William Myers

Founding Director, Museum of 21^st Century Design (M21D)

William is an Amsterdam-based curator, writer, and teacher with more than 20 years of experience in the cultural sector. He is the author of Biodesign (MoMA, 2018) and Bioart (Thames & Hudson, 2015) and organizer of 16 exhibitions on a range of topics, from the uses and meaning of biotechnology to the impact of artificial intelligence on creative practices. He has lectured at various educational institutions worldwide and previously worked for MoMA, the Guggenheim Museum, MIT Museum, Cooper-Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Science Galleries in Dublin and Rotterdam, among others. Read his full profile William Myers (william-myers.com)

www.m21d.org.

Michael Pawlyn

Architect, Founder of Exploration Architecture

Michael Pawlyn has been described as an expert in regenerative design and biomimicry. He established his firm Exploration Architecture in 2007 to focus on high performance buildings and solutions for the circular economy. The company has developed a ground-breaking office project, an ultra-low energy data centre, a zero waste textiles factory and progressive solutions for green cities.

Prior to setting up Exploration, he worked with Grimshaw for ten years and was central to the team that designed the Eden Project. He is regularly booked as a keynote speaker on innovation and his TED talk has had over 2 million viewings.

Michael jointly initiated the widely acclaimed Sahara Forest Project; the latest version of which was opened by the King of Jordan in 2017. In 2019 he co-initiated ‘Architects Declare a Climate & Biodiversity Emergency’ which has spread internationally with over 7,000 companies signed up to addressing the planetary crisis.

Since 2018 he has been increasingly providing advice to national governments and large companies on transformative change. His book Biomimicry in Architecture has been RIBA Publications’ best-selling title. His latest book, titled Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency, co-authored with Sarah Ichioka, was published by Triarchy Press in December 2021.

Links to talks:

TED Talk (2010)

Ellen MacArthur Foundation CE100 (2014)

Energy Disruptors Unite (2019)

Andrea Trimarchi, Simone Farresin

Studio FormaFantasma

Formafantasma is a research-based design studio investigating the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping the discipline of design today.

The studio was founded in 2009 by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin. The aim of the studio is to facilitate a deeper understanding of both our natural
and built environments and to propose transformative interventions through design and its material, technical, social, and discursive possibilities.

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Henna Helander

President of Finnish Association of Architects SAFA, CEO of Paimio Sanatorium Foundation

Henna is President of Finnish Association of Architects since 2018 and CEO of Paimio Sanatorium Foundation since December 2020.

She has been occupied with humanity, beauty, functionality, technics and finance almost for 30 years. Previously she has worked as architect at several officies in Finland and abroad including her own office Architects Helander/Langenskiöld Oy. She has worked as City Planner, as Chief for the Building Permits Units in City of Helsinki, as Developer for housing at ATT and as Chief for Suburban Project.

Nowadays her main focus is how to deal with climate change matters in building sector, how to reuse and preserve Modern Architecture, and how to develop suburban areas and housing sector.

Last year Henna Helander has been working for Paimio Sanatorium, the master piece of Aino and Alvar Aalto. The Paimio Sanatorium Institute will be experimental laboratory for new kind of sustainable life with hope.

Henna Helander is asked author and speaker for architecture.

She has also been member of the Alvar Aalto Foundation.

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Kari-Otso Nevaluoma

Editor-in-chief, A-mediat

Kari-Otso Nevaluoma is the editor-in-chief of the magazines Avotakka and Meidän Mökki and works as a house and home editor for the A-Lehdet Group. He specializes in a variety of interior design styles, housing and interior design sustainability issues, as well as vintage design. Last year, together with interior designer Elina Siltanen-Sjöberg, he published the book Salaiset helmet – koti kuin unelma [The Secret Pearls – A Home Like a Dream].

Anna Tiula

Interior Architect, Helsinki Interiors

Anna: “My design work is inspired by the architecture of a building. In each project, I also consider the user experience by drawing upon biophilic design. Human centredness and the opportunity as a designer to create spatial well-being is what initially drew me to biophilia. It matters what kind of spaces we live and work in. In calm spaces offer the human nervous system is able to find rest, thus enabling creative thinking.

I immediately saw how biophilic design fits into the Finnish way of doing things, and our nature provides enormous opportunities to implement designs that promote well-being. I have long been interested in the nature connection and human centredness in the designs of Alvar Aalto and his contemporaries. I am presently researching this topic, among others, as part of a book that I’m writing about biophilic design and the potential of interior design to contribute to well-being.”

Sofia Pia Belenky

Designer, Space Caviar, Milano

Sofia Pia Belenky is a designer from New York currently based in Milan, Italy. She completed her BFA at Bard College in 2011 and continued her studies at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, the Architectural Association and Strelka Institute. Sofia Pia works as a researcher and designer with Space Caviar, and previously collaborated with a number of offices in New York, London, and Paris. Her work with Space Caviar uses research, built work, writing, film, event, and exhibition design as forms of an extended mode of architectural practice.

Space Caviar is an architecture and research studio operating at the intersection of design, technology, politics and the public realm. Founded by Joseph Grima and Tamar Shafrir, the office uses built work, exhibitions, publishing, writing and film to investigate and document contemporary modes of habitation and the spatialisation of social and political practice. Space Caviar’s work has been shown at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Biennale Interieur, Vitra Design Museum and the Munich Film Museum, among others.

Daniel Grushkin

Founder and executive director of Biodesign Challenge

Biodesign Challenge is an international student competition and education program that partners artists, designers, scientists, and students to imagine and create the future of biotechnology. Daniel Grushkin is Editor in Chief of Biodesigned, a quarterly publication dedicated to art, design, and biology. And he is the founder of the Biodesign Sprint, a program that partners companies with the biodesign community to generate biodesign solutions.

Daniel is co-founder of Genspace, a nonprofit community laboratory dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Daniel has been a Fellow at Data & Society, a Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and an Emerging Leader in Biosecurity at the John Hopkins Center of Health Security. As a journalist, he has reported on the intersection of biotechnology, culture, and business for publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Scientific American and Popular Science.

Websites:
biodesignchallenge.org
biodesignsprint.org
biodesigned.org
Instagram: Biodesigned
Twitter: @biodesigned
Facebook: Biodesign Challenge

Pirjo Kääriäinen

Professor, Design and Materialities, Aalto University

Pirjo is a material enthusiast and textile specialist, working currently as an Associate Professor in Design and Materialities at the Aalto University. Her academic career started 2008, and since 2011 she has been developing interdisciplinary CHEMARTS collaboration between the School of Arts, Design and Architecture (ARTS) and the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM) with professor Tapani Vuorinen. CHEMARTS is aiming to inspire Aalto University students and researchers to explore bio-based materials together, and to create new concepts for their future use.

Pirjo works between practice and research, and she is involved in several material research projects focusing on bio-based materials, circular economy, interdisciplinary collaboration and biodesign. Before her career in academia, she worked eighteen years in the Scandinavian textile commerce, and gained experience also as an entrepreneur and consultant for creative industries.

Read more about ChemArts

Irene Purasachit

Product Designer, Finland

A Thai national, currently based in Finland. Constantly in search of the meaning of ‘Design’. Always keen and passionate to learn new things from a different perspective.
By asking myself ‘What really is design?’ ‘What can I do as a designer?’ and believing that being graduated as a product designer does not mean only to design products led me to try various design areas such as industrial, furniture design, graphic and packaging to conceptual design during the past years. I am now focusing on bio-based/natural material experimental concerning environmental and sustainable aspects.

Manuel Arias Barrantes

Designer, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland

He is born in Costa Rica and based in Finland, Manuel Arias is a designer whose values are at the core of sustainability and innovation. He is currently working in interdiciplinary material research at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. His work focuses on connecting the dots between design, business, and biology for the creation of new materials and scalable biotechnologies in close collaboration with scientists. Great part of his material research has been on the use of mycelium as an alternative material to animal leather. He currently holds a Master of Arts from the programme Creative Sustainability obtained at Aalto University.

LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manuelariasbarrantes/

Twitter: manumanu_ab

Twitter: manumanu_ab

Jenni Lemettinen, 2loop

Jenni Lemettinen, Project Manager, Circwaste-project (EU), Jyväskylä
2loop, Service Design Agency, Jyväskylä

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Outi Suomi

Head of Bio and Circular Finland Program, Business Finland

I work as the Head of Bio and Circular Finland Program at Business Finland, which is a Finnish innovation funding, trade, investment, and travel promotion organization, headquartered in Helsinki. My educational roots are at the University of Helsinki in forestry and agriculture. After graduating, I jumped to explore the dynamic world of a startup for a while. My journey at Business Finland started in 2011 as an adviser at Tekes for both companies and public organizations operating at the environmental sector.

Finnish companies’ international growth has been in the core of my ambitions from very beginning. In addition to national funding opportunities, I’ve helped companies to access also the Horizon funding from the European Union. My first effort as Program Manager goes back to CleanWeb program, where we helped companies to develop their cleantech innovations and supported their access to international market. I started the Bio and Circular Finland Program at 2019 at Business Finland. Our mission is to match the Finnish bio and circular know-how and innovations to solve global challenges.

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Katariina Kemppainen

Katariina Kemppainen works in Metsä Spring, the innovation company of Metsä Group, heading the Group R&D function. She is also the Programme manager of ExpandFibre, an R&D collaboration and innovation ecosystem hosted by Metsä Group and Fortum.

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Laura Sinisalo

CXO, Solar Foods

Laura is the CXO of Solar Foods with a background in brand, design and creative management. Over the years, her experience has spanned from leading integrated teams at some of the biggest global brand names like Marimekko, to helping small businesses build their brand identity from the ground up. Laura is an expert in working with cross-disciplinary teams and innovation-incubators, and favours the fearless, can-do attitude of start-ups.

At Solar Foods she is leading the development of the brand and how it is experienced. She believes, that being able to work in diverse teams leads to something great. “Solar Foods is spearheading the sustainable food technology sector, and I am delighted to be part of the team that will help transform the way us humans think, create and consume food in the future.”

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Suvi Haimi

CEO, co-founder

Dr. Suvi Haimi, CEO and Co-founder of Sulapac Ltd, received her Master’s degree in
Biochemistry in 2006 and PhD in Medical Biomaterials in 2008 at the University of Tampere in
Finland. Since, she has worked in leadership positions for over 10 years at universities in
Finland and the Netherlands.

Haimi’s concern about the ever-growing amounts of plastic waste spark inspiration to develop a sustainable solution. She decided to dedicate her expertise to tackle the global plastic pollution crisis as an entrepreneur. In 2016, Haimi founded Sulapac with Dr. Laura Tirkkonen-Rajasalo and Dr. Antti Pärssinen. In addition to innovating the sustainable Sulapac® materials, Haimi has been the key person gathering passionate people behind this company. Her vision is to make Sulapac the #1 sustainable material to replace conventional plastics.

Sulapac’s story

Sulapac’s webpage

Sulapac’s Co-founder & CEO Suvi Haimi’s keynote at Slush

Sulapac’s Co-founder & CEO Suvi Haimi’s interview on Thrive Global

Sulapac’s series A funding round on Sifted, backed by the Financial Times:

Sulapac’s first product launch with CHANEL on Bloomberg

Kati Suomi

Kati Suomi, VP Sales Partnerships has a varied background in sales, with 10+ years experience within the international furniture industry. In the last 8 years, she has successfully built and managed distribution channels and partnerships for Finnish start-ups in the office furniture industry in both Europe and North America. Currently, Kati is in charge of sales partnerships and is the Sales Director for North America at Naava.

Read more: https://www.naava.io/en/

Eeva Niemelä

Eeva Niemelä, Customer Experience & Service Design at Naava, is the first employee at Naava and has experience with a wide range of biophilic interior design projects. As an ex-athlete, she understands the meaning of the environment for recovery. Currently she is working on a service for customers to help them create human-friendly indoor spaces with biophilic interior architecture.

Read more: https://www.naava.io/en/