Think & Lead – a leadership network for alumni

Think & Lead is a programme that will help you move ahead in your career, from that of an expert to a leadership position, or to improve your leadership skills. In the programme, you will be able to share your experiences, learn and get support from other alumni. You can find new perspectives on leadership from academic research, the business world and representatives of the third sector.
Coming events

28 November 2024 Language Boost - Multilingualism practices at work communities

During the morning the discussion is led by our Language Boost professionals. Kielibuusti has produced a website with the support from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, to support learners, teachers, employers as well as career and study advisors in multilingualism. During this leadership morning we focus on through tips and discussions in how the multilingualism can be best supported and developed at work environments.

The main language in the event is Finnish but also English is used partly.

Taking place at 8 am - 10 am at Helsinki central campus. Limited amount of places. Registration to this Think & Lead event happens through this link.

Past events

29 November 2023 Why you should be ready to recruit international talents

We discussed the questions related to successful recruitment of international talents. Regina Ainla from Business Finland will share insights on the existing support mechanisms for employers related to the topic. And we heard a personal case experience from alum Paulo de Tarso Fonseca Silva, who is a 2017 graduate from the University of Helsinki and is currently working as a consultant in Finland.

21 September 2023 Do you think your message is interesting? - About the interest formatting of communication

Our alum Pete Saarnivaara inspired us to discuss about the interest formatting of communication, which helps us to reach our target groups better and make our message memorable.

1 March 2023 Building your personal career path and role of servant leadership

How to build a career that looks like you? And what are the most important characteristics of servant leadership? Inspirational speaker was alum Maija Eklöf.

Have you graduated max. 5 years ago? Are you a current PhD student at the University of Helsinki or studying in one of the following Master’s Programmes?

  • Intercultural Encounters
  • Global Politics and Communication
  • Urban Studies and Planning
  • Contemporary Societies
  • Changing Education

1 December 2022 Sufficiently good career?

How do you draw boundaries to work? How do you recognise good enough in your own work? How do you avoid fatigue and maintain your own endurance?

The alum (MSocSc), information writer and working life coach, former creative director and communications consultant Aurora Airaskorpi served as an inspirational speaker for this morning's discussion.

21 September 2022 Hybrid threats

In this Think & Lead morning we were able to hear perspectives about hybrid threats and their impact on society and various actors. We discussed how to take into account the topics in your own operating environment and workplaces. What is the role of management and what does proper preparedness and resilience require?

As an inspirational speaker for the morning was alumn (MSocSc) Markus Kokko, who is a communications leader at the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE).

17 May 2022 A Humanly sustainable organisational culture

In the Think & Lead morning, we discussed what is the humane sustainability of the organisation and how it can be built. Kaisa Muilu, an alum of the UH, led us to discuss on this interesting topic.

9 March 2022 Management of multidisciplinary activities and boosting team creativity

In the leadership morning, we were able to discuss, under the leadership of our alum Jarno Koponen (YLE), what it takes to manage multidisciplinary activities and how to inspire teams into creativity.

18 November 2021 Leading diversity - its role in staff development and recruitment: case KONE

In our morning event Helsinki Alumni member Kaija Bridger, Head of Talent and Culture of KONE leads us to discuss about leading diversity with the inspiration of case KONE. We are focusing especially on staff development and recruitment. What does diversity leadership mean from these perspectives and what kind of role it has e.g. related to job satisfaction?

23 September 2021 Coaching as a tool for a team leader

In our morning event, alum and certified business coach Roberto D'Abrosca inspired us to discuss about coaching leadership. How coaching can help to create efficient working environment and support your success in a leading position.

3 March 2021 Service Design as a tool for the leader

What kind of role Service Design have for current leadership and organizations? How can Service Design support organization development? Introduction and inspiration for this topic was given by our alum Jesse Maula (Avidly).

26 November 2020 Leadership and its meaning at the time of crisis

What are central characteristics of leadership at the time of crisis? What kind of characteristics and skills does a leader need in this situation? Discussion will be activated by our alumni Miira Heiniö (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health) and Asko Sartanen (Eastern Uusimaa Police Department.

30 September 2020 Self-directedness and occupational wellbeing

What kinds of expectations do the various parties on the employment market have regarding self-directedness? What is its impact on occupational wellbeing? We will discuss these topics with our alumni Miia Savaspuro (Miltton Sparks) and Hannakaisa Länsisalmi (OP bank).

19 February 2020 Millennials at work

We talked about finding and experiencing meaning at work as well as taking diversity among employees into account in strategic operations. The topics were introduced by Helsinki Alumni member Franz Mittler, who has supported the strategic development in several companies, and Future Fellow Krista Laitila from the University of Helsinki’s student influencer programme. The event was held in Finnish.

11 December 2019 Leading diverse and multicultural teams

Introductory talks on the topic of multicultural workplaces were given by alumni Malin Gustavsson (Ekvalita, CEO, Gender equality and diversity expert) and Kirsti Kujanpää (Vice President, Peacekeepers Association Finland).

18 September 2019 Sustainable leadership

We talked about how we can take steps toward sustainability in our work and professional communities. The topic was introduced by alum Katja Atsar, head of coaching and training at Ilmarinen. The event was held in Finnish.

16 May 2019 Global career skills

The workshop was organised in cooperation with dLearn research group

16 April 2019 Trust and interaction in leadership

The introductory talk was given by Helsinki Alumni member Riitta Hyppänen.

26 February 2019 Artificial intelligence and leadership

Following the theme of Alumni Day 2020, the discussion focussed on the significance of artificial intelligence for leadership. Participants included Tero Ojanperä, CEO of the artificial intelligence company Silo.ai and former CTO and Executive Vice President of services at Nokia, along with Academy Research Fellow Arto Klami, who is an assistant professor at the University of Helsinki

3 October 2018 Leadership in a digital age

At this event, we focused on the demands placed upon leaders by our current digital age and the ways leadership has changed. We were joined by alumni Pirkko Aminoff (entrepreneur, founder of Mind Avenue Oy) and Krista Pahkin (director, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health).