excellent business expertise and an equally as excellent network. He is also familiar with public sources of financing for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Hobbies: stocks, exercise, quality wines, summer cottage, decoration and design

Peter Hellström is working as Digitalization Manager and is responsible for digitalization projects. Hellström has solid experience in projects and the sale, marketing, purchasing, product development and consulting of products and services in industry and the private sector. The core competencies are training, networking and developing something new!

Hobbies: photography, music, electronic equipment, fitness, cars and motorcycles and recycling.

Mikaela Nykvist is responsible for the Invest in Vaasa conceptualisation and development project. Nykvist has extensive work experience in leading projects and development in the technology industry with a focus on data-related development such as Product lifecycle management (PLM) and documentation.

Hobbies: Reading and writing historical fiction, exercise, outdoor activities and travelling

EU Affairs Manager Matina Mitsobonou promotes the active cooperation of universities and business world stakeholders in European and international research cooperation. She also acts as a contact point and mediator in the development of project ideas together with the actors of the Vaasa region’s energy ecosystem.

Mitsobonou has a strong background in the academic as well as the business world. Her core competencies are communication and management, and she has extensive experience in building partnerships and reporting.

Hobbies: hiking, yoga, painting and cooking

Marko Koski is responsible for the EnergySpin program and he has worked in several different positions, with a particular focus on business development and innovation. Koski is active in the international startup community and acts as a local angel in the Finnish Business Angels Network (FiBAN).

Hobbies: basketball and floorball, diving, travel, reading and also interested in politics

Marko Kuokkanen is responsible for the development of Energyspin’s operations and sales & marketing of the GigaVaasa battery factory project. Kuokkanen has extensive experience in electricity distribution automation in international business as well as a strong technical background, broad experience of projects and sales and internationalization.

Hobbies: Versatile exercise, reading and world politics

Tauno Kekäle has extensive academic work experience and a large network in EU countries, which comes in handy as he prepares various projects. Kekäle is responsible primarily for regional development projects and is well versed in higher education and research, as well as technology transfer and open innovation activities

Hobbies: vinyl records, reading, american cars, motorbikes from 1970s

Doctor of innovation Sari Kola is passionate about ecosystems as an enabler of growth. As the EnergySampo innovation ecosystem orchestrator, Sari works in close cooperation with partner companies ABB, Danfoss, Hitachi Energy, Wärtsilä, Vaasan Sähkö, VEO and VNT Management to achieve common goals of the ecosystem, development of systemic energy systems and promotion of their export. Ecosystems and collaboration are also the subject of Sari’s second doctoral thesis

Project manager Kaj Sandberg is an expert in process development, and is responsible for projects in quality, work safety, environment and service. Sandberg has extensive experience in developing ISO processes and of applying for CE labelling, as well as NQA competency.

Hobbies: Chilean red wines, reading, drawing with charcoal, making-up stories and drawing pictures to go with them

Development engineer Kirsi Virtanen has strong experience in process development. Virtanen’s core expertise includes development tasks and projects related to environmental and quality functions in particular.

Hobbies: Reading and outdoor activities