Nordregio Forum 2025

Speakers

Explore the profiles below, to learn more about the people driving the conversation.

Ágúst Bogason

Senior Research Advisor at Nordregio

Ágúst Bogason is a social researcher with a particular interest in policy and governance of the Nordic countries and Arctic, sustainable rural development, the labour market, local participation in policy processes and tourism studies. He has an academic background in political science and environmental social sciences and favours working on the intersection between research, policy, practice and implementation.

Anne Iijalainen

Director of Human Resources and Preparedness, City of Hämeenlinna

Anne is the Director of HR and Preparedness and she also acts as the Deputy Mayor for the City of Hämeenlinna. Anne has over 20 years of extensive experience in the municipal sector. Throughout her career, she has been working in several municipalities leading human resources, administration, finance, customer service, and communications. For the past four years, she has been responsible for preparedness and contingency planning for the City of Hämeenlinna, as well as information security and data protection matters. In addition to leading the organization, Anne’s role is to support the executive team in crisis situations. She is a Swedish-speaking Finn and speaks both Finnish and Swedish fluently.

Anne Katrine Ebbesen

Senior Communications Advisor at Nordregio

Anne Katrine has an academic background in rhetoric, specialising in campaign analysis, speechwriting and political discourse. Understanding exactly how language changes minds and behaviour, is what Anne Katrine is interested in. Most of her professional experience is from the fields of migration, human rights and public safety – designing strategies, writing/recording/editing content and leading projects.

Axel Eriksson

Communications Advisor at Nordregio

Axel Erikson is a communications specialist with a background in political science. Interested in current affairs and societal development. He is committed to making research more accessible to policy makers.

Elin Slätmo

Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio

Elin Slätmo is a human geographer specialised in regional and local planning, urban-rural relations and agricultural geography. Research interests in governance models, territorial and multi-level governance, energy transition, sustainable development, actor-structure relations, resilience and participatory methods.

Hedda Thomson Ek

Junior Research Fellow at Nordregio

Hedda Thomson Ek has an academic background in environmental science and policy, within both research and communication for sustainable regional development. She has contributed to research on nature-based solutions in urban landscapes, as well as socio-environmental challenges in rural areas. Hedda is especially passionate about ecosystem-based management approaches, green transitions, and building sustainable food systems.

Hilma Salonen

Senior Research Fellow at Nordregio

Hilma Salonen is a social scientist specialised in sustainability transitions, remote locations and energy politics. Her PhD focused on Russian regional development in the Arctic and how it links with renewable energy prospects, and now she is broadening her scope to include Finnish rural regions. Her research ambition is to explore how to make sustainability transitions more just by putting more focus on habits.

Lisa Lundgren

Secretary General, Nordkalottrådet

Lisa Lundgren is the Secretary General at North Calotte Council (Nordkalottrådet). As Secretary General her task is to be responsible for the development of Nordic cooperation between the regions of North Calotte ad organise the activities of the North Calotte Council. Another important part if to coordinate the activities of the Sweden-Finland-Norway border service.

Lisa Rohrer

Research Fellow at Nordregio

Lisa Rohrer is a creative and critical thinker who dwells on social and cultural questions related to urban spaces. Her academic and professional experience has included mixed-methods research in topics such as urban design, identity and movement (mobility, migration, tourism), nature in cities, and urban planning language. She also has a background in editorial work.

Magnus Ekengren

Professor at Swedish Defence University, Stockholm

Magnus Ekengren is a former Swedish diplomat and was previously Deputy Director at the Policy Planning Unit of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he dealt with EU enlargement and institutional reform, the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy.

Maria Jontén

Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), 1 Jan 2026 Agency for Civil Defense and Resilience

Maria Jontén is a senior defence and security expert at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (soon Civil Defence Agency), with extensive experience in exercises, evaluation, and capability development. She specializes in civil preparedness, crisis management, and international cooperation across NATO, EU, and UN, with expertise in Arctic security and a strong track record in multinational exercises and strategic partnerships.

Miia Itänen

Senior Communications Advisor at Nordregio

Miia Itänen is a communications specialist with experience in cooperation, EU affairs and regional development through interregional learning and sharing of experiences. She strives to facilitate connections and foster collaboration among people and organizations to spark new ideas.

Niko Kyynäräinen

Mayor of Lahti, Finland

Niko Kyynäräinen is the Mayor of Lahti, Finland, appointed in October 2023. He holds a Master’s in Political Science and has led major urban development initiatives in Turku, with further studies in urban management at Harvard University.

Rolf Elmér

Director at Nordregio

Rolf Elmér focuses on business and organizational development in an international context. Long experience in working with policy- and decision-makers within regional development and the labour market.

Sakari Puisto

Minister of Economic Affairs in Finland

Sakari Puisto is Finland’s Minister of Economic Affairs and a Member of Parliament representing the Pirkanmaa constituency, elected for a second term in 2023. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge and has worked in both academia and the private sector, including in Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Thomas Niedomysl

Research Director at Nordregio

Thomas Niedomysl has a background as a researcher in regional development, with expertise in population dynamics and other key issues. He has practical experience addressing local and regional development challenges, combining academic insights with applied strategies.

Tine Gøtzsche

Moderator & journalist

Tine Gøtzsche is a seasoned moderator and journalist with over 20 years at Denmark’s national broadcaster, DR. She has hosted major political debates, international events, and cultural programmes, and now works independently, facilitating conferences and seminars across sectors. Tine brings clarity, professionalism, and multilingual fluency in Danish, English, French, and Spanish.

Ville Anttila

Leading preparedness specialist, Network Cooperation Unit, National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA)

Mr. Ville Anttila works as a chief preparedness specialist in Finland’s National Security Supply Agency dealing with regional and local security of supply affairs. Anttila has worked on issues related to regional preparedness and public-private cooperation in various positions for over 10 years..

Zoriana Dvulit

Professor, Doctor of Economic Sciences at Lviv Polytechnic National University, Director of the Baltic University Programme (BUP) National Centre in Ukraine

Zoriana Dvulit has extensive academic and project experience in the fields of sustainable development, international trade, and public policy. Her research and publications focus on sustainable development, post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, digitalization of management, and innovative approaches in business analytics.

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