Ownership and management

Saara serves as Director of the Branch Groups and Associations Unit at Technology Industries Finland and as CEO of Healthtech Finland. In the past, she has acted as department head at the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland from 1993 to 2009, CEO of Finnish Bioindustries FIB, and CEO of SalWe Oy from 2009 to 2016.

After graduating as a physician, Juhani served as a general practitioner, pediatrician, and physician of infectious diseases from 1975 to 1991, and then as the Director of the departments of Infectious Disease Control and Vaccines of the National Public Health Institute of Finland from 1991 to 1999. He worked in France between 2000 and 2004 as the Director in charge of the clinical development of vaccines for the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer. After returning to Finland, he served as Deputy Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Finland, later the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, from 2005 to 2013 and as Director General from 2014 to 2018.

Tapio is Vice President for Research at the Tampere University (2022–). Previously, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology (former Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences) between 2017 and 2021. He has been Professor of Cancer Genetics at the Tampere University since 2002.

Timo is a board professional and Senior Advisor, with long experience of various corporate leadership positions both as CEO and on boards, as well as membership in the boards of foundations and associations. Before his duties as an independent board professional, Timo has worked e.g. as CEO of Nordic Morning Corporation during 2005-2017.

Professor of Autoimmune Diseases, PhD in immunology

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Outi has held senior R&D leadership roles at Orion Pharma since 2019, including Vice President of Oncology Research, Senior Vice President of Research and Development, Executive Vice President of Innovative Medicines, and currently Executive Vice President of Research & Development.
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Earlier career

• 2018-2019 Senior Director Research, Respiratory Inflammation and Autoimmunity, Medimmune, AstraZeneca, The United States
• 2017-2018 Vice President, Head of Lung Immunity, AstraZeneca, Sweden
• 2014-2017 Vice President, Head of Translational Science, AstraZeneca, Sweden
• 2014 Director of the Department of Vaccinations and Immune Protection; Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
• 2005-2014 Research Professor, Head of the Immune Response Unit, Department of Vaccines and Immune Protection; Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

Jenni began her career in academic vaccine development research, spending ten years at the former National Public Health Institute (now the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, THL), followed by a postdoctoral period at the University of Oxford.

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She spent the following twenty years in the international pharmaceutical industry, working for GSK, Sanofi Pasteur MSD (SPMSD), and Sanofi in Finland and the United Kingdom. During this time, she held leadership positions spanning clinical research, market access strategies, and commercial operations, including five years as the General Manager and Country Lead for Sanofi Finland. During 2023-2025 Jenni worked as an independent consultant for international pharmaceutical companies and for Finnish companies within the health and life science space. She started as the CEO of FVR - Finnish Vaccine research in April 2026.

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Alongside her work, Jenni has completed post-graduate health economics studies at University of York and a minor in accounting at Aalto University.

Paula has long experience in clinical vaccine research, having worked in managerial and supervisory roles for approximately twenty years. In addition to operational management, her work focuses on people leadership and supervisory practice.

Harri has worked in diverse management and leadership positions in finance and business operations in global companies, e.g. as CFO of Suunto from 2009 to 2018 and as CFO of AstraZeneca Finland from 2005 to 2009. He has also held several managerial and leadership positions at Nokia Mobile Phones and Nokia Networks in Finland and Singapore between 1996 and 2005.

Throughout her career, Satu has worked in diverse positions related to the development of operations and people management in international operating environments, for example at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet. Before moving to FVR, Satu worked as a consultant in her own company with the mission of contributing to business success with employee wellbeing.

Arto worked as Research Manager at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) from 1995 to 2022 and as Senior Assistant and Acting Professor of Epidemiology at the Tampere University from 2003 to 2008. Arto’s expertise includes register-based studies, evaluating the effectiveness and safety of vaccines, and pragmatic vaccine trials. Palmu has received significant accolades for his work.