Torben Pedersen

DSV – Global Transport and Logistics

Experienced People Leader in HR, IT, and LEAN

With over 30 years of experience driving organizational change and business optimization across telecom, pharmaceuticals, and transport and logistics, Torben Pedersen brings a unique blend of analytical and human insight to leadership and transformation.

Holding dual master’s degrees — an MSc in Economics (specializing in IT) and an MSc in Psychology, Torben combines technical understanding with behavioral expertise to lead complex, people-centered change.

As a Certified Coach, Torben is passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to achieve operational excellence through leadership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Sophia Boleckis

Wärtsilä

Employee Experience Lead

Sophia Boleckis is a highly experienced HR and people professional with a deep understanding of how businesses operate – from strategic boardroom discussions to everyday leadership challenges. With over 20 years of international experience across industries such as telecommunications, energy, IT, manufacturing, and consulting, she has supported countless professionals, team leaders, and executives through complex situations – ranging from team dynamics and personal crises to organizational change, restructuring and new ways of working.
Sophia holds master’s degrees in Arts, Business Administration and Service Design, bringing a rare combination of analytical thinking and human-centred creativity to her work. She is currently studying to become a certified brief therapist, further strengthening her ability to support individuals and organizations at critical turning points and systemic change needs. Passionate about fostering more humane, mentally sustainable, and high-performing workplaces, Sophia bridges strategy and empathy in everything she does.

Sari-Ek Petroff

Enento Group

CHRO

Sari is an experienced HR/People professional with a passion to develop organizations, culture and leadership that drive success for both business and people. She has wide experience in different sectors, including FMCG (Coca-Cola), pharma (Sanofi), professional services (law, technology research and education) and now from the financial information, data and technology area, Enento Group Ltd.
 
At Enento she leads the Group HR function, having team members both in Sweden and in Finland working with a cross-country mindset in the Nordics. Sari has a master’s degree in business and economics, a degree in adult education and is a certified Business Coach.

Marjo Kuosmanen

Metso

Vice President, HR Services Business Area

Marjo Kuosmanen is an impact-driven HR leader with a deep understanding of how people strategies fuel business success. This ranges from shaping board-level decisions to enabling everyday leadership excellence. As Vice President, HR Services Business Area at Metso, Marjo leads global people and culture strategic initiatives that strengthen organizational capability and business growth in aftermarket.

With extensive international experience across industries such as manufacturing, technology, and consumer goods, Marjo has guided leaders and teams through complex challenges, including culture change, organizational transformation, performance management, and talent development.

Marjo focuses on fostering a growth mindset to build agile, high-performing organizations and is passionate about empowering people and business to thrive through change. 
Marjo holds a master’s degree in economics, which provides strong analytical and strategic expertise to HR leadership.

Mark Hayton

Focus Tiger

Head of Learning and Development

Mark is the Head of Learning and Development at Focus Tiger, he brings to the stage deep expertise in organizational change, transformation and workforce enablement. His perspective is based on experience of people and leadership practices from 120 countries and cultures. Mark is a firm believer in robust data, meaningful facilitation and that people don't always think as much as they think, they think.

Sara Milesson

Veralto

VP HR

With 20+ years of experience in various HR roles, Sara has a clear focus on Leadership Development, Strategic Organizational Development, Talent Management and Change Management. Operating in international settings with diverse cultures, functions and organizational backgrounds, her mission is to truly contribute to the development of core business by empowering and developing people and organizations.
Well received and often recurring Guest Speaker at many HR conferences, both on-site and online, as well as HR podcasts on her areas of expertise. Currently VPHR at Veralto, a $5 billion global leader in essential technology solutions dedicated to creating a safer, cleaner, more vibrant future.

Nicholas Pearce

Nokia

Performance Excellence Manager

Nicholas Pearce holds a pivotal role as the Performance Excellence Manager at Nokia. Hailing from South Australia, Nicholas pursued Business Management at the University of South Australia and expanded his horizons with international studies at WHU near Bonn, Germany.
His career journey commenced in Adelaide, where he ventured into diverse roles within the Telecommunications and Media sectors at renowned companies like Telstra and Nine Network. Now based in Finland and with over 7 years at Nokia, Nicholas has been a driving force behind organizational transformation, business turnaround, restructuring, and strategic planning initiatives on a global scale.

Mai-Britt Søndberg

Siemens Energy

Head of HR Europe

Mai-Britt Soendbergis an accomplished HR executive with over two decades of international experience across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Currently serving as Head of HR for Europe at Siemens Energy, she leads a team of 110+ HR professionals across 40+ countries, supporting approximately 35,000 employees. Her leadership is instrumental in driving large-scale transformations, including the integration of Siemens Gamesa and the implementation of a new Target Operating Model.
Mai-Britt is recognized as a strategic HR partner, leadership coach, and culture transformer. Her career spans senior roles at Siemens, Maersk Oil, KPMG, FLSmidth, and Oracle, where she has led global initiatives in talent management, organizational development, and workforce transformation. She is certified in multiple coaching and assessment methodologies, including NLP, MBTI, Belbin, and Predictive Index.
Colleagues describe her as energetic, pragmatic, and passionate about people and leadership development. She holds an MSc in Business Administration from the University of Southern Denmark and is based in Ballerup, Denmark.   

Ilkka Lagerström

Konecranes

Vice President of People Operations & Talent Acquisition

Ilkka Lagerström is the Vice President of People Operations & Talent Acquisition at Konecranes, bringing over 15 years of experience in driving strategic talent initiatives across national and international markets. With a deep background in consultancy, recruitment services, HR shared services, and operational development, Ilkka has played a key role in shaping agile, scalable people strategies. His expertise spans talent acquisition, employer branding, service architecture, and the future of work — with a special focus on AI, automation, and digitalization within HR.

A passionate people leader and advocate for continuous improvement, Ilkka combines a business-driven mindset with a strong commitment to creating high-impact, human-centered experiences. Outside of work, he’s a proud father of three, a devoted husband, and an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys floorball, mountain biking, and swimming.

Pieter‑Anthony De Haes

A.P. Moller – Maersk

Director & Global Head of Commercial Academy

Pieter‑Anthony De Haes leads global learning and capability-building at A.P. Moller – Maersk, where he heads the Commercial Academy. With a background in organizational psychology and a track record of driving large-scale talent and learning transformations, he specializes in translating strategy into high-impact, evidence-led learning experiences. A sought-after speaker on the future of learning, Pieter‑Anthony brings practical insights on AI, meta-skills, and organizational growth.

George Xavier

HR Professional and Tech Enthusiast

George is a seasoned human resources leader with global track record, bringing deep understanding of business dynamics and cultural nuances to address people challenges with precision and sensitivity. His career spans IT‑enabled services (ITES), banking, financial services & insurance (BFSI), and engineering, where he has consistently aligned people strategy with business outcomes. An alumnus of London Business School with a Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy, George specialised in mergers and acquisitions, corporate turnaround, and digital strategy, with a strong emphasis on data analytics and artificial intelligence. He is recognised for leveraging data and technology to shape decision‑making and deliver impactful HR solutions at scale.

Katja Knaapila

Agnico Eagle Finland

Employment Manager

Tanja Kanerva

Skanska

Talent Acquisition Partner

Tanja Kanerva is a Talent Acquisition Partner at Skanska in Finland, specializing in recruitment, talent management, HR tech development and employer branding. 
Tanja has introduced modern recruitment technologies and methods to the industry, including the development of a workforce-planning tool and talent‑pool functionality — among other projects. She combines operational delivery with strategic insight, integrating modern technologies, talent acquisition best practices and digital marketing to improve hiring outcomes.
Her academic background in Leadership and Organizational Development, together with studies in Software Engineering, gives her a distinctive blend of people‑focused and practical perspectives for innovating and optimizing talent processes.

France Bobet

Wolt

Global Learning Experience & Culture Lead

France Bobet is the Learning and Culture Lead at Wolt, with 14 years of experience in talent development across industries including banking, automotive manufacturing, and technology. She is known for balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and for her strong belief that a great and simple user experience is key to meet business needs.

At Wolt, France has shaped an impactful learning function and played a key role in scaling leadership development, supporting leaders through a period of rapid growth—from 1,500 to 14,000 employees—and the company’s merger with DoorDash.