🗓️ 3rd and 4th of September, 2024
📍 Oulu City Theatre (Oulun Teatteri)
Over the course of two days, this event will focus on discussions surrounding energy, security, and the impact of cross-border business development, innovation, and investment partnerships on regional integration and economic growth.
The event aims to strengthen cooperation among northern regions, providing a platform for sharing insights and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.
Event Program
3rd of September
Please note that all times might be subject to minor changes.
15:00
Opening of the event and welcoming remarks.
15:10
Session #1: Nordic Cross-Border Cooperation in the New Geopolitical Context
16.00
Break
16.30
Session #2: Enhanced Cross-Border Business Development
17.40
Fireside chat
18:00
Closing of Day 1
4t of September
09:00
Opening of the day
09:05
Keynote: Investment and business development potential in the Northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway
9:35
Break
9:50
Panel Session: Green Energy Options and Solutions
11:00
Break
11:30
Connectivity and Critical Infrastructure – How business and R&D can be part of the solution
12:45
Concluding remarks
12:50
Networking lunch
Afternoon
Business Site Visits
September 3rd
Exploring Nordic Cooperation
Maria Varteressian
State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Harri Martikainen
Director General of the Government Strategy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office
15:10 – 16:10
Nordic Cross-Border Cooperation in the New Geopolitical Context
The panel will focus on policy, exploring challenges and opportunities in cross-border cooperation between Norway, Sweden, and Finland on national and regional levels related to green energy development, energy infrastructure, societal resilience, and security.
17:40-18:00
Fireside Chat
To summarize the day’s discussions, we invite policymakers back on the stage to comment on the challenges and possible recommendations discussed throughout the day.
16.40 – 17.40
Enhanced Cross-Border Business Development
The second session will focus on national, regional, and local frameworks and conditions/enablers for successful business development across borders. What are the challenges in cross-border planning and implementation of solutions for Green Transition? How can we ensure resilient societal development, and do we have structures for that in place?
Benjamin Furuly
Benjamin Furuly serves as the Deputy County Mayor of Troms and has been a member of the County Parliament since 2015.
He chairs the county branch of the Conservative Party (Høyre) and is a member of the party’s central board on national level.
In addition to his county-level responsibilities, Furuly has served as a member of the local council (2015-2019) in Bardu, the municipality where he was born and raised.
Furthermore, he holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from UiT – The Arctic University of Norwa
Carina Sammeli
Carina Sammeli is the mayor of Luleå Municipality, in Northern Sweden, since 2021.
Mayor Sammeli is focusing her work on creating a sustainable growth in Luleå and the region, to make the green transition of the industry possible in northern Sweden.
She has long time experience as a regional party secretary in Norrbotten for the Social democratic Party of Sweden and former chairman of the schoolboard in Luleå.
Mrs. Sammeli used to be the chairman of a government committee on costs of housing for disabled persons. She is a graduate in Economy. She has worked at the Swedish Department of Finance as a political adviser and at the Swedish transport administration as a project coordinator for railway research.
Mirja Vehkaperä
Mirja Vehkaperä is the Chair of the Oulu City Board.
She has a long career as a municipal politician. She has worked as a Member of Parliament in the Finnish Parliament from 2007 to 2018 and in the European Parliament years 2018-2019. Mrs Vehkaperä is currently a member of the Committee of the Regions. She holds numerous positions of trust in Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia and at national level.
She has a master’s degree in education from the University of Oulu. Mirja has worked as a teacher in a primary school.
Eirik Lundblad
Eirik holds a Ph.D. in Biotechnology from UiT The Arctic University of Norway and has extensive experience as a researcher at UiT, the University Hospital of North Norway, and Yale University, USA.
He has a strong background in innovation projects within biotechnology and healthcare, and has served in leadership roles, including board positions in startups and as the CEO of Arctic Biodiscovery Centre.
Eirik currently heads the Business Development Department at Norinnova.
Sabrina Suikki
Sabrina Suikki has the role of International Business Manager at the Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce in Sweden.
She has extensive experience as an entrepreneur, lawyer, management consultant & business developer.
Through her previous consulting and board assignments, with a focus on global growth companies and startups, she is skilled in international business, law, and strategic management. She is also multilingual, and can switch between Finnish, Swedish, English, and French in a global context. She is born and raised in Finland but studied and worked abroad since ‘99.
September 4th
Green Energy and Critical Infrastructure
Dr. Alexandra Middleton
Assistant Professor
Department of Economics, Accounting and Finance
Oulu Business School
Andrey Mineev
Researcher
High North Center for Business
Nord University Business School
09:05 – 09:35
Investment and business development potential in the northern parts of Finland, Sweden, and Norway
Keynote Presentation from Business Index North followed by a Q&A session.
9:50 – 11:05
Green Energy Options and Solutions
This session will focus on hydrogen as one of the solutions in the green energy mix. Investments in hydrogen production and infrastructure, especially harbors, storage, and use of hydrogen. What are the opportunities for the businesses in the region? How can cross-border cooperation contribute to this development?
More Speakers TBA
Marko Mykkänen
Marko Mykkänen is a seasoned supply chain management and logistics expert with over two decades of extensive experience.
Currently, Marko serves as the CEO of the Port of Oulu, where he leads strategic initiatives to enhance the port’s operational efficiency and global competitiveness.
In addition to his leadership role at the Port of Oulu, he also contributes to the broader maritime industry as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors at the Finnish Ports Association.
Mox Murugan
Mox Murugan joined Nordion Energi, Sweden’s gas Transmission Systems Operator (TSO), in 2022 as the first member of their new Hydrogen (H2) focused subsidiary.
Since then he has been involved in the development of all of their H2 projects, including the Nordic Hydrogen Route and the Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector, both of which will connect to Finland.
Before joining Nordion Energi, Mox was involved in developing renewable energy projects across Sweden and Asia.
Petri Luoma
Petri Luoma, a co-founder of HydRe Oy, joined Norwegian Hydrogen as Project Director in Finland after its acquisition of HydRe.
He began his gas industry career in 2009 at Gasum Oy as a gas mechanic, later advancing to roles such as Project Manager, Site Manager, and Project Sales Manager.
Before joining Norwegian Hydrogen, Petri spent five years as Sales Engineer at Viafin GAS Oy and COO at HydRe Oy.
Petter Olsen Bertheussen
11:35 – 12:45
Connectivity and Critical Infrastructure – How business and R&D can be part of the solution
This session will focus on security, connectivity, and safe critical infrastructure, which are crucial for societal resilience in the region. The panel discussion will explore how to enable and improve cooperation between R&D, the defence sector, and local communities.
Hannu Nikurautio
Mr. Nikurautio serves as the Research Director at the University of Oulu’s 6G Flagship, overseeing the Defence vertical and the 6G Technology Center, part of the NATO DIANA program.
He has led global business development and management organizations, playing a key role in executing internationally recognized business development, product, and R&D programs.
Through his numerous executive and senior leadership positions, he has contributed significantly to strategic ProSales initiatives, technological advancements, cloudification, and Open RAN.
Lotta Finstorp
Lotta Finstorp has been the Governor of Norrbotten County since February 1, 2021.
She has served as a Member of Parliament for the Moderates and as the Second Vice Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee.
Before that, she held positions including Opposition Councilor in the Sörmland region, Chair of the Regional Council in Sörmland, and Chair of the Municipal Executive Board in Flen.
Ms Finstorp’s term as Governor runs until November 30, 2025.
Mohsen Tavakol
Mohsen Tavakol is the CEO of Xolaris Civil Security, a leader in developing advanced investigative intelligence solutions that enable national security and law enforcement agencies to detect, prevent, investigate, and combat acts of violence such as terrorism, espionage, and organized crime.
Mohsen is also a member of the Board of Director of the Swedish Association of Civil Security (SACS).
Previously, Mohsen worked at Ericsson for more than 23 years, including more than 11 years as MD
and CEO for various Ericsson companies operating in complex social and political environments.
Meet our Moderators
Anu Fredrikson
Mads Qvist Frederiksen
Markku Korkiakoski
Ms Fredrikson is the Executive Director of Arctic Frontiers, overseeing all team operations and representing the organization in Norway and internationally. She brings a wealth of experience in Arctic issues from her previous roles, including Director of the Arctic Economic Council and Advisor for Political Affairs and Arctic Policy at the Embassy of Finland to Norway.
Mr Frederiksen is the Arctic Economic Council (AEC) Executive Director. The AEC, a pan-Arctic, independent business membership organization, was established in 2014. It is dedicated to policy advocacy, networking, and outreach within the Arctic region and aims to foster sustainable economic development across the Arctic.
Mr Korkiakoski, the CEO of the cyber attack company Silverskin Information Security Oy, has more than 20 years of professional experience in mobile technologies, has held various key positions in R&D, and has been pivotal in managing external interfaces.
