Towards change with the support of donors
A pioneer of ownership
Samuli Knüpfer took up the position as the world’s first professor of ownership in 2022. The professorship, established at the School of Business, was made possible through the support of more than one hundred donors. Major contributions came, among others, from the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and the Saastamoinen Foundation.
What are you particularly proud of in your work?
‘I feel especially proud of the Aalto Ownership Lab research center, which focuses on corporate ownership and its societal significance. I am also happy with the popularity of the Personal Finance course. The course, open to all Aalto students, reached over 400 students already in its second year. The course covers topics such as saving, investing, borrowing, home ownership, and insurance. It is great that financial skills interest young people across Aalto’s schools. It is also rewarding to see that ownership is now discussed in Finland in a completely different way than just a few years ago. Society is increasingly reflecting on what ownership means and why it is important that Finland is a good place to own assets.’
What research inspires you right now?
‘My latest research examines Finnish family businesses and the persistent myths surrounding them. In Finland, 73 percent of companies are family businesses, and a large share of economic activity takes place within them. Family businesses are, on average, more profitable and financially stable than other companies, and they invest more than average. They are also significant employers, especially outside the Helsinki metropolitan area. The lack of economic growth is a serious problem. For Finland’s future, it is crucial to understand what kinds of companies generate growth.’
What has the Aalto community taught you?
‘Aalto is an inspiring community. The Otaniemi campus is full of smart and energetic people who want to change the world. Multidisciplinarity enriches everyone’s work. When two people from different fields meet on campus, one plus one is more than two.’
A builder of sustainability
Luana Dessbesell works as an Assistant Professor at Aalto’s Bioinnovation Center, which supports the development and commercialisation of forest-based innovations. Her professorship was established in 2023 through a donation from the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation.
What are you particularly proud of in your work?
‘When I arrived in Finland, I was not familiar with the local research environment or European funding channels. However, within three years I have secured approximately three million euros in research funding and established a multidisciplinary research group. Our group currently includes nine doctoral students and three postdoctoral researchers. In both research and teaching, I aim to broaden sustainability thinking toward a holistic perspective that simultaneously considers ecological, social and economic aspects.’
What research inspires you right now?
‘In the SciSustain project, we are developing methods and tools together with industrial partners to help packaging material innovations move faster from idea to market. New metrics help identify risks and bottlenecks in technologies already in the early stages of development. At the same time, they integrate holistic sustainability into the evaluation of innovations. The project supports both large forest industry companies and startups in scaling bioinnovations to industrial levels.’
What has the Aalto community taught you?
‘I have had the opportunity to walk on bridges built by professors before me between different schools. Now my task is to guide new researchers onto these bridges and to explore new forms of collaboration together. Students are all different, and that is their superpower. As a supervisor, I aim to support these individual strengths so they can move toward their own goals. I have also learned to be a bit more firm, which helps students advance their work more systematically.’
Text: Marjukka Puolakka
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