Ilkka Kivimäki appointed to Aalto University Board

The Aalto University Academic Affairs Committee has appointed Honorary Doctor Ilkka Kivimäki (born 1969) as a member of Aalto University board from 1 January 2019. The current terms of three board members are ending. Chair Anne Brunila’s membership in the Board has reached the maximum time, according to the Aalto University Foundation Constitution. The other two members, whose terms of office are ending, Liqiu Meng and Mikko Kosonen, were re-elected.

Ilkka Kivimäki is a partner at Maki.vc, his own venture capital fund. He has been working with numerous startup companies as an investor and a coach. Kivimäki is a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from Helsinki University of Technology and an Honorary Doctor of Aalto University.

Kivimäki has contributed significantly to the creation and development of Aalto innovation ecosystem. He has worked e.g. as the Chair of Slush’s Board of Directors for a long time. He is one of the founders of Startup Sauna Foundation and Chair of its first Board. Kivimäki is widely known and networked in the society. He serves as e.g. a member of the Finnish National Innovation Council and a member of the National AI Steering Group. He is also co-founder and a board member of Kasvuryhmä – Finnish Scaleups.

‘Aalto University has quickly become a multidisciplinary university, which arouses interest all over the world. It is also known for its unparalleled student activities, such as, for example, Aaltoes, Slush and Junction. In the rapidly changing world the importance of education and, in particular, excellence is emphasized. I would like to see Aalto in the future as an internationally brilliant bright star that attracts the best students in the world to study in Finland. I am humbly grateful, as I accept this position of trust and I am looking forward to working in a new role in the Aalto community’, says Ilkka Kivimäki.

Anne Brunila has served as member of the Aalto University Board since the Aalto University Foundation was established in 2008, and Chair of the Board since 2016.

‘During this time, Aalto University has undergone significant development to become an internationally interesting university. Anne Brunila has played a significant role in this building work. On behalf of the Academic Affairs Committee and the whole Aalto community, I would like to thank her sincerely for the uncompromising work she has done for the university’, says Provost Kristiina Mäkelä, Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.

‘I would like to thank Anne Brunila for smooth cooperation and her long-term commitment to develop Aalto University’, says Ilkka Niemelä, President of Aalto University.

‘I am very pleased that we will have Ilkka Kivimäki on the Board. His experience, vision and significance, especially as a developer of entrepreneurship and startup operations, and builder of Aalto University’s innovation ecosystem, is unique’, Ilkka Niemelä continues.

From 1 January 2019, the Aalto University Board will comprise Non-Executive Director Sari Baldauf, Honorary Doctor Ilkka Kivimäki, President Mikko Kosonen, Professor Karel Ch. A. M. Luyben, Professor Liqiu Meng, Director Susanna Pettersson and Professor Colin Whitehouse. The Board will choose a new Chairman early next year. A board member’s term of office is three years.