ヘルシンキ×福岡：Designing Better Life – スマートシティ、スマートエネルギー
Helsinki x Fukuoka Designing Better Life – Smart Cities, Smart Energy
On this page, you can read the profiles of the speakers of the event.
Markus Kühn
Chief Strategy Officer, City of Helsinki. As a member of the city executive office lead amongst other following functions Strategy, Urban research & insight, Stakeholder management, International affairs and ICT & Digitalization.
Over 20 years of experience in leading strategic transformation in the service industry.
Worked as a management consultant, business unit leader and strategy director, leading business and service model renewal initiatives from strategy creation to hands-on implementation of new organizations, processes and digital capabilities.
Member of the board in Helsinki Business Hub and Helsinki Partners.
石丸 修平 Shuhei Ishimaru
After entering the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry, Mr. Shuhei Ishimaru worked within the Minister’s Secretariat in the Policy Evaluation and Public Relations Division and then as an official at the Director-General’s Secretariat Office for Policy Coordination of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency, later joining PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In April 2015 he took up his present position at the FDC. He is also active as the visiting associate professor in graduate school of Kyushu University; the director of the advisory board of the Avispa Fukuoka professional football team; member of the board of the Future Center Alliance Japan (FCAJ); member of the board of Kyushu University’s Regional Policy Design School and chairperson of the Planning Subcommittee of Financial Administrative Committee of Kyushu Economic Federation. He also holds several public offices such as committees for central ministries and local governments.
Wrote a book called “Hyper Growing City Fukuoka” -The world pays attention to the Secret of the innovation mechanism. (Nikkei Business Publication)
Public positions:
- Member of Suita City Round-table-conference on Promoting Computerization (Osaka)
- Director General of Public Governance Reform Promotion Council
- Senior advisor of Munakata City’s Comprehensive Strategy for Revitalization of the City, People and Employment
- Director General of Management Council of Innovation Studio Fukuoka
- Member of Okinawa’s Strategic Deliberation Committee on the Promotion of MICE
- Member of Iki City Committee on Formulating Basic Guidelines for Promoting Lifelong Activities (Nagasaki)
- Member of Committee for Fukuoka City General Transportation Strategy
- Chairperson of the Committee of Fukuoka Health Lab
- Public advisor of Iizuka City government
- Secretary general of Iki City Council on Promoting Lifelong Activities (Nagasaki)
- Member of Designated Corporation Evaluation Committee of Fukuoka National Strategic Special Zones
- Member of the Committee for Hakozaki Campus Site Utilization
- Member of the Advisory committee for Promoting Fukuoka city’s Data Utilization
- Member of the Committee for Promotion of Comprehensive Plan for Munakata City
- Director General of FUKUOKA Smart EAST Promotion Consortium
- Member of the Committee for Examination of Venture Support Policies in Hamamatsu
- Member of the Committee for Emergent Urban Regeneration Development of Hakozaki area in Fukuoka
- Member of Kyushu Open Innovation Research and Planning Center
- Member of the Working group for Smart city Development Utilizing Data for Green field, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
- Chairperson of the Planning Subcommittee of Financial Administrative Committee, Kyushu Economic Federation
- Advisory Board Member of Center for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies, Kyushu University
- Member of the Committee of Fukuoka City Seniors’ Performance Support Project
- Temporary member of the Council of Fukuoka City Health and Welfare
- Chairperson of Fukuoka Smart East Research Group
- Member of Kyushu Future Vision Review Special Committee of Kyushu Economic Federation
- Member of T.Huang Entrepreneurship Center of Kyushu University External Advisor Meeting Committee
- Chairperson of the Working Group for Examination of Freestanding Economic Area in Kyushu Economic Federation
(日本語)
経済産業省、プライスウォーターハウスクーパース（PwC）等を経て、2015年4月より福岡地域戦略推進協議会（FDC）事務局長。九州大学大学院客員教授。アビスパ福岡アドバイザリーボード（経営諮問委員会）委員長、Future Center Alliance Japan（FCAJ）理事、九州大学地域政策デザインスクール理事、九州経済連合会行財政委員会企画部会長等を歴任。中央省庁や地方自治体の委員など公職も多数務める。
著書に「超成長都市「福岡」の秘密 世界が注目するイノベーションの仕組み（日本経済新聞出版）」
＜公職歴＞
大阪府吹田市情報化推進懇談会 委員
パブリック・ガバナンス改革推進協議会 事務局長
福岡県宗像市まち・ひと・しごと創生総合戦略 主任アドバイザー
イノベーションスタジオ福岡運営協議会 事務局長
沖縄MICE振興戦略検討委員会 委員
長崎県壱岐市生涯活躍のまち基本指針・実施計画策定委員会 委員
福岡市総合交通戦略協議会 委員
福岡ヘルスラボ運営委員会 委員長
福岡県飯塚市 行政アドバイザー
長崎県壱岐市生涯活躍のまち推進協議会 幹事兼事務局長
福岡市国家戦略特区指定法人評価委員会 委員
箱崎キャンパス跡地利用協議会 委員
福岡市官民データ活用推進有識者会議 構成員
福岡県宗像市総合計画等推進委員会 委員
FUKUOKA Smart EAST 推進コンソーシアム 事務局長
浜松ベンチャー支援策検討委員会 構成員
福岡箱崎地域都市再生緊急整備地域準備協議会 委員
九州オープンイノベーションセンター構想研究会 委員
総務省グリーンフィールドへのデータ利活用型スマートシティ展開検討ワーキンググループ 構成員
九州経済連合会行財政委員会 企画部会長
九州大学科学技術イノベーション政策教育研究センター アドバイザリー委員
福岡市シニア活躍応援プロジェクト会議 委員
福岡市保健福祉審議会 臨時委員
福岡市スマートイースト研究会 委員長
九州経済連合会九州将来ビジョン検討特別委員会 委員
九州大学ロバートファンアントレプレナーシップセンター 外部アドバイザー会議委員
九州経済連合会自立型広域経済圏モデル検討WG 座長
荒牧 敬次 Keiji Aramaki
Executive Vice President, Institute of Systems, Information Technologies and Nanotechnologies (ISIT)
Worked for IBM Japan, Ltd. for more than 30 years, he engaged himself mainly in business development and consulting and took a role as a division director and senior managing consultant.
During that time, he participated in large-scale regional projects in many countries. In smart city projects, he held various positions such as project executive of Ordinance-designated city, Sr. executive director of a related research association, and research fellow of Tokyo Institute of Technology.
In 2017, he took up his present position at Institute of Systems, Technologies and Nanotechnologies. He is also active as the leader of Smart City Working Group of Fukuoka Directive Council and part-time professor of Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University.
Laura Uuttu-Deschryvere
Laura Uuttu-Deschryvere works at the City of Helsinki’s Strategy department.
She led the ambitious Helsinki Energy Challenge project, from the design phase through to the implementation phase.
Currently Laura works as the Head of International Affairs.
Pasi Vainikka
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder. Before becoming CEO he led a strategic initiative with the name Neo-Carbon Energy. It was the single-largest renewable energy research in Finland so far. Spin-off projects from that initiative include Soletair pilot plant producing fuel from air, Neo-Carbon-Food concept for producing healthy protein from air – now commercialised by Solar Foods – as well as the wold’s first simulation for global 100% renewable electricity system named the “Internet of Energy”.
Dr Vainikka is the Mission innovation Champion for Finland. Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 24 countries and the European Commission working to accelerate global clean energy innovation. The Champions are individuals with a track record of progressing creative new ideas that can drive the pace and scale of the clean energy revolution.
Dr Vainikka has held positions as a principal scientist in the strategic research management at VTT Technical research centre of Finland as well as in the management of VTT’s contract research in energy. Previously he held a position as the deputy technology manager of VTT’s bioenergy knowledge centre, research team leader and a researcher. Dr Vainikka holds MSc in energy systems form Cranfield University UK, MSc in energy economics from LUT Finland, and DSc in process chemistry from Åbo Akademi, Finland. Dr Vainikka is adjunct professor at Lappeenranta university of technology (LUT).
Maria Hartikainen
Maria Hartikainen works as the innovation manager at Sumitomo SHI FW (SFW). Together with SFW’s innovation team Maria focuses on creating new growth and collaboration opportunities in areas such as carbon capture and utilization, energy storage, digitalization, and hydrogen economy. She has previously worked as a senior business advisor in Invest In team of Helsinki Business Hub, international projects director at Finnish-Russian Chamber of Commerce, as an entrepreneur and export specialist at Evac Group. Maria holds M.Sc. degree in industrial management and engineering (Tampere University of Technology) and international economics (Plekhanov University of Economics).
Sonja Salo
Dr Salo has a PhD in Energy Technology from Aalto University in Finland. She’s experienced in building control systems and indoor environmental quality analysis based on research she has conducted in Finland and the United States. At Kapacity.io, she works on enabling a 100% renewable energy system by integrating the real estate sector into the smart grid.
Herkko Plit
Herkko Plit is the Founder and CEO of P2X Solutions Oy, company which aims to produce green hydrogen and refine it further into synthetic fuels in a cost-effective manner. Before this, he was since 2016 CEO of Baltic Connector Oy company that constructed offshore natural gas pipeline Balticconnector and enabled to connect the gas networks of Finland and the Baltic Countries together with market integration. Prior to that, Mr Plit worked as the Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Energy Department since 2012. At the Ministry, he was responsible for Nuclear Energy and Fossil Fuels as well as among other duties overseeing the development of natural gas infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region. Mr. Plit holds a M.Sc. (Engineering Physics) from the Helsinki University of Technology (1996).
Mr. Plit has a solid experience in leading financially significant construction projects and has during his career been widely engaged in energy related activities, especially in nuclear. Mr. Plit has acted as TVO´s Responsible Director for Construction in the Olkiluoto 3 project, served as the CEO of the engineering company Fortum Nuclear Services and as the General Manager of Fortum Corporation´s business unit Expert Solutions, which had the responsibility of group overall short-term energy business. As an energy visioner he has been giving talks on several international energy congresses.
In addition, Mr. Plit has wide experience in the EU Commission and in fusion energy. Currently, Mr. Plit has been a member of Fusion for Energy (F4E) Governing Board and chair of Procurement and Contracts Committee. He is also Member of the Board of Enersense International Oyj.
Antti Vasara
Dr. Antti Vasara is the President & CEO of VTT Ltd since 2015. VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation partner with over 2000 people and turnover exceeding 250 MEUR. He is president of EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations) and a non-executive director of Elisa Oyj (largest communications operator in Finland). He has served on several high-level groups on industrial and innovation policy of the European Commission in addition to several groups in Finland on artificial intelligence and research policy. Previously, he has worked in the private industry for close to 25 years at Nokia, Tieto, SmartTrust and McKinsey & Company. Earlier in his career, he was a researcher in optical communications with 20+ peer reviewed articles and one international patent. Dr. Vasara holds a Doctor of Science (Technology) degree from Aalto University in Finland.
