The speakers of the event are introduced here.

MODERATOR
Johannes Malkamäki

Johannes Malkamäki is a sought-after host, magician, and mentalist known for his modern, comedic style and seamless bilingual performances. With a master’s degree in medical biotechnology and over a decade of experience, Johannes has hosted and performed at more than 500 events, ranging from high-profile corporate galas to international conferences. His performances combine interactive magic, mentalism, and sharp humor – always tailored to the audience – ensuring each event is memorable and unique.

Joonas Grönlund, Chair of the Lappeenranta City Council

Executive Director at Lappeenranta Student Housing Foundation sr,
MSc (Tech) from LUT University

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Sari Multala, Minister of Climate and the Environment

Sari Multala has served as Minister of Science and Culture of Petteri Orpo’s Government since June 2023.

Starting in January 2025 as a Minister of Climate and the Environment she is responsible for matters related to the environment, construction and housing. These include climate policy, nature and water protection, preventing environmental pollution, circular economy, construction and land use, and housing policy. Minister Multala is also responsible for matters covered by the Energy Department of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.

Having completed her matriculation examination in 1997 at Mäkelänrinne, a general upper secondary school specialised in sports, Multala continued her studies at Helsinki School of Economics where she majored in management science, graduating in 2005 with a Master of Science in Economics. She also holds a further vocational qualification in coaching from Kuortane Olympic Training Center.

A three-time world champion in sailing, Multala served as the head coach of the Finnish national sailing team in 2013–2015. She has held many positions of trust in the field of sport, both during her sporting career and afterwards.

Multala first entered Parliament in 2015. Since then, she has served in the Education and Culture Committee, the Agriculture and Forestry Committee, the Environment Committee, the Intelligence Oversight Committee and the Legal Affairs Committee. Multala has been a member of Vantaa City Council since 2013 and chaired Vantaa City Executive since 2017.

During her leisure time, Multala likes to go on sailing trips with her family. Multala also enjoys many kinds of physical and cultural activities, hiking and other outdoor pursuits.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Pasi Vainikka, Co-founder & Member of Board, Solar Foods

Pasi Vainikka is a Finnish entrepreneur, scientist, and innovator in renewable energy and sustainable food systems. He is the co-founder & member of board of Solar Foods, the company behind Solein – a revolutionary protein made from air, electricity, and microbes, offering a climate-friendly alternative to traditional agriculture.

Before founding Solar Foods in 2017, Vainikka led Finland’s largest renewable energy research program, Neo-Carbon Energy, and worked as a principal scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. He holds a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Åbo Akademi University and serves as an adjunct professor at LUT University.

Pauli Hiltunen, Post-Doctoral Researcher, VTT

After defending his doctoral thesis, “Transition towards carbon neutral district heating by utilising low-temperature heat”, Pauli Hiltunen has been working as a post-doctoral researcher at VTT – Technical research centre of Finland since April 2024. In his work, Hiltunen is focusing on modelling low-carbon and carbon neutral district heating systems and their impacts on the surrounding energy system. Recently, a high focus has been on electrified district heating production.

Rami Koivula, Development Manager, Lappeenrannan Energia

Rami Koivula established a development unit for Lappeenrannan Energia Group five years ago, anticipating the European energy crisis. Before this, he gained ten years of experience, which included launching a new business division and setting up a manufacturing facility. Rami holds a Master of Science degree from LUT.
Lappeenrannan Energia Group development unit has established strong cooperation with the City of Lappeenranta, completed a heat storage innovation project, and launched two new projects on demand-responsive district heating flexibility and AI-powered asset management.

Risto Kosonen, Full Professor, Aalto University

Full Professor Risto Kosonen (D.Sc.) is working on indoor climate, energy flexible buildings, and energy efficiency of buildings and communities. Over 35 years experience both in industry and university.

Vice President of REHVA, President of SCANVAC, President of FINVAC and Chair of Indoor Climate Association in Finland (FiSIAQ). Committee membership of e.g. REHVA organizations. Awards: Rydberg Gold Medal and REHVA Fellow.

Tommi Eronen, CEO, Polar Night Energy

Tommi Eronen is the CEO and Co-Founder of Polar Night Energy, established in 2018. The company is known for designing and building world-renowned thermal energy storage systems, called Sand Batteries, that store wind and solar energy.

An expert in heat transfer and storage modeling, Tommi earned his Master of Science degree in Power Plant Engineering from Tampere University of Technology in 2017.

With a strong passion for innovative engineering, Tommi is dedicated to developing practical solutions to tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss. Outside of work, he is a passionate cyclist dreaming of a round-the-world trip and enjoys ice swimming and free diving.

Adrián Carrasco, Lead Data Scientist, Inetum

Leading the European Commision Project COSMIC, Adrián Carrasco is a graduate from the Carlos III University in Madrid. After completing his masters in Mathematical Engineering, he started a career in Data Science, working in AI developments for Text Classification Models and Time Series Forecasting. 

He has since worked in several EUC Projects such as RENergetic, developing the core forecasting  and the recommendations engine. Following that, he works now in other EUC projects such as MetaBuild, BlueBird and Protect Child. Leading at Inetum the AI solutions devoleped in the Innovation department.

Nikolas Salomaa, Founder and CEO, nollaE

nollaE is a software company specialized in energy efficiency, transforming buildings towards carbon neutrality in a way that is financially viable. The company has been a member of the Climate Partners program since 2021.

Nikolas Salomaa is the founder and CEO of nollaE Oy. He has extensive experience in energy efficiency projects across both the public and private sectors, covering residential buildings as well as industrial facilities, including the utilization of waste heat.

With a background in both economics and engineering, Salomaa is a pioneer in building simulation technology and energy optimization. He has led the development of nollaE’s proprietary AI-based software that identifies the most cost-effective and climate-smart energy solutions for each building. Salomaa is passionately committed to enabling carbon-neutral real estate and is a recognized voice in national energy policy discussions.

Samuli Honkapuro, Tenured Professor, LUT University

Samuli Honkapuro is a tenured professor in Energy Markets and Energy Systems in LUT University, Lappeenranta, Finland. In addition, he is the head of the Laboratory of Electricity Markets and Power Systems in LUT.

He graduated as D.Sc. (tech.) from LUT in 2008, and since then, he has been carrying out scientific research and academic education. His key research interests are electricity market design and business models for integration of distributed energy resources, demand response, and energy communities.

Theis Hybschmann Petersen, Senior Advisor, City of Copenhagen

Theis Hybschmann Petersen has worked for the Department for Energy & Technology at Copenhagen City Properties and Procurement as an Advisor since 2016. His primary responsibilities consist of innovation project development, business case development and international collaboration – all centered around building energy efficiency.

From January 2025 Theis changed positions within the City of Copenhagen to senior advisor in the climate section at the technical and environmental administration. With a technical mindset and data focus, Theis is working in the cross section between district heating systems and consumer installations with a focus on energy efficiency, building readiness for lower district heating supply temperatures mixed with innovative solutions such as flexible energy consumption with a city-wide focus.

Niko Kinnunen, Associate Professor, LUT University

Niko Kinnunen is an Associate Professor at LUT University. He has 20 years of experience in catalysis across a wide range of applications. His research focuses on catalysis in biomass valorization, and in Power-to-X technologies. He investigates how biogenic CO₂ and lignin can be combined with renewable hydrogen to produce future fuels and value-added chemicals. Kinnunen serves as the Chair of the Finnish Catalysis Society and is a member of Council of the European Federation of Catalysis Societies, actively shaping both national and European catalysis communities.

Lotta Westerlund, Deputy CEO, AHK Finland

Lotta Westerlund is deputy CEO of the German-Finnish Chamber of Commerce (AHK Finland), and leads their hydrogen interest group. AHK Finland has been actively promoting Finnish-German hydrogen collaboration for several years, bringing potential investors, offtakers, technology providers and producers together. They are arranging regular briefings and delegation trips for companies in the hydrogen economy, as well as discussions with political stakeholders. Germany is Finlands’ most important export market for goods, and about 80% of Finnish exports to Germany happen via AHK’s 650 member companies.

Sanni Kontinen, Development Manager for Hydrogen Valleys, Gasgrid Finland

Sanni Kontinen works as the Development Manager for Hydrogen Valleys at Gasgrid Finland, the national transmission system operator responsible for gas transmission and the builder of Finland’s hydrogen network.

As part of the hydrogen valley development, Sanni actively collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders and contributes to the formation of a hydrogen economy in Finland. She brings experience from working on renewable energy initiatives and international projects from the past 10+ years, and she is passionate about advancing the green transition.

Sanni holds a Master of Science in Environmental Technology from LUT University.

Aapo Koivuniemi, CEO, ABO Energy

Aapo Koivuniemi is a renewable energy leader with 15 years of experience in the Finnish and european renewables sector, starting from modeling and design to development, lobbying and investments. He has been involved in some way or another in roughly one in ten of Finnish wind turbines. Aapo holds a MSc degree from LUT and EMBA from Aalto. Aapo believes that while the engineering element is very important in renewable or P2X-projects, the true success factor in green transition is understanding the social and psychological drivers affecting people and their decision making.

Pia Erkinheimo, Partner – Corporate Relations & ESG, Nordic Nano

Pia Erkinheimo is Partner and Chief Corporate Relations & ESG Officer at Nordic Nano. She is also an investor at FiBAN – The Finnish Business Angels Network, and serves as a board member at LUT University, NOETON, Atlan – The Venture Studio for Nature-Tech, and Industry Commons Foundation in Sweden. She is an alumna of The Finnish Climate Fund’s executive team, where she was responsible for the dealflow and co-investor relations. Her previous experience includes roles related to innovation and funding at Nordea, Nokia, and Capgemini. Pia has co-founded Women in Tech Finland, a network of companies committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech industry. Her master’s and postgraduate studies have taken her to University of Helsinki, Aalto University, University of Minnesota, and University of California, Berkeley – Haas School of Business.

Pekka Karvinen, LCV & EV Technical Support Manager, Toyota Auto Finland

Pekka Karvinen works as the LCV & EV Technical Support Manager at Toyota Auto Finland Oy. The company is the official local importer responsible for the national sales and marketing of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, parts, and accessories. Pekka has approximately 20 years of experience at the company, having held various positions ranging from technical training and product marketing to public relations, leading up to his current role.

He has been heavily involved in the localization of Toyota’s hydrogen technology and coordination with other stakeholders over the past decade. Toyota aims to play a significant role in the development of emerging hydrogen societies through cooperation, joint ventures, and by providing its fuel cell technology for widespread use — offering versatile and clean energy solutions not only for cars, but also for trucks and buses.

Ville Naumanen, Research Director, Electric Mobility Research Center

Research Director Ville Naumanen is leading Electric Mobility Research Center where LUT’s academic research meets industry needs. Ville is a link between LUT and Kempower – Lahti based EV charger manufacturer – with his unique position having a leading position in both organizations. Hi has a long history in electric mobility business starting from 2010 as co-founder of Visedo (nowadays Danfoss Editron) and past years he has been focusing on charging business.

Juho-Matti Uuksulainen, Project Director for Finland, Vireon

Juho-Matti Uuksulainen is the Project Director for Finland at hydrogen distribution company Vireon, where he is responsible for developing the company’s hydrogen refuelling station network in Finland. He has over 15 years of experience in the gas sector, particularly in biogas and alternative fuels. Previously, he served as Head of Projects and Operations for Southern Finland at Gasum. Uuksulainen has led the planning and permitting of Finland’s first high-capacity hydrogen refuelling station compliant with EU standards. He has extensive expertise in hydrogen infrastructure development and practical project execution.

Turi Fiorito, Director, EFIP

Turi Fiorito is the Director of the European Federation of Inland Ports. He has over 8 years of expertise in EU transport policy. On behalf of EFIP he represents over 200 inland ports across Europe along all the major and minor waterways. His focus areas are infrastructure development, green logistics, alternative energy, urban logistics rail and inland waterway transport.

He was the former Transport Policy Advisor to Member of the European Parliament Wim van de Camp, working on legislation such as the Mobility Package, Port Services Regulation and the Fourth Railway Package.

Mr Fiorito has an expertise on EU legislative processes, policy making and institutional practices. He combines this with his knowledge of the entire transport and logistics sector.

Jukka Himanen, CEO and Accountable Manager, LPP Airport

Jukka Himanen is a CEO and accountable manager of Finnish Lakeland Lappeenranta Airport.

30+ years of experience in Aviation – Air Traffic Controller, Instructor, Chief of ATC, private pilot, Finnish Airforce fighter control (major, reserve).

Msc (Econ.), many development projects.