Columns & Interviews

In this series, we highlight the important work done by our honorary consuls around the 13 states in the jurisdictional area of Consulate General of Finland in Los Angeles. Veikko Valli, the newly appointed honorary consul in Oregon, has a solid background in the finance industry having previously worked at investment banks and institutional investors in Helsinki, San Francisco and London. In this interview, he shares his US market entry tips and sheds light on Finland’s long history in the state of Oregon.

The bipartisan proposal to beef up infrastructure across the United States includes considerable investments to protect key services from cyberattacks. Recent news about the Colonial Pipeline and other incidents show that such investments are sorely needed. To make sure the money is well spent, it might be worth looking into what trusted high-tech partner countries like Finland have done.

Easter Holidays in Finland bring out the chef in some of us. Here’s a delicious compilation of the Consul General of Finland’s Chef Anne Siuvatti’s recipes to treat your tastebuds.

How is Finland’s national airline company Finnair holding up during the pandemic which rattled the global travel industry? Ms. Caroline Borawski, Finnair’s new North America General Manager, talked with Ambassador, Consul General Mika Koskinen about their future plans and expectations for the over 50-year-old flagship route between the JFK Airport and Helsinki Vantaa Airport.

Marimekko, one of the trailblazers in timeless Finnish design, has pushed through the multi-pronged uncertainties and volatile markets of this year relatively unscathed with its decade-long experience and continuous ability to innovate. Consul General Mika Koskinen had the opportunity to chat with Anna Hakkarainen, the Head of North America, about the company's strong female leadership, sustainability as the company's DNA, and what's in the bag for the anniversary in 2021.

During COVID-19 Finland has deemed it necessary and essential to try and focus on the prevention of infections and the spread of the virus. It has been Finland’s priority to work with health authorities and healthcare professionals to make sure vitally important instructions are followed. Here are some example practices Finland has taken action on throughout the year.

I came to the U.S. to pursue a Master of Laws Degree at Harvard Law School as an ASLA-Fulbright Scholar. I hold a Master of Law Degree from the University of Helsinki and a Master of Science Degree (Economics and Business Administration) from Hanken School of Economics as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Economics for Competition Law from King’s College London.

My background is in educational sciences. I have had the privilege to study in great institutions, such as Universität Regensburg in Germany, Middle East Technical University in Turkey, and mainly University of Turku in Finland. I began my doctoral project a couple years ago, and it focuses in the expertise and knowledge practices of academic historians from an educational perspective. In a way, it could be considered to be research about research. The work is quite interdisciplinary, and therefore has allowed—and required—me to engage with scholars across many disciplines. Throughout this project, one of my closest collaborators has been Professor Clark Chinn from Rutgers University. This collaboration lead me to do a research visit to New Jersey, and the visit allowed us to focus more closely on our work.

I am a mathematics, physics and chemistry teacher from Finland. I have been teaching in a vocational high school for ten years. I wanted to participate the Fulbright program to develop student-centered and self-directed learning strategies, learn more about different education systems and pedagogical approaches around the world as well as get a wider network of international teachers.

My interest towards Fulbright and USA comes from the field I am working. I am a senior lecturer and team leader in JAMK Sport Business School Finland and sport business is very new branch in Finland compared to United States. I heard about Fulbright some years ago and this year was perfect for me to come since my older daughter started university and my younger one is in high school and could join me before the first final exams next year.