Aalto University to be Appointed a Board

Press Release, Ministry of Education, 12 August 2008

The seven-member Board of the Aalto University Foundation formed by the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design Helsinki and the Helsinki University of Technology is to be appointed later this week. In the views of the Finnish Ministry of Education and representatives of Finnish industry, the proposed members represent a wide spectrum of sciences and arts, as well as the best social and industrial expertise on both national and international levels.

The members proposed for the Board of the Foundation are President Matti Alahuhta, President of Boston University Robert A. Brown, President and CEO Anne Brunila, Professor Bengt Holmström, Professor Marja Makarow, Professor Saku Mantere and Head of Design Research & Foresight at Nokia Anna Valtonen. All board members hold a doctorate.

D.Sc. (Engineering) Matti Alahuhta (born 1952) acts as e.g., Chairman of IMD’s (International Institute for Management Development) Foundation Board and as a member of the TKK Council. Alahuhta, currently President of Kone Oyj, has formerly acted as Executive Vice President of Nokia and held managerial positions at Nokia Corporations Mobile Phones and Nokia Telecommunications.

Ph.D. Robert A. Brown (born 1951) is the President of Boston University in the United States and has formerly acted as e.g., Professor and provost (in charge of research and teaching) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT. Brown has contributed to launching several multidisciplinary projects and collaborative projects between universities. He holds a number of posts of responsibility within the scientific community.

D.Sc. (Economics and Business Administration) Anne Brunila (born 1957) is currently President and CEO of the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and has previously worked in the Finnish Ministry of Finance as Director General of the Economics Department and held various positions, in e.g. the Bank of Finland, the European Commission and the Labour Institute for Economic Research.

Ph.D. Bengt Holmström (born 1949) is Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States and has previously worked as a Professor at Yale University. Holmström holds a number of posts of responsibility in academies, research institutes and in industry.

Ph.D. Marja Makarow (born 1948) is currently CEO of the European Science Foundation ESF. She has previously worked as the Vice Rector of and Professor of Applied Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Helsinki. Makarow is a member of the National Council for Science and Technology Policy and Chair of International Award Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize.

D.Sc., MA, Saku Mantere (born 1974) is Professor at Svenska Handelhögskolan (Hanken) and adjunct Professor at the Helsinki University of Technology and at the University of Helsinki.

D.A. (Art and Design) Anna Valtonen (born 1974) has worked as Researcher at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and been a member of its Board. The research interests of Valtonen include how the added value of design can boost the competitiveness of companies and nations. Currently Valtonen is Head of Nokia Design Research & Foresight.

Five of the board members will be appointed by the Government and two by industry representatives. The founding industry representatives and the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK have decided to appoint Brunila and Holmström to the board, while the other five should be appointed by the Government later this week. The members appointed by the Government are primarily ones that have been proposed by the boards, staff organisations and student unions of the universities. The foundation board will have its first meeting on Friday 15 August during which the members will appoint a Chair from among the appointed membership.

The board to be named will decide on, for instance, the strategy, operation and financial issues of the Foundation, as well as on any other far-reaching plans. The new university will begin operations in August 2009, and the operations of the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design Helsinki, and the Helsinki University of Technology will be entirely managed through the Foundation from the beginning of 2010 onwards.

For additional information, please contact:
- Special Adviser to Minister of Education Laura Rissanen, tel. +358 9 1607 7409,
Ministry of Education
- Project Director Jari Jokinen, tel. +358 9 1607 7212, Ministry of Education
- Director Timo Kekkonen, tel. +358 9 4202 2541, EK

This is an independent translation of the press release by the Ministry of Education.