Often described as an explorer and change maker, Sanna is an internationally connected futurist and an advocate for transdisciplinary collaboration who thrives from connecting ideas, people, and cultures to spark new directions.
Working mainly in international settings at the intersections of education, research, and business, my interest lies in participatory approaches that spark collective imagination and ethical judgment. With a PhD in value co-creation in innovation ecosystems, I co-design methods that help organisations and communities move beyond incremental change toward futures, serving both human and non-human life. Through my signature dialogical method I enable audiences to reveal their cognitive biases and open space for new perspectives.
In my role in higher education, my recent work spans from operationalising futures thinking in educational settings to reconceptualising and implementing anticipatory resilience. This work builds on nearly two decades of experience in regional, national, and international RDI activities.
To demonstrate my way of engaging with the futures, see under my talk Learning the Future: Futures Literacy’s a Skill for the Next Generation ” for Interactive Policy Lab / Workshop “Diplomatic Foresight: Anticipating Change in an Age of Uncertainties”, held by Ministry of Foresight Affairs and Foreign Trade in North Macedonia, Diplomatic Club Skopje, and University of American College Skopje, in May 2026.
Beyond my day job, I actively engage in other professional initiatives that broaden my perspective and challenge my thinking (see “professional engagement” below). These activities complement and strengthen my ability to connect ideas across disciplines. Driven by curiosity and a deep commitment to planetary wellbeing, I am increasingly concerned about how ethics is applied in foresight. This is why I actively embrace feminist perspectives and champion transformative practices for sustainability.
Finally, given that my journey in Futures Studies started in 2016-2017, when I carried out my studies at Finland Futures Research Center (FFRC), as an extension of my ongoing PhD studies, I am celebrating 10 years in Futures Studies in 2016-2017. I mean, in late 2017, I got engaged to futures full-time, starting a position as a futurist-in-residence and Senior Advisor in a strategic consulting and training company in Helsinki. I am still learning every day and I love this field of work.
Education
- PhD in Knowledge Management (2019) – Tampere University of Technology. Dissertation: Value co-creation in innovation ecosystems.
- M.A. in Human Sciences (2003) – University of Turku & University of Eastern Finland. Two majors: French Language & Culture; Tourism Development.
- Additional studies: sociology, communications, geography, art history, futures studies…
WORK EXPERIENCE
- Senior Researcher, Laurea University of Applied Sciences (2022–present). Coordinating Laurea’s internal foresight team; international collaboration on transformative learning and pedagogies; research on cities and regions as innovation platforms; conceptualising anticipatory resilience.
- Futurist-in-Residence, Talent Vectia (2018–2021). Developing organisational futures orientation → see my article published in 2022 at IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management: Developing organizational futures orientation – A single case study exploring and conceptualizing the transformation process in practice; major contribution to the development of Finnish Ministry of Employment and Economic Affairs lead initiative on Growth portfolios, a large participatory process to explore the market potential of Finnish companies.
- Educational Developer, various institutions (2003–2016).
Designing multidisciplinary programs; coordinating EU-funded projects in business, tourism, sign language teaching, ICT, natural sciences…
Professional EngagementS
- Member of Editorial Board, Futura
- Former Board Member, Finnish Society for Futures Studies
- PhD supervisions (Universities of Rovaniemi, Turku, Vaasa)
- Mentoring (Finnish Society for Futures Studies, Turku University, Åbo Academy, SUSTRA Sustainability Transformations Doctoral Education Pilot)
- Co-lead, IDG Research Hub on Re-imagining planetary sustainable futures, together with Tiina Wikström
- Member, Health care for a Sustainable Future (HUMUS) stakeholder group; Sitra Futures Reformers; EU High Tech Skills Expert Group.
- Professional reading clubs: Futures Finland (2019-2021); Learning Circle for topics related to sustainability, transformations, imagination, and futures consciousness (2023-2024).
- Steering group member in projects related to e.g. creating the futures competences in forest sector (METUMO 2021-2023), youth and media futures (Tulevaisuuden media-arki nuorten kuvittelemana (2020-2021), and regional foresight ecosystem building (VALUE 2023)
- Evaluation and development of the Finnish Ministry of Interior’s foresight activities, lead by Demos Helsinki (2021-2022)
- Member of Sitra Fund´s group of Futures Reformers, resulting in the concept of Futures Frequency (2020)
- Expert Member of the High Tech Skills for Industry – Fostering New Services and Jobs Creation -project for European Commission (2019-2021)
- Member, Association of Professional Futurists group (2018-2019)
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