Martikainen, who started as Professor (level 1) at the School of Business in August, is herself involved in the activities of the Finland Chamber of Commerce, for example. She also received an invitation to join a discussion group appointed by Minister Häkämies focusing on the development of the mining industry in Finland.
The development of the mining industry is a significant issue from the viewpoint of the economy, as in the worst case scenario, the earnings generated by the operations are channelled abroad while the pollution stays in Finland.
’More effort and skills should be directed towards protecting natural resources in Finland. In the future, important natural resources and other basic raw materials such as food will be more valuable than we have become accustomed to thinking in the last few decades. Skilled utilisation of resources is an important aspect of the Finnish capital base. This way, also the income from the production process would remain in Finland, not just the production costs,’ Martikainen explains.
Close cooperation across boundaries
Martikainen has thorough knowledge of how things are done in Russia. She gained experience of this while working as Professor at the Lappeenranta University of Technology for seven years. For the last two years, Martikainen also acted as Vice Rector for international affairs at the university.
’In Lappeenranta, I established a joint MITIM (Master of International Technology and Innovation Management) master’s degree programme with the Graduate School of Management of Saint Petersburg State University. Graduates from the programme gain a double degree. The programme involves close cooperation with companies, and its specific aim is to produce experts in cooperation with Russia for the needs of Finnish companies.’
In addition to the MITIM programme, Martikainen also established an international master’s degree programme in strategic finance in Lappeenranta. As Vice Rector, she was in charge of the development of the internationalisation and the structures of the university as a whole. In a period of a couple of years, the university achieved a significant change in atmosphere.
Aalto University alters the system of higher education
What, then, made her shift to Aalto University?
’Aalto University is a project of national significance from the viewpoint of the whole higher education system. In my view, through its own development, Aalto University aims at the development of the whole Finnish higher education sector, and actually functions to transform the system.’
’Moreover, I already had the opportunity to do so much in one organisation that I felt it was time to move on. Undeniably, the 180 km journey to work also impacted my decision,’ Martikainen states.
In her own words, Martikainen is coming back to her roots: between 1999 and 2000, she worked as the head of the financing institute of LTT Tutkimus Oy owned by the Helsinki School of Economics.
At the moment, Martikainen is heading a research project funded by the Academy of Finland focusing on the ways in which SMEs will be able to weather the financial crisis. The research places special emphasis on the inner structures of companies, such as the impacts of ownership and entrepreneurial orientation on the profitability of SMEs particularly in times of financial crisis.
Family, children and hobbies constitute important anchors and provide a different side to life. ’It is necessary to have the right balance in life, and daily activities with the family provide a nice counterbalance for work,’ she says.