Alumni stories | News listing | Aalto University /en/listing/151546/feed News listing en Alum Tuomas Paananen: 'Many paths lead back to studies' /en/news/alum-tuomas-paananen-many-paths-lead-back-to-studies Tue, 25 Nov 2025 09:26:55 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1343921 at /en Tuomas Paananen, originally from Vihti, knew from a young age that he wanted to be an entrepreneur. Collaboration Alumni stories aaltobizalumni aaltobizstudies alumni alumni activity career stories Cooperation Alumni Tuomas Paananen 65 years of class reunions /en/news/65-years-of-class-reunions Tue, 04 Nov 2025 13:18:37 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1341148 at /en The class of '52 that began their studies at the Helsinki School of Economics 73 years ago has been meeting regularly for decades. Collaboration Alumni stories aaltobizalumni alumni alumni activity class reunions donating Cooperation Yhdeksän vuosikurssin '52 alumnia tapasivat ravintola Elitessä toukokuussa 2025. President Ilkka Niemelä to alumni: 'At Aalto, we dare to dream - and we dare to do' /en/news/president-ilkka-niemela-to-alumni-at-aalto-we-dare-to-dream-and-we-dare-to-do Wed, 29 Oct 2025 10:57:57 +0000 Ville Luoto 1340204 at /en Aalto Alumni Weekend brought together 1 400 alumni. Aalto stories Collaboration Alumni stories AlumniWeekend alumni business cooperation Cooperation Alumni Weekend 2025. Kuva: Kristian Presnal The Alum of the Year Juha Jolkkonen Has Built an Impressive Career as a Leader, Physician and Reformer /en/news/the-alum-of-the-year-juha-jolkkonen-has-built-an-impressive-career-as-a-leader-physician-and Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:06:56 +0000 Susanna Ritala 1340017 at /en Alum of the Year Juha Jolkkonen has played an active role in developing the Aalto Executive MBA program for the City of Helsinki. Aalto stories Careers Honoured Alumni stories alumni career stories Awards and Recognition Juha Jolkkonen Alum Nina Zhao: Curiosity has taken me far /en/news/alum-nina-zhao-curiosity-has-taken-me-far Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:21:29 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1340011 at /en Nina Zhao has graduated from the master's program in Global Management, and she currently works at EY People Advisory Services in New York. Careers Collaboration Studies Alumni stories aaltobizalumni aaltobizstudies alumni alumni activity career stories Cooperation Studies Alumni Nina Zhao Support for the transition to working life and insights into one's own skills /en/news/support-for-the-transition-to-working-life-and-insights-into-ones-own-skills Thu, 02 Oct 2025 07:17:19 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1337352 at /en Participants of the latest mentoring programme Inka Vettenranta and Marek Hudeček share their mentoring experiences. Collaboration Studies Alumni stories aaltobizalumni aaltobizstudies alumni alumni activity mentoring Cooperation Studies Kaksi ihmistä keskustelemassa. School of Science Alumnus of the Year Matti Aksela: it’s always worth learning something new /en/news/school-of-science-alumnus-of-the-year-matti-aksela-its-always-worth-learning-something-new Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:28:51 +0000 Aino Pekkarinen 1339041 at /en Aksela mentors international students through the Aalto International Talent programme and hopes to see even greater diversity in the technology sector. Honoured Careers Alumni stories alumni alumni activity Awards and Recognition Cooperation University Matti Aksela School of Electrical Engineering Alum of the Year 2025 Ville Voipio shares his insights on the importance of adaptability /en/news/school-of-electrical-engineering-alum-of-the-year-2025-ville-voipio-shares-his-insights-on-the Wed, 22 Oct 2025 07:45:24 +0000 Ira Matilainen 1339186 at /en Three themes guide Ville Voipio's career: digitalisation, sustainability and economic well-being. He received the Alum of the Year award at the Alumni Weekend event on 25 October 2025. Careers Collaboration Honoured Alumni stories AlumniWeekend alumni Awards and Recognition Cooperation Henkilö tummassa takissa seisoo tiili- ja kiviseinän vieressä, taustalla puisto ja puita. From polymer technology to international research centres – Chemical engineering alum of the year Petri Lehmus /en/news/from-polymer-technology-to-international-research-centres-chemical-engineering-alum-of-the-year Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:16:44 +0000 Juuso Mäntykivi 1339517 at /en Petri Lehmus, Vice President of Research and Development at Neste Corporation, has been named alum of the year by the School of Chemical Engineering. Throughout his career, he has led international research centres, built the success story of Neste’s renewable business and advanced chemical engineering research and education at Aalto University. Honoured Careers Collaboration Alumni stories School of Chemical Engineering alumni polymertechnology career stories business cooperation Awards and Recognition Cooperation Mies tummassa puvussa ja sinisessä solmiossa seisoo puisessa huoneessa, jossa on isot ikkunat ja riippuvalaisimet. School of Engineering Alum of the Year Mika Viljanmaa: There’s no point in developing something useless /en/news/alum-of-the-year-mika-viljanmaa-no-point-in-developing-something-useless Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:15:00 +0000 Joonas Lehtovaara 1339520 at /en Viljanmaa, an award-winning inventor, calls Otaniemi his professional and spiritual home. Technology and engineering Honoured Collaboration Alumni stories AlumniWeekend Alumnus of the year alumni career stories Awards and Recognition Cooperation Mika Viljanmaa, Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulun Vuoden alumni 2025 Mentor Eduardo Hernández Villalobos: I learned from challenges faced by young designers /en/news/mentor-eduardo-hernandez-villalobos-i-learned-from-challenges-faced-by-young-designers Mon, 22 Sep 2025 09:58:39 +0000 Kaisa Paasivirta 1336515 at /en Aalto Mentoring Programme offered a chance for meaningful engagement and community building for the School of Arts, Design and Architecture graduate. Arts and design Careers Collaboration ARTS, Master's Programmes alumni alumni activity mentoring Cooperation Eduardo Hernández Villalobos osallistui ensimmäistä kertaa Aalto-yliopiston mentorointiohjelmaan. Harri Paananen, triple alum of Aalto University, moves to NATO from the City of Espoo /en/news/harri-paananen-triple-alum-of-aalto-university-moves-to-nato-from-the-city-of-espoo Wed, 24 Sep 2025 10:43:20 +0000 Hanna Wikström 1336579 at /en ‘In doctoral studies, you need to be able to define the problem yourself and solve it,’ says Aalto University’s triple alum Harri Paananen. He first applied that mindset in the City of Espoo and now in his new role at NATO. Aalto stories Art and Creative Practices Business and economics Collaboration Design Global business dynamics University Alumni stories alumni alumni activity Cooperation Harri Paananen meren äärellä Alum Maria Pirkkalainen-Barber: Business studies built a bridge for international influencing /en/news/alum-maria-pirkkalainen-barber-business-studies-built-a-bridge-for-international-influencing Mon, 22 Sep 2025 10:07:59 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1336513 at /en Maria Pirkkalainen-Barber has graduated from Aalto University School of Business, majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management. Careers Entrepreneurship Alumni stories aaltobizalumni aaltobizstudies alumni alumni activity Cooperation Alumni Maria Pirkkalainen-Barber The Aalto University EMBA alumni in Korea are important ambassadors between Korea and Finland /en/news/the-aalto-university-emba-alumni-in-korea-are-important-ambassadors-between-korea-and-finland Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:07:22 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1336520 at /en The 30th anniversary of Aalto University EMBA in South Korea brought together 250 alumni and friends on September 4th in Gangnam, Seoul. Collaboration University aaltobizalumni alumni alumni activity Cooperation University The aSSIST University and Aalto University joint alumni event brought together nearly 250 Aalto EMBA alumni and friends of the program. Alum Salla Lonka implements a culture of experimentation in a home appliance company /en/news/alum-salla-lonka-implements-a-culture-of-experimentation-in-a-home-appliance-company Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:55:12 +0000 Hanna Wikström 1334140 at /en Salla Lonka finds it fascinating to examine creative processes from a distance, focusing on efficiency and impact. After completing her master's degree in fashion design, she ended up at a global home appliance company in Stockholm. Aalto stories Art and Creative Practices Business and economics Collaboration Design Global business dynamics University Alumni stories alumni alumni activity Cooperation Niina Malkamäki / Aalto University President Sauli Niinistö: ‘The future is brighter than it appears right now.’ /en/news/president-sauli-niinisto-the-future-is-brighter-than-it-appears-right-now Wed, 27 Aug 2025 14:07:55 +0000 Terhi Ollikainen 1333856 at /en Approximately 600 invited guests and alumni attended the event named after Chancellor Jaakko Honko at Aalto University Töölö Business and economics Global business dynamics aaltobizalumni alumni alumni activity alumni seminar Awards and Recognition Cooperation University Presidentti Sauli Niinistö Alum Maija Itkonen shapes food and businesses: ‘I want to do things that I can direct my passion towards’ /en/news/alum-maija-itkonen-shapes-food-and-businesses-i-want-to-do-things-that-i-can-direct-my-passion Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:18:52 +0000 Paula Haikarainen 1332341 at /en Maija Itkonen, CEO of Onego Bio, is known for popularising the meat alternative Pulled Oats and now also for egg protein made without chickens. She believes business can change the world for the better. Business and economics Careers Design Entrepreneurship Aalto University Magazine Alumni stories AlumniWeekend IDBM alumni design Aalto Magazine Henkilö seisoo sisätiloissa valkoisen tason ääressä korkeiden ikkunoiden edessä, yllään mustat vaatteet ja kengät. Alum Ella Ahmas: 'Getting a job at the European Commission was a great achievement, and I believe that my younger self would be really proud of me' /en/news/alum-ella-ahmas-getting-a-job-at-the-european-commission-was-a-great-achievement-and-i-believe-that Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:57:54 +0000 Emilia Nevalainen 1329831 at /en Ella Ahmas, who studied in the Master's programme in Management and International Business, found her niche through the experience gained in internships and ended up working for the European Commission in her current role. Collaboration Studies Alumni stories aaltobizalumni alumni alumni activity career stories Cooperation Studies Alumni Ella Ahmas Alum Laura Suomalainen: ”The idea of always having your life with you and being able to move from place to place spoke to me.” /en/news/alum-laura-suomalainen-the-idea-of-always-having-your-life-with-you-and-being-able-to-move-from Fri, 15 Aug 2025 10:51:00 +0000 Emma Rosenberg 1331605 at /en Laura Suomalainen had long dreamed of "Vanlife" until the opportunity to go on exchange to Norway set the wheels of her dream in motion. Nowadays she travels across Europe in her own van and works remotely. Studies Careers Alumni stories International Business, Mikkeli aaltobizalumni aaltobizstudies alumni alumni activity Cooperation Studies Alumni Laura Suomalainen lumisilla vuorilla vaeltamassa. Learning new things continues after graduation /en/news/learning-new-things-continues-after-graduation Thu, 07 Aug 2025 06:29:19 +0000 Susanna Saarinen 1330229 at /en Aalto graduates’ transition to working life and their experience of studies and careers are monitored annually through a career monitoring survey. The responses to the survey provide important information about the work life of graduates, both for current students and for young people considering their future studies. In addition, the information collected is used to develop Aalto University’s teaching and services. Studies Teaching alumni working life degrees careers graduation Studies Aalto-yliopiston kampuksen Kandidaattikeskus-rakennus kuvattuna syksyllä.