Speakers | Rovaniemi Arctic Spirit

Timo Soini

Mr Soini is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland. He has been serving in his current position since May 2015.

Olga Algayerova

Ms Olga Algayerova is the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) since April 2017.

Ségolène Royal

Ségolène Royal is the French Ambassador for the Arctic and the Antarctic Poles.

Paula Lehtomäki

Ms Paula Lehtomäki has held the position of State Secretary to Prime Minister Juha Sipilä at the Prime Minister's Office since July 2015.

Tiina Sanila-Aikio

Tiina Sanila-Aikio (Paavvâl Taannâl Tiina) is the President of the Sámi Parliament of Finland.

Eva Svedling

Eva Svedling is the State Secretary for Climate at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Stockholm Sweden.

Hanne Fugl Eskjaer

Hanne Fugl Eskjaer is Ambassador for Arctic Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark and Head of Department of the Arctic and North America since August 2016.

Lars Andreas Lunde

Lars Andreas Lunde is State Secretary at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway.

Maeve Collins

Maeve Collins is Ambassador of Ireland to Finland.

Marie-Anne Coninsx

Marie-Anne Coninsx is Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs of the European Union since September 2017.

Árni Þór Sigurðsson

Árni Þór Sigurðsson is Iceland’s Ambassador for Arctic Affairs and Senior Arctic Official.

Donna Welton took up her post as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki in August 2016 following a detail to the Department of Defense as the acting Director for Southeast Asia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy).

Eeva Furman

Eeva Furman is a member of the working group drafting the UN’s Global Sustainable Development Report, Director of the Environment Policy Centre, Finnish Environment Institute and Chair of Finland's Sustainable Development Expert Panel.

Lars Kullerud

Lars Kullerud is a President of the University of the Arctic and Senior Advisor to GRID-Arendal Managing Director.

Åge Grutle

Åge Grutle has been Norway's Ambassador to Finland since October 8, 2015, coming from the position of Lord Chamberlain at the Royal Court in Oslo (2009 - 2015).

Aleksi Härkönen

Aleksi Härkönen is Finland’s Ambassador for Arctic Affairs.

Rosa Liksom

Rosa Liksom is a Finnish writer and artist. She won the J. H. Erkko Award in 1985 for her debut novel Yhden yön pysäkki and the Finlandia Prize in 2011 for Hytti nro 6.

Vladimir V. Barbin

Vladimir V. Barbin is the Ambassador-at-large for Arctic affairs, MFA of Russia.

David Scott

David Scott is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Polar Knowledge Canada (POLAR).

Hannele Pokka

Hannele Pokka serves as Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of the Environment. She is the highest-ranking public servant within the Ministry.

Evan Bloom

Evan T. Bloom is Director of the Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

Yury Sumarokov

Yury Sumarokov is the Head of the department of International cooperation at Northern State Medical University (Arkhangelsk, Russia).

Michel Julien

Dr. Michel R. Julien, Eng. (mining – Polytechnique of Montreal), M.Sc. (geo-engineering - University of Minnesota), Ph.D. (mineral engineering – Polytechnique), ASC, is vice-president environment for Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (AEM).

Lydia Heikkilä

Lydia Heikkilä (PhD, Sociology) works as a university researcher in the Sámi Studies Program in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lapland.

Thomas Nilsen

Thomas Nilsen is editor of the Independent Barents Observer.

Rosa-Máren Magga

Rosa-Máren is currently working as an intern at International Barents Secretariat. Earlier she has worked as a journalist and a TV news anchor in Yle Sápmi.

Arja Rautio

Arja Rautio, research professor, MD, PhD, ERT, has been working in field of circumpolar health and well-being since 2006. She is the Vice-President Research of the UArctic.

Jane George

Jane George is the senior reporter at the Nunatsiaq News, the Nunavut, Canada-based newspaper, also at Nunatsiaqonline.ca, which covers the Canadian Arctic.

Sardaana Savvina

Sardaana Savvina is producer, promoter of Sakha cinema, film scholar and founder and leader of the "Sakha Cinema Club" – Yakutia's Independent Filmmakers' Community.

Kirk Anderson

Dr. Kirk Anderson is the dean of the Faculty of Education at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Pigga Keskitalo

Dr. Pigga Keskitalo is a Title of Docent at University of Helsinki, and works as an Associate Professor at teacher education at Sámi allaskuvla/Sámi University of Applied Sciences in Guovdageaidnu, Norway.

Anne Ollila

Anne Ollila is the Executive Director of the Reindeer Herders’ Association, Finland.

Tero Vauraste

Tero Vauraste is the Chair of Arctic Economic Council and President and CEO of Arctia Ltd.

Katri Kulmuni

Katri Kulmuni is a Member of the Parliament of Finland, Chair of Finnish Delegation to the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region and Chair of UN Association of Finland.

Stephen Mooney

Stephen Mooney is the Director of Cold Climate Innovation (CCI) at the Yukon Research Centre, Canada.

Sunna Kokkonen

Ms. Sunna Kokkonen is currently studying a Master’s in International and European Law at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands, focusing on the Arctic Council’s action against climate change.

Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi

Mr Mikkel Näkkäläjärvi is the President at Social Democratic Youth of Finland.

Joan Kane

Joan Naviyuk Kane is an Inupiaq Author and Poet.

Esko Lotvonen

Esko Lotvonen is the mayor of the City of Rovaniemi.

Anna Reetta Rönkä

Dr. Anna Reetta Rönkä has researched experiences of loneliness from childhood to young adulthood among young people born in northern Finland.

Liisa Rohweder

Dr. Liisa Rohweder is a CEO of WWF Finland since 2009. In WWF she has had several global responsibilities. At the moment, she chairs the global Arctic Programme.

Niillas Holmberg

Niillas Holmberg is a Sámi poet, musician, actor and activist.

Mauri Ylä-Kotola

Mauri Ylä-Kotola is the Rector of University of Lapland.

Pentti Hyttinen

Dr. Pentti Hyttinen is the Director General of Metsähallitus - the Finnish State Forest Enterprise.

Daria Matveenkova

Daria Matveenkova is a press-secretary and project coordinator of Murmansk regional youth environmental organization "Nature and Youth".

Mika Riipi

Mika Riipi is the County Governor of the Regional Council of Lapland.

Timo Koivurova

Timo Koivurova is the director of the Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland.

Markku Heikkilä

Head of Science Communications at the Arctic Centre of the University of Lapland

Anna Stammler-Gossmann

Anna Stammler-Gossmann Anthropology, University Senior Researcher Academic Coordinator of the Arctic Studies Program, University of Lapland

Pamela Lesser

Pamela Lesser is a researcher of the Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM).

Pekka Timonen

Pekka Timonen is a General Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office and General Secretary of the 'Finland 100 Years' centenary board.

Kaarina Määttä

Kaarina Määttä is Professor of Educational Psychology and a Vice-rector of the University of Lapland.

Florian Stammler

Florian Stammler is research professor for Arctic Anthropology and the coordinator of the anthropology research team at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Finland.

Mia Landauer

Mia Landauer is a researcher in the Risk and Resilience Program and Arctic Futures Initiative at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.

Tuija Turunen

Professor Tuija Turunen holds the position of Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lapland, Finland. She leads the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group (SDWG) project: Teacher Education for Diversity and Equality in the Arctic.