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Peter Vesterbacka is an entrepreneur from the FinEst Bay Area at the Heart of Eurasia, Helsinki, Finland. Branded communities co-created and initiated by Peter include the HP Bazaar, Mobile Monday, Slush, and Startup Sauna to name a few. He was the Mighty Eagle at Angry Birds for many years, taking that brand to unprecedented heights. Peter is also an adjunct professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Tongji University, one of the leading universities in China. In 2011, Time Magazine named Peter one of the 100 most influential people on the planet.
Heidi Ruhala is the CEO and founder of Ankkalampi – Daycare Chain. She has over 10 years of experience from entrepeneurship with strategy and business development as well as financial planning and investments. An additional solid background in marketing and sales provides strong understanding of customer expectations and satisfactions. She has an extensive network and excellent leadership and communication skills. She is also driven team player with strong strategic thinking and a growth mindset.
Sebastian Laitila is University Teacher at University of Vaasa He has a vast experience of game design/development and modding. He has been working with this for 22 years, has 3 years of experience as an entrepreneur, and has held a few hackathons and game jams. He has worked as an interactive software developer specialized in VR and is currently working as a university teacher in digital communications at University of Vaasa.
Dr. Nancy L Commins, is Clinical Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver. Over the past four decades she has worked with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as a classroom teacher, program director, school district administrator, independent consultant and university professor in the U.S. and Finland. All her efforts have been focused on increasing equity for multilingual students.
Erno Lehtinen is emeritus professor of education at the University of Turku and visiting professor at the Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). He was head of the Finnish national “Doctoral Programme on Multidisciplinary Research on Learning Environments” and the doctoral programme on “Research on learning, teaching and learning environments” of the University of Turku. He has supervised 46 completed PhD thesis. Lehtinen has published about 400 scientific publications including many articles in top-journals of educational sciences and educational psychology. Lehtinen is selected member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and International Academy of Education. He was president of European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction ( EARLI 2001-2003) and founding editor-in-chief of the Frontline Learning Research. In 2009 he got the Oeuvre Award of the EARLI.
Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen (PhD 2003, Hanken School of Economics) is Professor of Business Administration at Åbo Akademi University School of Business and Economics. He has a general interest in knowledge processes, with a research focus on individual- and group-level communication and knowledge sharing, and a special expertise in language issues in international business contexts. His research has been published in leading outlets including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of World Business, Human Resource Management, and Management and Organization Review. His international commissions of trust include representing Finland on the Board of the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) and being a member of Advisory Board of the Research Group on Management and Language (GEM&L). He also represents Åbo Akademi University in KATAJA, the Finnish doctoral program in business studies, and from June 2023 is a steering group member of Åbo Akademi University’s minority research profile.
Dr. Mariana Rocha is a lecturer in the School of Computer Science at the Technological University of Dublin in Ireland. With a dedicated focus on the design, development, and playtesting of both digital and non-digital games, her research is centred on enhancing learning and training experiences. Dr. Rocha is a member of the Happy Maths project, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland. Her work within this initiative involves creating and testing innovative games to reduce mathematics anxiety among primary school children. Furthermore, Dr. Rocha’s expertise extends beyond digital platforms. She has successfully conceptualized and created board games to support and train teachers in blended learning methodologies and technology integration within the classroom setting.
Heidi Ruhala is the CEO and founder of Ankkalampi – Daycare Chain. She has over 10 years of experience from entrepeneurship with strategy and business development as well as financial planning and investments. An additional solid background in marketing and sales provides strong understanding of customer expectations and satisfactions. She has an extensive network and excellent leadership and communication skills. She is also driven team player with strong strategic thinking and a growth mindset.
Peter Vesterbacka is an entrepreneur from the FinEst Bay Area at the Heart of Eurasia, Helsinki, Finland. Branded communities co-created and initiated by Peter include the HP Bazaar, Mobile Monday, Slush, and Startup Sauna to name a few. He was the Mighty Eagle at Angry Birds for many years, taking that brand to unprecedented heights. Peter is also an adjunct professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Tongji University, one of the leading universities in China. In 2011, Time Magazine named Peter one of the 100 most influential people on the planet.
Sebastian Laitila is University Teacher at University of Vaasa He has a vast experience of game design/development and modding. He has been working with this for 22 years, has 3 years of experience as an entrepreneur, and has held a few hackathons and game jams. He has worked as an interactive software developer specialized in VR and is currently working as a university teacher in digital communications at University of Vaasa.
Dr. Nancy L Commins, is Clinical Professor Emeritus at the University of Colorado Denver. Over the past four decades she has worked with students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds as a classroom teacher, program director, school district administrator, independent consultant and university professor in the U.S. and Finland. All her efforts have been focused on increasing equity for multilingual students.
Erno Lehtinen is emeritus professor of education at the University of Turku and visiting professor at the Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania). He was head of the Finnish national “Doctoral Programme on Multidisciplinary Research on Learning Environments” and the doctoral programme on “Research on learning, teaching and learning environments” of the University of Turku. He has supervised 46 completed PhD thesis. Lehtinen has published about 400 scientific publications including many articles in top-journals of educational sciences and educational psychology. Lehtinen is selected member of Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and International Academy of Education. He was president of European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction ( EARLI 2001-2003) and founding editor-in-chief of the Frontline Learning Research. In 2009 he got the Oeuvre Award of the EARLI.
Wilhelm Barner-Rasmussen (PhD 2003, Hanken School of Economics) is Professor of Business Administration at Åbo Akademi University School of Business and Economics. He has a general interest in knowledge processes, with a research focus on individual- and group-level communication and knowledge sharing, and a special expertise in language issues in international business contexts. His research has been published in leading outlets including Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of International Management, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of World Business, Human Resource Management, and Management and Organization Review. His international commissions of trust include representing Finland on the Board of the Nordic Academy of Management (NFF) and being a member of Advisory Board of the Research Group on Management and Language (GEM&L). He also represents Åbo Akademi University in KATAJA, the Finnish doctoral program in business studies, and from June 2023 is a steering group member of Åbo Akademi University’s minority research profile.
Dr. Mariana Rocha is a lecturer in the School of Computer Science at the Technological University of Dublin in Ireland. With a dedicated focus on the design, development, and playtesting of both digital and non-digital games, her research is centred on enhancing learning and training experiences. Dr. Rocha is a member of the Happy Maths project, funded by the Science Foundation Ireland. Her work within this initiative involves creating and testing innovative games to reduce mathematics anxiety among primary school children. Furthermore, Dr. Rocha’s expertise extends beyond digital platforms. She has successfully conceptualized and created board games to support and train teachers in blended learning methodologies and technology integration within the classroom setting.
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