Program

The Bank of Finland will once again host a public seminar at the Mikaeli Concert and Congress Centre in conjunction with the Mikkeli Music Festival. Entitled "Technology as an Instrument of Power – Strengthening Sovereignty in Finland and Europe," the seminar will take place on Thursday, 6 August, and is open to all.

The seminar will begin at 1:00 p.m. with opening remarks by the host of the event, Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn.

Following the opening, Pekka Lundmark, an experienced business executive, board professional and technology investor, will discuss how Finland and Europe can strengthen their position in the global race for technological leadership and investment. After his keynote, Sari Heinonen, President and CEO of LähiTapiola, will examine the role of growth companies, capital and ownership as key drivers of Finland's economic growth.

Following the presentations, the audience will have the opportunity to put questions to Rehn, Lundmark and Heinonen.

After a short break, the seminar will conclude with a panel discussion moderated by Anssi Miettinen, a journalist at Helsingin Sanomat and a native of Mikkeli.

The panel will feature Maria Löfgren, President of Akava; Elina Pylkkänen, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment; and Youssef Zad, an economist who recently moved from the start-up community to the Social Democratic Parliamentary Group. Together, they will discuss whether there is still room for human capital in the AI-driven labour markets of the future.

The seminar will conclude at 4:30 p.m. with a musical performance by soprano Sanna Matinniemi and pianist Mirva Helske, featuring excerpts from the concert My Most Beautiful Karelian Songs.

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