Where Sustainability Becomes Strategy

Erik Elvingsson Hedén is the founder of Sustainable Brand Index™ and a recognised sustainability speaker, having delivered over 500 talks. For 15 years, he has pioneered data-driven approaches to sustainable branding, tracking 1,600 brands across multiple countries. As lead instructor in sustainability communication at Berghs School of Communication for over a decade, Erik shapes how organisations build credible, compliant, and creative sustainability strategies. He advises leading companies on navigating regulations while creating authentic engagement that drives behavioural change and business impact.

Kaisa Hietala is an experienced business and sustainability executive who helps companies to transform the challenges of environmental megatrends into business opportunities and growth. Ms. Hietala is an experienced leader in strategic transformation in the energy sector who began her career in upstream oil and gas exploration and crude oil trading. Ms. Hietala served as the EVP of Renewable Products at Neste, a petroleum refining and marketing company, for five years ending in 2019. During her tenure, the Renewable Products segment’s revenues grew by 1.6x and operating profits grew by 4x. She played a central role in the strategic transformation of Neste into the world’s largest and most profitable producer of renewable products, which was named by Harvard Business Review as one of the “Top 20 Business Transformations of the Last Decade” in 2019.
Currently, Ms. Hietala serves on the Boards of Exxon Mobil and Smurfit Westrock. She is the Founder and Chair of Greencode Ventures investing in digital green transition in Europe and serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of Oulu University. She was the co-owner and partner of Gaia Consulting, a sustainability business consultancy until 2021, and a former Board member of Kemira Oyj, a Finnish specialty chemicals company in 2016-2021. She also served as a board member of Rio Tinto Group from 2023-2025.
Ms. Hietala holds a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge, UK and a Master of Science degree from University of Oulu, Finland. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in Technology by the University of Oulu in 2024. She is also a licensed personal trainer and enjoys outdoor sports.

Kristiina Kouros has a PhD in constitutional and international human rights law and a broad experience in social responsibility and human rights across various business sectors as well as public sector, civil society and media. She is currently the lead strategic expert on human rights at Nordea Bank. Previously, she was leading the social and human rights advisory services at KPMG Finland as well as in the KPMG EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) ESG Hub. Earlier she has served in expert and director position at the National Human Rights Institution under the Finnish Parliament and at national and global human rights organisations. She has also served in various boards and advisory bodies for civil society and governmental organisations in the area of human rights and foreign affairs.

Riikka Joukio has extensive experience in leading sustainable business across industry, trade and retail. She currently serves as Senior Advisor at Bravura and also as Secretary General of the European Pulp Industry Sector AISBL. Previously, she was EVP of Sustainability and Public Affairs at Kesko Corporation. Earlier at Metsä Group, Riikka led several business and expert organizations, including the Group’s Sustainability and Corporate Affairs function. She also has broad board and advisory experience, including service on the board of the Finnish Natural Resources Institute (Luke) and the sustainability technology start-up Infine. Beyond her professional roles, Riikka explores sustainability in practice through the renovation of a historic timber house, which she shares on LinkedIn.

Therése Gerdman works at the intersection of sustainability, leadership, and organizational transformation—focusing on what it actually takes to turn ambition into execution. As Head of ESG at Kährs Group, she is responsible for sustainability strategy, governance, and implementation in a global industrial company. Alongside her corporate role, she advises leadership teams through Morrow Impact Studio, supporting organizations navigating complex change. Her work is grounded in a simple observation: most organizations today don’t lack strategy—they struggle when difficult trade-offs need to be made in practice. With over a decade of experience, Therése combines hands-on ESG leadership with insights from leadership development, cognitive science, and the Inner Development Goals framework. Her focus is on strengthening the conditions that enable better decisions—especially under pressure and uncertainty.

Michaela Ramm-Schmidt is a versatile sustainability and leadership expert with more than 25 years of experience from business, advocacy and NGOs. She helps changemakers create impactful change – shifting from merely reducing harm to holistically regenerating the planet, communities, organisations and individuals, and, at the same time, build future-fit businesses. In her work, she combines leadership experience, coaching skills, business acumen, and expertise in sustainable development, systems change and societal impact. Michaela is one of Finland’s pioneers in regenerative business and leadership, and she is an entrepreneur at her company WhyCo.

Michael Hanf is a strategist, sustainability advisor, and futurist passionate about helping business leaders reimagine the future of sustainable growth. With more than 20 years of experience at the intersection of strategy, foresight, and innovation, he has worked with global corporations, scale-ups, and public institutions to turn long-term sustainability challenges into strategic opportunities. He is the Managing Director of iksait Ventures and host of The Future of Sustainability and The Circular Coffee Break podcasts, exploring the trends and technologies shaping tomorrow’s economy. Previously, he co-founded and led Taival and held senior roles at Accenture, and VTT. Michael also serves on the boards of AHK Finnland and Aue-Stiftung.

Nina Rahkola on dokumentaristi ja toimittaja, joka on juontanut useita ajankohtaisohjelmia suomalaisessa televisiossa. Hän on saanut palkintoja dokumenttiprojekteistaan, joissa hän tapaa ihmisiä ympäri maailmaa, mukaan lukien Irakissa ja Yhdysvalloissa. Rahkolaa tunnetaan intensiivisistä, mutta inhimillisistä haastatteluistaan poliitikkojen ja suomalaisten julkkisten kanssa eri elämänaloilta