Jannika KaikkonenHead of Public Affairs Finland, Bayer
Jannika Kaikkonen is Head of Public Affairs for Finland at life science company Bayer Nordic. She has held her current position since January 2023. Before joining Bayer, Jannika worked as Senior Advisor at the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK for four years. At EK, her focus areas included entrepreneurship and business environment as well as trade policy. She also worked closely with the EK’s advocacy work. Prior to this, Jannika served as Special Advisor to two Ministers of Economic Affairs, Olli Rehn and Mika Lintilä (Center Party of Finland). Her responsibilities in the cabinet included EU and international affairs, regional policy and innovation policy.
Jannika holds a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences. She graduated from the University of Helsinki in 2015 majoring in Political History. During her studies, Jannika also spent one academic year studying Chinese language at Fudan University in Shanghai.
When not following political debate and decision-making, she is busy spending time with her husband and two little boys.
Katri Niskanen Chief Specialist, Team Leader, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Katri Niskanen leads a team focusing on work and study-based migration at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. Her team is responsible for legislation and policy design surrounding talent mobility. She has long-standing experience in various public offices, while migration policy is the common denominator in all her assignments. Her previous tasks range from networking in East Africa to shaping the EU’s talent attraction policy. She is passionate about high-quality policymaking and promoting Finland’s relevance for international talent.
Saara-Sofia SirénChair of Employment and Equality Committee
Saara-Sofia Sirén is a Member of Parliament. Currently, she serves as chairperson of The Employment and Equality Committee and as a member of The Grand Committee, among other things. She represents the National Coalition Party and has been MP since 2015. Sirén has a master's degree in economics (international business) and a master's degree in philosophy (future research). Her studies emphasized the same subjects that she also carried with her in her advocacy work: sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and internationality. Before becoming a Member of Parliament, she worked in marketing positions in the food industry, in political positions in parliament, in charity work and in the company she founded.
Susanna MäkeläPublic Policy and Strategy Director, Microsoft Finland
Susanna currently works at Microsoft Finland office overseeing government affairs for MicrosoftFinland. She works across critical issues involving the intersection of technology and society,including cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, human rights,and corporate social responsibility. Prior returning back to Finland in 2020 Susanna worked atMicrosoft EU office in Brussels and Microsoft Japan, and has led regional and global teamsmanaging a variety of topics from commercial legal to public policy and strategy.She graduated from the University of Turku Finland, faculty of law and has spent most of her careerin the ICT sector combining senior counseling, policy outreach, transformation, strategy and leadership.
Ted ApterSpecial Advisor, Industrial Policy, Suomen Ekonomit
Ted is a 37-year-old Helsinkian with a law degree from the University of Helsinki and a degree from LSE in EU politics. His career includes positions in both the public and private sectors. He currently works as a Special Advisor in Industrial Policy for Suomen Ekonomit, with a focus on accelerating Finnish economic growth.
He is a strong believer in nudging systems toward long-term sustainability and is driven by doing meaningful things. He has prepared and lobbied the Suomen Ekonomit Growth Company policy goals which include themes such as more study- and work-related migration, financing of research and development and a need to support organizations to do more diverse recruiting.
Youssef ZadChief Economist, Finnish Startup Community
Youssef works as the chief economist for the Finnish Startup Community and has been on board almost since the founding. Youssef is also (on paper) a PhD. Student at the university of Jyväskylä. Previous works experiences include the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors (JHL), Ministry of Finance and Statistics Finland.
In his free time Youssef likes to play video games and doing sports every now and then.
Moderator Alexandra Pasternak-JacksonCEO, Amcham Finland
Alexandra is the CEO of Amcham Finland since 2018. A dual-citizen of Finland and the United States, she has 15 years of transatlantic business experience, working to promote international business and foreign direct investment to Finland, as well as providing opportunities and networks for Finnish companies heading to the US market. Pasternak-Jackson is a frequent public speaker and moderator, addressing senior leadership audiences in both the United States and Finland on topics ranging from foreign direct investment and the transatlantic economy to networking and women’s leadership topics. She lives in Helsinki with her two children.
Moderator Joey BayerHead of Community, Epicenter Helsinki
Joey Bayer has been responsible for creating conversations that matter for more than 16 years.
From creating the space, to connecting key players, to driving / setting the agenda, Joey brings together individuals for moments that both transform and inspire.
Over the course of his career, Joey has hosted the world's most fascinating and influential people - from world leaders, like Bill Clinton, to iconic legends like Liza Minelli, to the CEOs of today's Fortune 500 companies.
Joey's intuitive ability to connect with others, his passion for people and dialogue, and ability to get directly to the heart of the discussion have earned him a reputation of trust and respect with leaders around the world, and made him a central figure in today's most important conversations.
