The Team

Merinova has 13 experts, who offer you their experience, international expertise and an extensive network

Merinova’s team consists of 15 professionals. Our style of working is to roll up our sleeves and get working, whether we start a project or offer our services to a company.

Our team can offer you additional resources, extensive experience, and international expertise. We have large networks and specialised expertise in public funding.

In our business development services, we dive deep into business processes, find the areas that need to be developed and arrange them – all in collaboration with the companies themselves.

On the project side, we are independent experts and project managers. We are familiar with the networks and know-how of how to create the best possible results through cross-border cooperation.

Our team in a nutshell:

  • We are fluent in 12 languages
  • We have studied and lived in over 20 countries
  • We have over 300 years of experience
  • We have completed over 25 university degrees
  • We represent four nationalities

Administration

Mika Konu

Managing Director
+358 400 730 747

CEO Mika Konu is an experienced expert in business development and financial management. He has an extensive network in both business and academia. Konu is also familiar with product development and quality projects and is responsible for product preparations.

Hobbies: summer cottage, badminton, fishing, financial management, Finnish residential housing companies

Sabina Storbacka

Program Director
+358 44 7809 096

Program Director Sabina Storbacka has long experience in various positions in the field of regional and business development. She has strong expertise in developing the operating conditions of companies and financing development projects of both companies and public actors. She is the project team’s supervisor, participating in Merinova’s energy technology projects and in the ideawork of the new projects.

Hobbies: dogs, horse riding, jogging & outdoor activities, yoga, pilates and drawing

Staff

Tommi Sykkö

Service Manager
+358 400 358610

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

Digitalization Manager
+358 40 5674050

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

Project Manager
+358 50 525 6686

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, exerciseoutdoor activities and travelling

Matina Mitsobonou

EU Affairs Manager
+358405950460

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

Kalle Hällfors

Project Manager
+358407363222

Project Manager Kalle Hällfors has years of experience in industry and entrepreneurship. His core competencies include good networks, brainstorming and creating new things, planning and consulting.

Hobbies: Versatile exercise, making music, playing guitar and fiddling with all kinds of techniques.

Marko Koski

EnergySpin operations
+358505615858

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

Sales and Marketing Director - GigaVaasa
+358 40 587 4474

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

Project Manager
+358 400 761 619

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

Sari Kola

Director, EnergySampo ecosystem
+358 40 541 6461

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

Kaj Sandberg

Project Manager, Service Products
+358 40 830 7390

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

Kirsi Virtanen

Development Engineer, Service Products
+358 40 414 4028

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

Kari Valkama

Project Manager
+358 40 513 4372

Project Manager Kari Valkama has years of experience in working with business and general development related tasks in SME companies in metal and cleantech industries. Valkama’s core competence is international business. As a Project Manager Valkama is responsible for managing projects within energy and other industries.

Hobbies: gym, badminton, following the development of science and technology, travelling

Sari Rintakoski

Project Engineer
+358401532290

Project engineer Sari Rintakoski is one of EnergyVaasa cluster developers, mostly involved in certification of the Gold Label cluster certificate. She is also working in several projects involving battery technology. Rintakoskis core competence is sales, marketing, and technical teaching, done in several languages. Rintakoski has a strong knowledge of international work, from several years working abroad.

Hobbies: swimming in the lake around the year, cars, foreign literature and couple dance

Johan Wasberg

Senior expert
+358 40 742 3207

Johan Wasberg has extensive international work experience in project management. He is primarily responsible for international projects and prepares projects related to renewable energy, both at national and EU level.

Hobbies: sports, languages, military history, wine cellars, old tools, forest and wood cutting