- The Executive Arena was organized for the second time.
- The keynote speakers of the event were Professor Julian Birkinshaw from the Ivey Business School Canada, Executive Vice President Tiina Kurki from Alma Media, Founder and Chairman of the Board Tuomas Syrjänen from Futurice, and Professor and Provost Kristiina Mäkelä from Aalto University.
- A recurring theme in the discussions was that, ultimately, everything comes down to people – even technology.
The same narrative is repeated amid disruptions: traditional companies are losing ground and startups are rising as winners. Academician Julian Birkinshaw wants to debunk this narrative.
Out of the world's 500 largest companies, only 27 are less than thirty years old. In other words, traditional global giants have survived the bursting of the dot-com bubble, the financial crisis, and the coronavirus pandemic.
-And the AI boom will not be an exception, Birkinshaw said.
-Established companies are pretty good at reinventing themselves.
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Aalto EE's Executive Arena was held for the second time, and the event was once again very well received. The theme of the event was how market leaders stay ahead when the operating environment is constantly changing.
In addition to Birkinshaw, keynote speeches were provided by Tiina Kurki, Executive Vice President of Alma Media, Tuomas Syrjänen, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Futurice, and Kristiina Mäkelä, Provost of Aalto University.
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| Lifewide learning is the cornerstone of Finland's competitiveness -Traditionally, Aalto EE is known for its leadership training, but nowadays we help both leaders and professionals develop their skills on a broader scale. As part of Aalto University, we have a unique position where we combine business, technology, and design – and transform research into impactful learning, said Tom Lindholm, Managing Director of Aalto EE, in his opening speech. |
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| Change is part of the organizational culture During the 2000s, one of Finland's largest media companies, Alma Media, shed its skin from a traditional print house to a pioneer in digital media. - And now we are on a journey to become an AI-driven organization, said Executive Vice President Tiina Kurki. |
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| Small businesses are bound to succeed - Scarcity drives innovation, summed up Futurice's Founder and Chairman of the Board, Tuomas Syrjänen. Small companies do not have the constraints of large ones, but a certain "compulsion" to succeed. For this reason, large companies should separate certain new initiatives into their own entity in order to create a start-up-like mindset. |
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| Finland's future is built on expertise and innovation Kristiina Mäkelä, Provost of Aalto University, has one message for decision-makers: aim higher. When the students were building a satellite as a course project, no one could have imagined that it would become one of Finland's brightest success stories, Iceye. |
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| Artificial intelligence does not steal jobs from professional musicians, but at best, it enriches them The music for the event was provided by the Artfully Intelligent Ensemble – AIE, i.e., Aki Himanen (left), Antti Koivula, Antti Rissanen, and Patrick Furu. |
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| Patrick Furu from Aalto EE also acted as the event facilitator. |
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| The technological revolution takes more time than we imagine "Technological disruption often takes more time than we imagine, and competence development is crucial in the renewal of an organization. Scarcity generates learning and innovation. Complexity is fought with simplicity. In addition to material technology, it is important to take into account people's emotional needs. In the end, everything is related to people – including technology," the host of the event, Mari Rauhala from Aalto EE, summed up. |
